Rohan loved sharing things with his grandmother, Muthassi. When his parents told him they were moving to another country where they spoke a different language, he promised Muthassi he would call her every day.
Rohan’s parents and school helped him learn the new language but every night he called his grandmother and shared stories. As his new language grew stronger, he didn’t call as much but when he got a new puppy, he rushed to call her but couldn’t find the words to describe his puppy. He had lost the words to share things with his Muthassi about his new bicycle or scoring a goal. His parents started to talk to him in their first language, but he spoke back in his new language.
When he learnt they were going to visit Muthassi, Rohan was nervous because he could only remember a few words to share stories. Once there and greeted so lovingly, he felt familiar words stir inside him. Slowly he gathered them and aided by the memories from Muthassi’s mango grove, he learnt to again share stories and keep his first language fresh.
A delightful and useful text examining some of the cross-cultural challenges that arise in moving to another country.
NCACL Cultural Diversity Database