Monday, February 16, 2015

Conversations with Anya: Pakistan Edition

A bilingual household means a bilingual kid! I'll try to translate most of the conversations but sometimes its not that easy. Hope you’ll excuse that :)

20141126-IMG_8993

Bilal talking to my sister-in-law and discussing the order for dinner

Bilal: Bas saath wings mangwado (Just order the wings with it.)

Anya, panicking: I don’t want you to fly away. Because I love you!

----

Anya: Mama ab lots of time hogaya hai. Ab its time to go home. Ab airplane mei betho lets go home.

(Mama its been a lot of time. It’s time to go home. Now sit on airplane, lets go home.)

----

After spending the day with my sister Nadiya at her work and playing with her endlessly all day, Anya hugging my youngest sister Waliya and saying: Walu khala1 I love you more than Nadu khala!

Nadiya: What?? Bas theek hai ab mei ap se naraz hoon. Office ja rahi hoon. (Fine, I’m not talking to you now. I’m going back to my work)

Anya: Nooo.. Kal to meine ap ko kaha tha na keh I love you more than Walu khala. (Noo.. but I did say to you yesterday that I loved you more than Walu khala)

Nadiya: Kab? (When?) 

Anya: Kaha tha na keh I love you more than Walu khala. (I did say it, that I love you more than Walu khala)

Nadiya (Not remembering): Um.. Okay.

Waliya: Noo, but you just said you love me more than Nadu khala.

Anya: Nooo, I love Walu more than and I love Nadu more than.

Nadiya, Waliya confused: More than who?

Anya: More than you both!

----

Anya, (about her teacher): Woh school mei hee rehti hain. (She lives in school.)

My sister, Nadiya: Apki teacher ka koi home nahi hai? (Your teacher doesn’t have a home?) 

Anya: No.

Nadiya: Apki teacher keh babies nahi hain? (What about her babies?)

Anya: Unke koi babies nai hain. (She has no babies.)

Nadiya: Unka husband nahi hai? (What about a husband?)

Anya, remembering something: Un ne humain bataya tha keh unka husband hai. (She told us that she has a husband)

Nadiya: Unka sirf aik husband hai? (So she just has a husband?)

Anya: No, Three!

----

Anya: Abhi Nadu ne itna ghalat cheez kara tha keh bass!

----

My Nana2 asking Anya the day before we were leaving: Ab phir kab aaogee aap? (Now when will you come again?)

Anya: I don't know.

Nana: Only Baba knows. Right? (Only your dad knows, right?)

Anya: And Allah knows too.

Nana, speechless and laughing: Yes Allah knows!

----

More in this series here.

Thanks for reading and lots of love.


FYI

1Khala is the Urdu word for mom’s sister

2Nana is the Urdu word for Maternal Grandfather

No comments:

Post a Comment

Let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you!