Chew Slowly

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BEKA-NDA: The tribe of my village here are Bangwa people, and in their mother tongue the saying, “Beka-nda” literally translates into “chew slowly,” but to relate this more to an English saying, they mean it as, “Choose wisely.”  Either way I really enjoy this saying at it’s philosophical disposition. They use this saying about meeting new people and judging someone’s character. I recently let someone into my house very carelessly with out keeping an eye on him or her while I was cooking with another friend in my kitchen. In a small village like this where people watch over each other very much and take many justice matters into more of a marshal law status, it is easy to grow comfortable and let your guard down.  I feel more protected here by the people than in my own country with such a police state for justice. I let my guard down with this individual in my house too soon and noticed something missing from my home the day after they visited. When the person came back to visit yesterday I was in the house with my landlord and some friends. This person came in with a smile on their face, obviously thinking that I had not noticed this missing object, as it was kept somewhere out of sight. I calmly told the person not to sit down but to go outside on the veranda so we could discuss something. I confronted the situation and told the person to leave my residence; I want to continue enjoying my Sunday afternoon football matches with my friends. I returned inside to explain the situation to my friends and my landlord said in the Bangwa dialect, “Beka-nda.” He then proceeded to explain to me that no matter how comfortable you are in a place, never forget to “beka-nda,” or to chew slowly when determining who your friends are and who you keep close to you.