The following is a list of things that are not easily understood by a lot of Chadians living in Abéché:
- Berries, e.g. Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, etc.
- Other currencies (apart from those who have already travelled to Sudan)
- The sea. Salt water vs Fresh water
- Bank cards and paying for things in shops using them
- Supermarkets and trolleys
- Travel insurance
- House insurance
- National insurance
- Water-based toilets and waste water treatment
- Toilets on aeroplanes
- Snow, skiing and snowboarding
- Icy roads
- Compost
- Hotel (where you stay with people you don’t know while travelling)
- Valentine’s Day
- Drinking water from individual glasses (rather than one big bowl)
- Eating using a knife and fork
- Dessert
- Cake icing
- Wool that has more than one colour in each ball
- Washing machines
- Dish-washers
- Tumble dryers
- Chronic illness that needs treatment for longer than a week
- Chopping boards
- Living inside a house
- Closing a door
- Going out in the rain
I’m sure that there are many more, but some of these concepts are difficult to explain.
Try explaining them in Chadian Arabic!