a wise man once said

Last night a couple of friends and I were talking about the overall attitude that the people of this country have. As we were discussing things, one of my friends said "Yes, the tongue and the teeth live together, and nobody can separate them." As I looked at him with a question in my eyes, he explained that the the tongue and the teeth usually live together in harmony. However, the teeth sometimes have a tendency to hurt the tongue. This does not mean, though, that they will now be separated. They will work through their differences and live in harmony once again. As I listened to him speak, I realized that I was hearing my first African proverb up close and personal. I don't know about all of you, but before I came here I had always heard of old African proverbs, and I was looking forward to the day where I would know a couple from my country. 

Well, y'all, the day has come. I can now proudly say that I own the knowledge of many different African proverbs, and I just can't keep them to myself. They are simply golden, and there is a 99% chance I will continually be looking for ways to insert them into conversations. So, just warning you now, don't be surprised if I throw these at you in the near future. I also thought I'd share a few with you so you can join the fun.

It's by moving slowly that one catches the monkey in the brush.

I recently signed up to run a 10K over here, and y'all, I am going to claim this one the whole way through the race. 

The cow kicks her child, but she does not hate him.

This one is for all you parents out there. Next time you're child is upset at one of your rules, just remind them about the cow. They may look at you funny, but they're your kids. They aren't supposed to "get" you.

He who does not know "I am full" should restrain his hand from the bowl (or the peanut m&m bag)*.

Sad to say, but this is another one I need to claim. This may or may not be the reason I signed up for the 10K.

*Author's Note: I added the peanut m&m bag for clarification. You can add your own weakness in place of that. Promise I won't judge.

Whoever gets up before the person making breakfast should go back to sleep.

Can I get an Amen? When I'm a parent, pretty sure this one will be hanging front and center in my house.

All a monkey's belongings are in his cheeks.

Who even knows what this one means. But if you can insert a monkey's cheeks into conversation, I say go for it.

So, now that you know these, don't be shy. Throw a couple of them out every now and then, and if people question you just tell them you're "cultured."