India language: शाबाश and मजा

Before picking our Indian words, we had to first pick our Indian language.  India has 18 official languages, many of which are totally dissimilar to each other in pronunciation and script.  Hindi is the most widely spoken, and it also happens to be one of the languages spoken in our home.  So we've picked two of our favorite Hindi words.

Maza (pronounced muh-zaa) means "fun."  The Whirl Girl has been using it since she was a little girl at meal times.  When there is something that she likes, she says maza and shakes her body in happiness.

Shabaash (shaa-baash) means "well done" or "great job."  A good one once you're done with a project!

China language: 月(moon)

Considering that the moon seems to be the central theme of the first half of our China month, it seemed only fair that we learn how to say "moon" in Mandarin.

According to our book In The Snow, it's pronounced: yuè (u reh as in red).  Here's the Google Translate version.  

We're going to try to practice it as we spot the moon in the sky at night.  

Peru language: Amigo

Our word for the month is "amigo," which is Spanish for friend. Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Peru. Quechua, an indigenous language from the Andean region, is also an official language.

We're going to listen to (and maybe learn) a song or two with "amigo" in it, and have some amigos over to join in some of our activities this month.

Malaysia language: jalan jalan

Our Malay word for the month is "jalan jalan."

We realized quickly that The Whirl Girl wasn't getting hooked on "Salamat Datang" (welcome, hello in Malay) as she was on the Kenyan "jambo."

So we opted instead for jalan-jalan, which means roughly a stroll or a wander around. It's a perfect word for a traveler. We jalan-jalan-ed around Borneo, seeing sights as we went, and around a neighborhood in Singapore, walking slowly and looking into shop windows. For her Sunday activity, The Whirl Girl has requested a jalan-jalan to the playground.

Kenya Language: Jambo!

Our word of the month for June is Jambo!

Jambo means "hello" in Swahili and we've found it everywhere! In the play we saw, when watching Tinga Tinga Tales, in books, and in songs.

Jambo Friends!