Walking and Learning
The past two evenings Ping and I have been accompanied by Cici as we have walked through our neighborhood. She seems to enjoy walking with us, though she talks about getting tired. Both days she has rested her bent arm on my shoulder as we walked along, at first just for a few seconds, but now for minutes at a time. I need to rest on you, Papa, she says. I am happy that she is comfortable walking this way. Ping walks on the other side of me, holding my hand or putting her arm around me. It is a good way for us to spend family time together, we decided.
There was a time when we would go for walks together in China, the three of us. Cici always walked so that Ping was between us at the beginning, but after a while she began to walk with me in the middle sometimes. Now, more often than not, she walks with me in the middle.
As we walk along, I have started telling the girls the names of the trees and shrubs and flowers. I don't know all of them, of course, but I know quite a few names. Ping was surprised. How did you suddenly learn the names of all these trees and plants, she wanted to know. You didn't tell us the names last year when we walked. Last year you were still learning your address and other important things, I told her. This year I think you can learn more things.
We started slowly, but with repetition, the girls learned to recognize and name the trees after I taught them the names. It helps that we see the same kinds of trees many times as we walk along. At one house, someone had a mother-in-law's tongue plant in a planter on the front porch. I told the girls the name of the plant. It is too long and I will never remember it, Ping told me. Let me tell you what it means, and I bet you will remember it easily. So we broke down the name, and once she understood its meaning, she hasn't forgotten it. The same was true of some black eye Susan flowers. Americans have such funny names for plants and flowers, Ping said with a laugh.
Our neighbor who is from China planted a beautiful tree in front of her home. I don't know the name of it, I told Ping and Cici. So the girls taught me the Chinese name. And just past that house is the one that is scary at Halloween because the owners hang ghosts with glowing eyes on their front porch. The girls still hurry past that house. Next month, I said, we must come to see the ghosts. No way, they said as they pulled me away.
Papa, Cici said as she leaned over the front seat of the car this morning on the way to school. Would it be okay with you if I decided not to play in the jazz band this semester? The interesting part of that question is that Ping was sitting right next to me, yet Cici was asking me rather than Mama. But make no mistake about it. These girls are very close. Cici has been especially loving with me the past three days, Ping told me this morning. I had noticed. Yesterday when Ping lay down for a nap in our bed, I decided to join her a bit later. I walked into our bedroom and someone else was in my usual spot on the bed, snuggled up next to Mama.
There was a time when we would go for walks together in China, the three of us. Cici always walked so that Ping was between us at the beginning, but after a while she began to walk with me in the middle sometimes. Now, more often than not, she walks with me in the middle.
As we walk along, I have started telling the girls the names of the trees and shrubs and flowers. I don't know all of them, of course, but I know quite a few names. Ping was surprised. How did you suddenly learn the names of all these trees and plants, she wanted to know. You didn't tell us the names last year when we walked. Last year you were still learning your address and other important things, I told her. This year I think you can learn more things.
We started slowly, but with repetition, the girls learned to recognize and name the trees after I taught them the names. It helps that we see the same kinds of trees many times as we walk along. At one house, someone had a mother-in-law's tongue plant in a planter on the front porch. I told the girls the name of the plant. It is too long and I will never remember it, Ping told me. Let me tell you what it means, and I bet you will remember it easily. So we broke down the name, and once she understood its meaning, she hasn't forgotten it. The same was true of some black eye Susan flowers. Americans have such funny names for plants and flowers, Ping said with a laugh.
Our neighbor who is from China planted a beautiful tree in front of her home. I don't know the name of it, I told Ping and Cici. So the girls taught me the Chinese name. And just past that house is the one that is scary at Halloween because the owners hang ghosts with glowing eyes on their front porch. The girls still hurry past that house. Next month, I said, we must come to see the ghosts. No way, they said as they pulled me away.
Papa, Cici said as she leaned over the front seat of the car this morning on the way to school. Would it be okay with you if I decided not to play in the jazz band this semester? The interesting part of that question is that Ping was sitting right next to me, yet Cici was asking me rather than Mama. But make no mistake about it. These girls are very close. Cici has been especially loving with me the past three days, Ping told me this morning. I had noticed. Yesterday when Ping lay down for a nap in our bed, I decided to join her a bit later. I walked into our bedroom and someone else was in my usual spot on the bed, snuggled up next to Mama.
It's good to read about Angela being more accepting you and the relationship you two have. I recall some old posts at CfL, and I wonder if it seems like a different person is in her body now?
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