There are a lot of things an official elderly person can learn from a 3 year old. ‘Oo-wark’ being one of them. I don’t exactly know if this is a pretend word or a Thai word but whatever it is, it means vomit. How brilliantly concise is that? Apparently after you’ve oowarked yourself to a point of exhaustion, you get to have Kao Tom (apolgies all Thai speakers if what I’ve written means something that isn’t food) which is lovingly fed to you by the Mama.”
It’s the Dad who takes you for swimmings, sets you on his shoulders for long walks and like Dad’s have been doing for centuries, carries you home when you fall asleep.
I am in awe of this child for the simple fact that in that tiny brain are two languages and she rarely – if ever mixes them up. On more than one occasion I’ve asked for translations. Of course what she says people say and what they actually said are processed through the 3 year old filter first. She’s also very worthwhile to take to Foodland where through her presence you become part of something resembling a Royal Visit. Her recognition factor is so high we had the “I-only-speak-Thai” check-out operator requesting her father’s phone number so our grocery points could be assigned to his card.
Being 3 is magic wherever you live. It does us good to remember what it’s like to live from one precious moment in time to another, enjoying what’s there and not thinking for one minute that in a set amount of days, it will over. Long Live 3!!
Robyn Anderson 