Playmates

Keira will probably be the first one to learn the language here.

Starting from the time she wakes up in the morning, she is asking to go play on the street with her friends.

I have to explain on most days that they are in school, and she will have to wait until the afternoon.

Once the afternoon comes, she is out there listening, talking like they understand her, and doing whatever they do (which includes playing in a busy-ish street).  The other girls watch out for her, and are always glad when she comes out.

Starting last week, she invited them into her house, and they have been playing dress up with her princess dresses and having tea parties with her plastic dishes.

They all have a ball, and there is a lot of giggling.

One day, we watched her from across the street, and we would check on her every now and then.

But one time, when Doug went out, he couldn't find her.

He walked around the corner and she was coming out of a neighbor's gate, headed toward the "convenient store" with the other girls.

I went to her and asked her what she was doing.  She had small bill in her hand that the mom of the neighbor girl had given her so she could get an ice cream like the rest of the girls.

I walked with her in the store, she picked out her ice cream, and then as she went to eat it, I went to get money to pay the neighbor back.

These girls just wanted to make sure she didn't feel left out.

The playing mostly takes place in the afternoons, and I can only imagine that as it gets hotter, the "start" time for playing will be later and later.

One added bonus occurred this week when Doug took her to a nearby park.  Two of her friends from the neighborhood were at the park with their mother, too, so it looks like we'll be seeing these girls around.

I love that they come up and talk to me like I know their language.  They will tell me a lot of stuff with a lot of pointing.  I recognize words here and there, so it's coming slowly.

Yesterday, I was able to tell them that they couldn't eat in the room they were in, it was time to go home, they needed to pick up the room, and take off all of the dresses.

But don't be too impressed.  This is what I think I said:

"food no here"

"goodbye"

"toys pick up"

dress finish"

Another great day!