Last week Jonah's best friend finally got home to the states with his family. Their trip to China was wonderful and we were anxiously awaiting the reunion of these two little guys who have been together their whole lives with exception to these last 6 months . Jin Pei's family arrived home on a Thursday morning and by Thursday night we could not stand it, we got on the phone and were all so excited about hearing them talk, laugh and catch up! Well, the moment came and Jonah had LOST ALL OF HIS CHINESE LANGUAGE!!!!! Poor Jin Pei, he smiled ear to ear because he knew it was his friend, but they could not talk with one another because they no longer spoke the same language. As his Mom I was heartbroken. First, for my son who I know had waited for this day for a long time. Second for the fact that it was HIS native tongue.No worries though for these two boys, we are heading up to Oregon for a visit this spring and by then Jin Pei will have enough English to get by and maybe he can jog Jonah's memory with his Chinese. I am just so thrilled that these two will continue to have eachother. Jonah has left his language, and his culture behind ,to some extent, but he gets to keep his best friend! How cool is that?!!** In 6 months, he learned English, which was exciting, but it's like it has replaced his Chinese. I am soooo sad. You see, we have spent a fair amount of time in China through our adoptions, and as we have done this, China has become part of our family. The people there are dear to us, the culture is dear to us.We have made some dear friends there. It is truly part of our family and we love it just as we love our Children who were born there. As I reflected on this ,I thought I'd share with you some pictures of our adventures in this beautiful country. The people are kind, and truly value things like honor, family, truth, virtue,respect, and honesty. As time marches on and the government changes and the culture shifts somewhat , the spirit of respect and kindness still remains. We are ALL children of God and I think deep down, all of us , no matter where we live, know it. We really ARE all brothers and sisiters. So here's to FAMILY!!
2 comments:
As an adoptive mother myself, I know that you feel like the lucky one to have your sweet children. But after reading this, it is also clear that Jonah is very lucky to have found a family that will always celebrate and honor his heritage! Looking at his picture, I can tell Jonah is a miracle in every way possible. I am so happy that you found each other!
Thank you so much for spending time talking to me this afternoon about Ethiopia. I appreciate it more than you know!
Dawna
Oh wow, Marianne. It is so great that he has adjusted so well and is learning a new culture but so sad that he has lost that part of who he is. Sad for his friend too who has been looking forward to talking to his best friend and now talking is one thing they can't do. Time will change Jin Pei too and soon they will be laughing about all of their new experiences. Love you all tons!
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