Word lover

Rebecca Irani
Jul 20, 2016
2 min read

I love words in all their forms. I play with them continuously. They rotate in my head and pop up in all directions incessantly, verging on an alter ego. If you mention a word, I can think of a song that goes with it.

My love affair began at a young age. I devoured two books a week from the age of five, chose every type of language to study at school: English language and literature, French, Spanish, Italian and Latin, elected to study French and Spanish literature at university, and then trained as a teacher to inspire others less fortunate with the great workings of the English language. Currently, I'm teaching myself Kiswahili by asking everyone I meet in Kenya, whether they are taxi or matatu drivers, housemaids or professionals, to gift me with two phrases or words to learn a day.

My professional life has been taken up with the written and spoken word by choosing a career in communications and public relations (PR). I toyed with the idea of being a journalist as a teenager, an interest started by an aunt who was a successful publisher. I used to go and sit in her London offices for hours trying to look useful, but really, I was just inhaling and absorbing the cerebral stacks of magazines and papers towering over me. I've also been told I should have been a copy-writer. Perhaps, it's not too late.

Beyond work, I love biking, hiking and running. One may ask, "Where are the words in those? Surely, they are the antithesis of your passion?" Yet, I manage to weave them into these activities and share my passion with others.

At my bike club in Canada, I was awarded not for my pedalling skills, but for 'Best use of adjectives' as I began to name everyone creatively, so strangers could quickly remember each other. Consider 'Speedy Steve', 'Hasty Helen' and 'Rocket Raj' and you get the picture. At the famous Hash House Harriers, they asked me to revitalise their song repertoire due to my ability to think of a song related to anything I see or do when running, and adding a quirky twist to it. At my other cycling group in Kenya, I have devised many new names for rides such as 'Silly Hilly', 'Down Downs' and 'The Wheely Fun Ride' to encourage those new to this novel African sport to take part and have fun. These songs and names will be my euphoric legacy, if nothing else.