Asian Fusion...East meets West

Well we have had Li Lin for about four and a half months now and overall she is doing quite well.  It is interesting how her food tastes are morphing.  Once in a while I make traditional Chinese food like dumplings.  Last week I made some and instead of the usual soy sauce on them she asked for...KETCHUP!  Talk about an Asian-North American fusion meal!  I gave her the red stuff as requested but thought, Yikes! What will my Chinese friends think when they see her eating this?

She truly lives with a foot in both of her cultures.  Today she told me in Mandarin, "I am grandma and grandpa's (foster grandparents) little girl and I am your little girl."  So cute.  Her English is improving daily and with that comes a better ability to express herself.

Just yesterday she said to me, after I asked her a question about the foster grandparents, "No talk mommy, stop it."  Interestingly enough, I was just following up on a comment she made about them a second earlier.  A couple hours later, she mentioned them again and I (not a quick learner:) followed up with a question/comment to which she again replied, "Stop it, mommy, no talk."  She does not want me talking about them anymore even though she still mentions them.  This is a big change for her, just another step in the processing of things, I guess.  Up until yesterday, she seemed to enjoy discussing them with me.  I would take the opportunity to learn as much as I could so that later, when she forgets details, I can fill her in with what information she taught me.  I am glad for whatever tidbits she has shared... but I'm guessing she will not be sharing much more about this precious time of her life.  As I write, this brings a little tear to my eye...I have truly enjoyed learning about the dear people that raised her for her first three years!  I don't know these fine people, but I can truly say, I love them... they gave us a beautiful gift... they loved, cared for, and nurtured our daughter.  Hopefully one day, we can meet the foster grandparents and tell them in my broken Mandarin how much we appreciate them.