It’s no new thing that our Noa talks up a storm. She speaks in complete sentences now and really only has trouble with speaking in the first and second person (she usually speaks in the third, as in, “Noa wants to sit on Mommy’s lap”, though she has gotten a TON better as we’ve worked on it). She also has trouble with he/him/his and she/her/hers, but she gets it right about 50% of the time.
One of the things I love and that I will miss terribly when we leave, is watching her learn Japanese and use it everyday. Some of my favorite things she says:
“Oh Mama! Sugoi!!!” (sugoi is Japanese meaning, that’s amazing! She says it when I do things like serve dinner, or fold laundry. She’s very encouraging.)
“Da-me, Martha. Abunai!” (Meaning, “No, Martha! That’s dangerous!” Hmm, you think she hears that sometimes?)
Last week, our friend Keiko was asking Noa about her sister. It went something like this:
Keiko: Who is your sister, Noa?
Noa: Baffa (she has, in the last few days, changed to saying, “Martha”).
Keiko: Oh really. Where is she?
Noa: She’s at home with Daddy. She’s WALKING NOW!!
Keiko: Wow! Martha can walk?!? Is she cute?
Noa: yea… NO. She’s KAWAI (which means “cute” in Japanese. We all laughed when she said it, knowing that Noa hears that word way too much when we go anywhere out of the house 
)
Noa has two songs that she can sing almost entirely in Japanese. Singing is her favorite part of Sunday School, though she is learning to listen and understand the message as well. On Easter Sunday the teacher asked three questions in a row in Japanese, and Noa raised her hand and answered them correctly in English. I am also so surprised when Chizuka is over, because she speaks mostly Japanese to Noa, but Noa completely understands and answers all of her questions in English.
One of Noa favorite friends here is Mikuni Nagata. We go to church with them, do Moms’ and Kids’ club with them, and have them over semi-regularly. Noa and Mikuni are constant companions from the moment they see each other and it’s hilarious to watch them talk in their native language to the other, but both seem to completely understand each other. It just shows that friendship goes beyond language barriers.
Noa and Mikuni dressing-up
It’s sad to me to think about her not having all of this Japanese around her and her losing all that she’s learned so far. I guess we’ll have to keep up a little game she likes to play. She starts using Japanese words with me, and then has me do everything in Japanese while she tries to figure out what I am saying and respond appropriately. Usually, she ends up just saying, “Hai” (which means “yes”), but it’s obvious she enjoys it and it’s fun to watch her little brain process.
There are other things Noa says in Japanese. She will often make up songs that are mostly jibberish but have Japanese tossed in here and there. She talks to her babies in the same way, only it’s English and Japanese mixed. I am sure I am missing several of her actual phrases, but I wanted to type this up for the memory of this special learning time in her life, and to give you, her family, friends, and fans far away a glimpse of her life as a missionary kid here and how it is shaping her. It really is such a treat to see, and I am trying to focus on being thankful for this unique opportunity that she has had to live here, rather than mourning all that I am afraid she will forget when we move in less than two months.
Speaking of which, I should probably do an update post on our future plans soon, as our time in Japan is quickly coming to a close. For now, I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of our “bilingual Noa.”
Tags: Noa
