Hands, fingers, knees, and toes; knees and toes!

One of the biggest differences, that it took me a while to get used to here in Bangkok, is using your hands and fingers in certain ways.  It is, in Thai culture, rude to use a finger to gesture come here, instead using the whole hand.  I’ve seen palm up or sideways, but most people use a palm down gesture.  

Yesterday, J went on a boat tour with some of the ladies that she works with.  We also had a bday party to attend as the owner of the restaurant/cafe across the street from us was having a party for his littlest one, who was turning five himself.  There was promises of popcorn, sweets, bounce house, and kids aplenty for a raucous good time.  Kiddo and I were playing and hanging around the house and J was getting ready to go out.  Kiddo saw the bounce house from our window and wanted to get a better look.  So, to the balcony door she went and she frantically used the Thai style “Come here” on me since she wanted to go look.  

It was, without doubt, one of the funniest things that Kiddo has done to me.  Not because it was funny or silly, but because it was just SO Thai of her.  You could see pieces of Nanny Beer in her gesture as well.  

That’s something, I would venture, that she got from me.  J tells me, often, when I tell stories about people, especially involved stories, that I will mimic or parrot people in their speech, mannerisms, and inflections.  We see a lot of that in Kiddo.  When she tells stories or is playing with friends, they all have a certain voice or patterns of speech.  But also in her body and gestures, in what and how she says things.  We can still pick up her Miss Mabelisms.  We can hear the little things she’s picked up from J or myself.  And now we get to mix in some of the Thai influence and we are sure more is to come as she makes friends and socializes more in school.

Speaking of, we are two weeks in.  We still have our good and bad days.  However, we are starting to hear some of the same names repeated.  Seems like there are three names we hear repeated or that she played with or helped or was helped by that day.  So, out of a class size of 16, she knows about a fourth of the class as friends.  Not bad for a girl two weeks into her first school experience, especially in a foreign culture.  We are both so very proud of her and know it is a brave thing that she is doing.  

Other than that, tomorrow we go back to the school week routine.  Pick up is going to be a little different; Monday is going to be a learning experience and I’m sure will have a small hiccup or two, but I do have to tip my cap to BASIS, as they do a good job of organizing and controlling the chaos that can be Pre-K and Kinder pick up and drop off.  Besides, I always get the biggest hugs and “today was the funnest day ever!” most days on pick up.  If not best or funnest day ever, then it’s usually a highlight.  “We had watermelon, I mean… tengmo… at snack today” or “At PE today we played a game called <Insert kid’s PE game here> and it was SOOOO fun” type stuff.  

Let’s go, Kiddo <palm down gesture>… It’s time for our Sunday Funday Dada Kiddo lunch of fun and PS5 searching.  I love you and glad that we still get special Dada Kiddo time!

PS. J made a new friend this week on her way to school.