(Note: Alex is a little boy in Mihret's day care. Up until recently, they were in the same room, but Alex just aged to the room. Mihret will follow in a few weeks.)
The scene: Saturday Morning. The little one has just woken up, and we're all sitting on the bed while Kara is on the phone with her parents.
Kara: Mihret, do you want to talk to Nona?
Mihret: Hi, Alex!
Kara: Mihret, Nona is on the phone.
Mihret: Hi, Alex!
Kara: Can you say, "I love you, Nona?"
Mihret: Hi, Alex!
Kara (to her mother): It's starting already.
Second Scene: Kara, me, my mom, and my dad, are all sitting eating Chinese food. I have just finished relaying a story about Mihret at day care.
Kara: Mihret, who do you play with at school?
Mihret: Alex!
Kara: And who else?
Mihret: Alex!
Me: Who else do you play with?
Mihret: Alex!
Kara: Do you play with Bella?
Mihret: Alex!
Me: And Logan?
Mihret: Alex!
Me: Do you play with anyone else?
Mihret: Alex funny!
Me (to Kara): We're in trouble.
Third scene: Mihret and I are looking at a picture of Sam and Rachel Bass (two of our favorite people!) and their kids (our Godkids!) Iris and Ian Bass.
Me: Mihret, who's that?
Mihret: ?
Me (pointing to Sam): Who's that?
Mihret: Unca Sam!
Me (pointing to Rachel): Who's that?
Mihret: Rachel!
Me (pointing at Iris): Who's that?
Mihret: ?
Me (pointing at Ian): Who's that?
Mihret: Ian!
Me (back at Iris): Who's that?
Mihret: ?
Me: Is that Iris?
Mihret: ?
Me: Iris?
Mihret: ?
Me (pointing at Sam again): Who's that?
Mihret: Unca Sam, and Rachel, and Ian.
Me: What about Iris?
Mihret: ?
Me: Hmmm...
-Josh
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Other Places You Can Find Us
Connecting to Ethiopia (and adoption resources)
- The Center for Adoption Support and Education
- Adoptive Families magazine
- Ethiopian Adoption Blogs- Long List
- Ethiopian Adoption Blogs- Earlier/Shorter Version
- Abshiro Kids (educational/cultural resources)
- Trees for the Future (Ethiopia)
- Charity Navigator (Checking out charities)
- The Fistula Foundation
- CafePress Adoption T-Shirts and other Items
- Orphan Doctor (Medical Information/Resources for Families Adopting from Ethiopia)
- GoogleMap Showing Mihret's Birth Region
- Map of Ethiopia's Southern Region Kembata Tembaro Zone (shows Mihret's birthplace, Doyo Gena/Bekafa)
- Yezelalem Minch Children and Community Development
- Intercountry Adoption (U.S. Department of State)
- African Heritage Inc.
- Ethiopia Adoption and Culture Books (a sampling)
- Ethica (Ethiopian adoptions- ethics watch)
- EKC Summer Mehaber
- Conscious Discipline (Dr. Becky Bailey)
- Developing and Educating Society Through Art (DESTA) for Africa
- U.S. Department of State (Ethiopia)
- KMG Ethiopia
- Kambata Development Network
- Hope for the Hopeless
- Clinic at a Time
- Children's Home Society & Family Services (CHSFS)
- Addis Live
- Ethiopian Kids Community
- LSS (Lutheran Social Services)
- AHOPE
- The Africa Guide
- More on Ethiopian names
- Umoja family camp, a black heritage experience
- There Is No Me Without You (author site)
- Tadias magazine
- Africa Reading Challenge
- Post-Adoption Resource Center (NE WI)
- OURS Through Adoption of NE WI
- Ethiopia Country Study: Library of Congress
- "E is For Ethiopia"
- Amharic Kids
- BBC News Africa
- A Walk to Beautiful
- Ethiopia Reads
Friends of the Blog
- Knotted Threads
- Word Nerd
- My Crazy Black Cats
- Outside the Kitchen
- Fiddlebugs
- Black Cat Kitchen
- Becoming A Family
- Journey to Recovery
- Millers' Journey to Mongolia
- keeping excess in check, one thing at a time
- Love From Ethiopia
- The Engens' Journey
- My Ethiopian Kids
- Southmoon & A Cup of Java
- Oakhaven Church
- Deb Cleveland's Blog
- Smiles A Lot
- Journey to Number Three and Four
- Thoughts From the Blue
- Pulcini's
- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Sue's World
- The Crawfords
- My Beloved and the Rain: This, That and Beyond
- The Betterleys
- Miles to China
- It Brings Me Great Joy
- If It Takes a Whole Life
Our Big Girl
About Me
- Joshua Grover-David Patterson
- Joshua Grover-David Patterson is a freelance writer, screenwriter, and blogger. His articles on pop culture, film and the Internet have appeared in The Post-Crescent, Bull magazine, delight! magazine and Film Threat. Patterson’s films have won 13 awards and appeared in 29 film festivals all over the world, including in Japan, Australia, Hungary, Norway, the UK, and throughout the United States. Patterson resides in Wisconsin with his wife and their daughter.
2 comments:
Hi;
I stumbled across your blog through an Ethiopian name search, trying to find out how to pronounce Mihret (our new daughters name). We have heard it a few ways and really want to say it right.
thanks for your help!
Kimmie
mama to 7
one homemade and 6 adopted
Kimmie - it's a little tough to explain in text form, but here goes.
The "English" pronunciation is:
Mih - like "million"
ret - rhymes with "bet"
Here's the catch - when you hear an actual Ethiopian pronounce it, the r is "flipped," not unlike in Spanish when you say the word "perro," for example.
Kara and I do our level best to pronounce in as close to what she heard in her homeland as possible. Our friends and family do the best they can as well. Trust me, you've signed on for a lot of pronunciation lessons for everyone you meet. But it's also a nice way to introduce her to people.
In you case you didn't know already, Mihret means "Mercy" or "Forgiveness."
Congratulations on the addition to your family!
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