Questions!

pAdukA - nan ipo pudhu edathula okkAcchikaren ma ( I sit in a new place at school now)

ammA - good. ellarodum pesanum (speak with everyone)

pAdukA - pesaren ma ( I talk ammA) nAn Isha oda pesinen (I spoke with Isha)

ammA - chammathu...(good girl)

pAdukA - Isha oda amma/appA avala romba love pannara ( Ish'a parents love her a lot)

ammA - hmm.. appadiyaa (Is that so?)

pAdukA - avalakku appo appo gift kudupaalaam avaloda appA/ammA. ava sonna avaloda

ammA/appA adhanala romba love pannara (They give her gifts now and then. She told that her parents therefore love her a lot)

ammA - ok

pAdukA - neeyum appavum ennakku gift kudukardhe ilai. love ilai-a? (you and appA do not give me gifts. So don't you love me?)

ammA -!!!!!!! ammA and appA huggie and mutthA kudukarom la? appA/ammA onna romba romba love pannarom (ammA and appA give you hugs and kisses all the time. So we love you a LOT)

pAdukA - naan nalaikku Isha kitta solla poren (I will tell Isha tomorrow)

ammA - !!!!!!




ammA - pAdukA ashadA irukka ippo (you are being a bad girl now)

pAdukA - ana madhurA dhaan first pudinganA (but Madhura snatched it from me first)

ammA - azha vekkara madhurA va (you are making madhurA cry) Bad girl pAdukA...

pAdukA - nee enna bad girl-a valatthaya ammA (Did you bring me up as a bad girl ammA?)

pAdukA - enna good girl la dhaan valattha ila? ( didn't you bring me up as a good girl?) appo enna bad girl nnu solladhey (Don't call me a bad girl)

ammA - !!!!!!!!

naa nana naa naa bad boy

School, home work, dictations are all a part of my life and I have happily adapted to it. Riding the bus to and from school is the most important experience that I am getting. Life lessons from the bus bully is preparing me for competitive environment so early on.

This boy R who sits like a small mouse in the bus in the morning when bigger kids are around turns into a bully on the ride back when only KG kids come back mid day. Seeing that I am a new kid to ride the bus he has been calling me bad girl and other bad words (even quoting him will land me in trouble with my parents).  ammA heard from another parent who reported that R had bitten her son's finger and her son had to be taken to the hospital. She has been asking me not to talk to R, ignore and move away.

But I could not take it anymore and without telling ammA, I went to R's class and reported to his teachers. On the way back R came up to me and said he will call me a good girl if I bring chocolates in a bag for him from home. I wonder if this was his version of an apology since his teachers had spoken to him. I asked ammA if I should be taking chocolates for him and I almost knew ammA's response. "NO.. not at all pAdukA" came the answer.

"Yen avanakku chocolate kudukanam (why should I give him chocolates?) avan bad-a irukkaan ( he behaves badly) naan kudukka maatten (I will not give him)" I thought aloud and went with nothing for him the next day.

Now I have joined force with my friend Prisha who studies with me and also rides the bus with me and we are standing up to R. I have even taught MadhurA to sing "naa nana naa naa bad boy" when ammA and MadhurA pick me up. I am learning the ways of the world and toughening up :)

A light bulb moment that I had

pAdukA - ammA, little bear pArkanum. ( I want to watch "little bear"cartoon )
ammA - No pAdukA. India la irukkom.  Amazon videos pArka mudiyAdhu. (We are in India and we cannot watch amazon videos here)
pAdukA - yen (why?)
ammA - namba ID vecchi computer India lerndhu pArkka vidAdhu ( the computer will not let us watch from India ) America la dhaan velai pannum  ( It works from America only )
pAdukA - yen (why?)
ammA - (how do I explain this?)  namba Athu address madhiri internet kkum address irukku. namba India lerndhu try panna, vera address varum ilaiyA? so America la ilai nnu theriyum. adanAlai velai pannAdhu ( Like our home address, computer attached to internet also has an address. When we access from India a different address comes up. So, it wont'work since the address will be different from that of America.)
pAdukA (after thinking for a while) - namba pAtti-thAthA va visit panna vandhurukkom nnu sonnalumA? (Even if we say we are visiting grandparents, won´t it work)
ammA - appadi sonna laam velai pannAdhu ( Saying that won´t make it work )
pAdukA -  (suddenly with an enthusiasm of having found the answer to the problem) namba America Athu photo va namma pinnAdi vechindu try pannalAme. appo namba America irukkom nnu nenaichikum. illayA? ( We can keep the picture of the house we lived in America. Then the computer will think we are still in America. Won´t it? )
ammA - ( hiding her laughter )  appadilaam velai pannAdhu pattu (It does not work like that dear)

I think I have to have the techie talk with my appA sooner than I thought.

(Pictures) July 2013

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Word play

Doing home work and preparing for dictation tests are new to me. I try to make it as much fun as possible by finding new ways to entertain myself and also challenge the teaching methods of my parents. Sometimes my parents don't see the humor in the way I think. Here are a couple of instances:

While making me practice writing the words for the dictation at school the next day -

ammA - "heel" ezhudhu (write the word "heel")

pAdukA starts to write in cursive with a "K"

ammA - nee yosichu ezhudhu. eppadi "heel" la "k" varum? (think for a bit and write. How can there be a "k" in the word "heel")

pAdukA continues to write
ammA - eppadi "k" pottu "heel" ezhudarai nnu paarkanum (I want to see how you write "heel" with a "k")

pAdukA finishes writing and shows "kheel"

ammA  is really irritated now seeing pAdukA not taking her suggestion

ammA - padi enna ezhudurukka (read what you have written)

pAdukA - "heel"

ammA - "k" irukke (there is a "k")

pAdukA with a sly smile - "k" silent ma ("k" is silent in this word)

ammA - !!##$#%!


While doing written rhyming words home work

ammA - nee "ap" la mudiyira vArthai, rhyming words sollu apparam ezhudhu. (You now say words that end/rhyme with "ap". Then write it down)

pAdukA - nap, cap, map

ammA - one more

pAduka - ap

ammA - adhu vaarthai ilai. ozhunga sollu (that's not a word. say properly)

pAdukA - ap dhaan word. (ap is a word)

ammA - pAdukA.. paduthaadhey (don't trouble me) oru vaarthai sollu (say a word)

pAdukA (exasperated) - onakku ap theriyaadhaa? (Don't you know "ap")

ammA - no

pAdukA (thinking for while as to how to make it easy for ammA to understand) - iphone ap, ipad ap..
ippa theriyardhaa ( now do you understand?)

ammA - (guess English is evolving!)

From known to unknown

It is tricky to explain things to people and not be confused in the process. So I now use the technique of guiding people by comparing things that are known to make them understand the unknown.

Here is how I explain how infection spreads -

Paaduka - Madhura kku ennAla dhaan odambu serilla (Madhura got sick because of me)

S atthai - eppadi ? (how?)

Paaduka - enakku fever irundadhu. ear infection irundadhu. naan dhaan Madhura kku kuduthen (I had fever and also ear infection and I gave the infection to Madhura)

S atthai - how did you give? kai aala ya ? (With your hands?)

Paaduka - (how do I explain this to her? I have to speak her language?)

S atthai - Do you know how you gave to her ?

Paaduka -  naan onakka email anupicchA onakku varum dhaane. kai aala kudukka vendam, parka mudiyaadhu aana onakku kadaikum. (If I send an email, you receive it, right? I do not give the mail by hand and you cannot see it.)

Paaduka - adhu madhri dhaan naan Madhura kku fever kuduthen.

S atthai - (smiles) kids now a days !

Happy Father's Day