Family at Dinner Time

The little girl was so excited to find out I could speak Chinese so we were able to communicate. She’s 13 and her older sister is 16, who can also speak.

There were 3 languages being spoken in the home last night…my head was spinning as I can only follow two closely.

The older brother, next to the girl with the hat has a disability and he is listening to an electronic device that reads the Koran.

Alim, is sitting to his left, next to his father, showing me his English study materials and a photo of when he was studying English in Urumqi.

The older sister is preparing noodles for “la mian” – pulled/beaten noodles.

Mother doesn’t like her photo to be taken but you can see her for a moment adding to the fire.

I tell them to talk in Mandarin. They begin in Uyghur but it changes to Mandarin. Their Mandarin is a little different from mine so it takes a minute to catch on to the questions.

We are discussing what we like to eat and if America has naan and lamb to eat.