Having just spent almost 2 months in America, I thought I'd make some observations on the way English is used. This can cause some confusion to those of you in Rwanda. So, let's clarify.
First of all, in America, the word "smart" means "intelligent."
In Rwanda "smart" means "well-dressed."
So just imagine the following conversation:
"Wow, you look really smart today."
"How can you tell? Yeah, lately I've gone through various periods of stupidity, but I'm okay today."
In Rwanda, if you want to say that someone is intelligent, you say he is "clever."
"That boy is very clever."
"Yeah, he's good at breaking in cars."
Of course, there is also the American versus Rwandan (British) way of referring to things automobile-related:
"hood" = "bonnet"
"trunk" = "boot"
"gas" = "petrol"
"Gas" in Rwandan (British) usage means natural gas, used for cooking and heating, not what you put in your car.
Think you know English? Think again.
I'm so glad I wasn't drinking anything while I was reading this post. I would have to wipe off my screen after bursting out laughing! "various periods of stupidity" LOL
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