Language is a Curious Thing

Tonight, Fin and I were treated to dinner by our friends Darva and Larry and their son, Ehren. Ehren is studying Mandarin at West Point and is home on leave. Fin's initial shyness around people, men in particular, didn't allow us to get a good read on what she may be thinking or trying to communicate, but her reaction to hearing the language again was interesting. At first, she was startled. She moved to Nancy's lap, probably feeling a little insecure. Then, she started to get a real kick out of it. I don't know how much she understood since she speaks a regional dialect which has Mandarin as a base, but isn't exactly the same. My parents love Maine and from what they tell me about some accents in Maine, I think it is similar. You know it's English, but still have a hard time understanding it. She did seem to enjoy hearing her language again and didn't become sad or upset as I thought she might. I wish she had been more willing to communicate because I am eager to know what she is thinking, but I was happy to see her happy.

When we were getting in the car to leave, it struck me how far she has come in two months with English. She said, "Butterfly," and, sure enough, there was a butterfly on the car. Then, as we were leaving, she said, "That's the Jimmie Car." I thought she meant our car, but she was pointing and there was another blue Equinox pulling into the parking lot. Not bad.

Thanks, Ehren!