We were back in a taxi...
(If you are reading this blog daily you know that we LIVE in taxis it would seem)
Long gone are the days of the big, white van...or before that the superior hauling capability of the suburban...now it takes 2 taxis to get us anywhere.
Dad was with a few of the Littles and The Dutch Girl in another taxi and I was with the remainder of the H clan in my taxi.
It's always a mystery if we've clearly communicated where we want to go...sometimes...things go very wrong and are lost in translation. We now have our home location written in the local language and of course we use our best impression of how to say the desired locations in the local dialect.
But last night...a breakthru!
I inquired, in the local dialect about the street name on which we we were...and the taxi driver UNDERSTOOD me! Furthmore he responded to me and my brain DID NOT automatically shut off, but kept tracking with him and I UNDERSTOOD what HE SAID! This happened twice more before we reached the market and I was so thrilled that I nearly hugged the driver!
I'm certain that he was not so impressed.
Dad says he's been thinking each day about getting some special intervention from above to be able to learn some language...I assured him...he will soon be celebrating too.
We're getting an increasing number of "visitors" to our home now. Parents of our soon-to-be students and others who've now heard about us...showing up and visiting. It makes me laugh because one of our favorite things in the world at the Old Place was having people over to our home. We fumble over what to offer them to drink, being able to offer them food that is anything more than just passable for eating...but they're coming...lots of them...with many, many questions about our lives, our parenting style and why we came here.
Dad keeps a notebook with every new family we're meeting...the names are accumulating.
Maybe the day will come when we can have break-thrus with them?
Potato was singing this morning at the top of her lungs (thanks to dear Mrs Schmidt's class back home) "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...let it shine, let it shine, let it shine"
Trying to clean the smudges off my lantern...
1 comment:
Everyday Tia reports to me whether it is night time or day in China. (When you left I explained to her that when the sun goes down here it is coming up in China.) It is getting funny she is thinking of you often as are Nate and I.
I am ready to submit paperwork for child number 4...it is hard to settle on an agency though...everyone uses and loves a different one. BTW Aug 6th is 4 years to the day that we moved from Central Rd. Time flies!!
The Kaplan's
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