We definitely lost some of our Kiswahili during our time stateside but we have actually been surprised at how quick a lot of it has come back. We are still pretty pathetic but we are trying and learning more everyday. What was surprising to us is how much Annikah lost. Another Mama told me that kids learn language the easiest but they also forget it quickly and that is true for Anni. She was awesome at understanding nearly everything people said to her before we left but when we arrived she would get so frustrated and just answer “I speak English” when people talk to her. I think some of it is normal push back and the identity issues that come with living between two worlds so we are easing her back into Kswahili and praising her tons when she attempts (no one knows better than us how hard it is to feel dumb while learning a language…lest I forget the tree story). And now that she is in school everyday she is getting it back. This week I heard Annikah and her friends out of the swings and suddenly distinctly hear Anni’s voice saying “sakuma mi” meaning push me. Annikah prize for her newly acquired language was tons of big pushes on her swing. I guess when something is REALLY important to you you can learn it….no matter how many tries it takes. I love this video because they are so sweet playing today and laughing. This is what happens everyday at our place (sometimes with way more littles) as soon as school is out. Go Anni for learning more Kiswahili!
http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid885.photobucket.com/albums/ac54/engy79/sakumamimi.flv
Love that laugh. Wish I could hear it more often. Tell Anni, you go girl!”