Good grief..4 languages spoken here!

So to prepare me for this experience, Natalie wrote out some Kurdish words and phrases back in March so that I would be able to connect better with the mothers and children here at Shevet. I, like any good student, made some flashcards. Then life got a little crazy at home. I did keep the small stack in my purse, and then sometimes in on the counter at home. But real effort in learning to count to ten, say no, yes, doctor, surgery, child, thanks to God, beautiful, hello, thank you, I love you, sit down, what is your name?, good, water, come, for you, for me...fell by the wayside. The only phrase I mastered was "moosh-ka-lay-nee-ya" which means "no problem" and that is only because she said it ALL THE TIME when she came home last year and it sounded so nice. So I came pitifully prepared. I am not proud of this. Yesterday at the hospital I did practice counting with Sarchil and Sarina. I am grateful kids are understanding and helpful to me when I try to learn to count. This is a great way to  help pass the time and I remember in Romania, Dennis got a kick out of this. By the end of the day yesterday, a few of these phrases, though, were starting to make way into my stiff brain cells. How could one not say "jwana" (beautiful) over and over while at the sea?

So today Natalie and I went and purchased some flowers to honor another Natalie (volunteer) in the house who is leaving tomorrow for a year in Peru to work as a admissions director for a Bible college. (For another blog, I'll will expound on the passions and interests of the staff here, several of them are just in their 20's). Anyway, we enjoyed browsing the small flower shop just down the street and settled on a nice bouquet mix of daisies and roses. Thinking hard about what I could say to the shop keeper as we closed the sale, I racked my brain and couldn't remember "thank you" so I thought of the next best thing to compliment his product and said "jwana"...beautiful. Natalie smirked as we walked out the store and reminded me we were in the Jewish part of town. Hebrew. Snap. "Do you think he understood me?", I asked. "Not a word." was her reply.