Language and Culture
Topic: Language & Culture
Posted on behalf of Cindy:

We have started our language training and I must say it is very humbling to have my 5 and 6 year old neighbors correcting my speaking. This week as I sat outside in our yard with all the children from the neighborhood practicing saying the names of different fruit that I had learned in the market, a little Nigerian girl asked me an interesting question. She asked me how many children did I have, and how many children had died. Two of her siblings had died because they had "sick hearts." Infant sibling mortality was a presumption to her, and to many children around the world. "I have three children, and they are all alive." Then pointing to Abigail, our youngest child, she said to me "you didn't birth her did you?" I was not sure what she meant so I asked her to say it again. She said, "the little one, you did not birth her." She was definitely referring to Abby who was running away from a little boy of about 1&1/2 years who had already successfully kissed her on the cheek. I said, "of course I birthed her, I am her mother." The little girl thought for a while and said, "she doesn't look like you, she has white hair." I explained that she was still my daughter even though she has different hair than I do. The girl was not convinced, but pointed to Allison and said that she was sure I had birthed Allison! Since I was there for all three of my children's births I said, "I can promise you I birthed them all!"