This evening in the yellow van cab on our way to the airport, past the Calgary Tower and not far from the Calgary zoo, I told the children again that we are headed back to China.
M asks : ” Who are we going to see in China?”
L responds: “Ma na!”
“Yes,” I say. “Can you say Mar wan?”
L: “Ma na”
Me: “Maar waan”
L: “Maa naa”
Me: “Maaaaar waaaaan”
A long pause.
L smiles cheekily. “Maaaaa naaaaa,” she repeats.
Me: “Ok, fine. Marwan.”
L: “Ee Ye” (Liu Yan)
Me: “Who else?”
L: “Pata, Imad, Ayla”
Me: “Yes! And ayi?”
L and R: “ayi, ayi“
Natasha Devalia 