Driving to a 60th anniversary celebration of a Ukrainian old people's home I suddenly remembered lying in the hot sun next to a field of potatoes turning my 11 year old legs red. I was pleased with my sunburn as we were in those days till someone pointed out my white ankle socks. It was a lovely day - the home had put on free food and entertainment which was very nice of them. I wanted to show my son some of his roots. He says he is English. I waiver between envying his certainty of his identity and grief that he feels disconnected from his ancestors. Many of the people at the celebrations are bringing up their kids speaking Ukrainian(they are third generation) but I have taught my children a few words. I speak to them in Ukrainian sometimes but more to stop me losing it. I do find the whole concept of identity confusing. My son watched the concerts - he said he liked the dancing a little bit. The blokes get the best dance moves and boy did they dance well.
I loved the yellow of my son's fried egg sandwich we had at Ally Pally by the boating lake. I pedalled him around in a pedalo boat - not been in one since childhood.
Have had loads more tomatoes - so wet today did not pick them. Used the ones we picked the other day to make delicious pasta sauce.
My son likes to refer to himself as Chindian , a concoction of Indian and Chinese !! We speak English which is our language to communicate besides the Malay language that we also know. Roots can be lost easily as times as ever changing. It's up to us to preserve them.
ReplyDeleteThe flash of red boot in the first photo makes me green with envy! I'd love a pair just that colour...
ReplyDeleteKeats the sunshine girl- yes i guess i'm realising my responsibility to keep their roots. thanks for sharing your roots.
ReplyDeletejinksy -i had a pair of them when i was little - i don't know what happened to them would have been lovely to pass them onto my daughter. I got up and danced boy does it make you out of breath.
thanks for popping by both of you.
I was brought up with a good knowledge of my Finnish heritage and I tresure it. I'm sorry I diddn't do more to pass it on to my daughter.
ReplyDeletehopefully it's never too late to pass knowledge on. I got bits and pieces and I guess that's what I am passing on now but in even smaller pieces.
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