Coranski Family Amharic

A fellow adoptive momma emailed me the other day and asked how much Amharic we knew when we traveled to meet the kids for the first time.  My answer, embarrassingly, was hardly any.  We had every intention of at least learning some key phrases before we landed in Addis Ababa for the first time, but the reality was life got pretty hectic during the final months of our adoption and we just didn't get to it.  We did learn to count to 10...

Ahnd, Hoolet, Sost, Arat, Amist, Sidist, Sebat, Cement, Zahtine, Asure (spelled phonetically to the best of my ability)...

...and say hello and thank you.  Other than that, we knew no Amharic when we met our kids for the first time.  Honestly, I don't think it mattered one bit.  Those first few days we spent with the kids were spent playing, coloring, just sitting together, and snuggling.  So much can be communicated non-verbally and sometimes, especially with young kids, words just make the situation more confusing.

For our second trip when we traveled to pick the kids up, our skills hadn't improved much.  We had learned a few words from Elsa:

Wuah		Water
Layla		Another/again
Shintabet		I have to go to the bathroom

And at least one from Ashagre:

Chamas

Shoes

And a few others while traveling throughout Sidama and Oromia.

While I won't say we wouldn't have been better off with a more solid foundation in Amharic once the kids were finally with us for good, we still got by alright.  The kids taught us a lot of Amharic really quickly, as did a few of the older kids that were staying at the guesthouse with us that could speak both English and Amharic.  Ashagre had only been speaking Amharic for 8 months or so, and I am pretty sure that he could only understand fairly simplistic sentences.  So, our family muddled together a language all our own - primarily one or two word sentences with English and Amharic combined - what we needed to make sure our basic needs were met.

The kids are learning English very quickly.  At this point, they seem to be using more English than Amharic in their day to day conversations, even with each other.  Their English vocabulary is growing daily.  Brent and I are amazed at how they will use a word that they've maybe heard only once or twice in a completely new (and still correct) context.  Yesterday Ashagre exclaimed, "Look! Awesome police car," when he spotted one in a parking lot.  I am pretty certain that he hasn't heard the word awesome to describe many things.  We mainly use it as praise, and not all that often.  Elsa is particularly savvy and really seems to comprehend (she'll rephrase and repeat back what we've told her) what we are saying to her.

So, before we all forget (said with a very heavy heart) I want to memorialize our family's shared Amharic during those first few weeks together:

Anchie/Ante		Hey you (said to a female/said to a male)  The kids' pet names for us over the first week.
Ay-o		Look (at me, at this)
Aye		No
Bakka		Enough, Knock it Off
Borsa		Bag/backpack
Buna		Coffee
Chamas		Shoes
Dabo		Bread
Doro		Chicken
Eh-saga		This/that way
Fallah		Horse
Feen-ya		Balloon
Geffahn		Push
Gobez		Good job
Heeden Netanya		Go to sleep
In-nay		Me, mine, I want
Kaka		Poop
Kalsies		Socks
Koffia		Hat
Koffitee		Open
Koi		Wait
Kolo		Popcorn/finger snacks (nuts, etc.)
Kupp-aya		Cup
Kwoss		Ball
Layla		Another, again
Mekina		Car, bus, truck, etc.
Mindenow		What, what is it?
Moose		Banana
Nah/Nay		Come (said to a male/said to a female)
Ow		Yes
Shint		Pee
Shintabet		I have to go to the bathroom
Soft		Toilet paper, napkin, paper towel
Umbi		I don’t want to (always said in a VERY whiny voice with a single shoulder shrug to the chin)
Woosha		Dog
Wu-ah		Water
Yellum		All gone

There were also a handful of English words that the kids already knew or learned very quickly that complemented the above list.

It's interesting to read through the list and see what's there and what's not. Most of the basics are covered, but we never learned how to say or hear "I'm hungry." Instead, we offered the kids food all the time and they let us know if they wanted something by naming what they wanted - usually a moose or dabo at first. Then there's the important things to a 5 and 6 year old - balloons, balls, horses, cars, motocyles, etc. Somehow or another, we were all able to get most of the important points across and now we're well on our way to real conversations.

[Disclaimer: we learned the large majority of the words above from our 6 year old daughter and our 5 year old son (who only recently learned Amharic himself). I have no idea how accurate the words, my attempt at phonetic spelling, or our implied meanings are. This is just meant to serve as a memorialization of the foundation of our communication together in the very early weeks as the Safranski/Corey family.]