I admit that before we adopted Elsa I knew very little about Ethiopia or its history. So imagine my surprise when we arrived in that land far across the sea and heard everyone saying "Ciao!"
As I soon learned, Ethiopia was once occupied by Italy, leaving behind a lasting influence. So the little girl from Ethiopia that I was going to adopt said "Ciao" to me every time we said goodbye. It was soooo cute!
After the adoption was finalized and she came with us to America we continued to say "Ciao". Indeed, it was a habit for a while. But its use became less and less until suddenly we weren't saying it at all anymore.
A few weeks ago, while shopping in Target, I saw this dress on display and it brought back a flood of memories:
I knew immediately it was the absolute PERFECT dress for Elsa. So I surprised her with it.
Yesterday, she wore it to school and all the children were asking her what it said,
"What does it look like it says?" she countered. Then she went on to tell me their creative guesses in pronunciation.
"It says ch-ow," she would explain (to still-confused classmates).
Haha! I love this internationally aware child of mine!
Ciao!
