We all know that some words are not easy to translate into other languages. People collect these words and make lists of them (see here and here). But most of the time these words are used quite rarely, like Gokotta -- to wake up early in the morning with the purpose of going outside to hear the first birds sing. It's a beautiful thought, but not terribly practical.

The word we discuss in this podcast is a term that describes something that affects nearly all of Kurdish culture and behavior. Hannah and Colleen give a try at explaining "wasta". There are many more layers to it than this, we promise. There are even some we've never discovered we're sure! But this is enough to get you started.

When your friend says, "Oh, he has wasta," you'll know, rather than staring blankly or doing that thing where you nod and smile but don't know if you should.

Remember to send Hannah your Kurdish language questions or any other questions you might have at hannah@servantgroup.org!

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