Apra's Year 2013 through the Eyes of her Parents

When thinking back on the past year, obviously the most important feelings of 2013 were related to my daughter Apra who is, for all of us, a growing miracle. Her development, her growth, her moods, her languages, her behavior, all of that was witnessed by me and my family with pride, surprise and amazement.

In the beginning of the year, two small teeth had started showing in the bottom jaw. In the course of the year, several more teeth grew so that by 2014, she proudly counts her twelve teeth, announcing the big ones in the back separately.

Yes, she counts them. She had a few books and some songs which were there for learning how to count and she loved them all! That’s how she is counting up to ten in Hindi, English and German as well! She even started getting to know the letters and can recognize her name written in capital letters.

That’s only the numbers and the alphabet though, she has learned so many new words throughout the year and that in three languages! Of course, her ‘default language’ is Hindi, as she has most input in that language and that at all times. She has now been forming complete sentences for many months and she tells whole long stories of things that happened as well as things that she just invents while she is talking. And throughout her talk, she is using perfect grammar and pronunciation!

After Hindi, the next-best language is German, which her mother exclusively speaks with her. While in the middle of the year, she tended to say only single words in German, she now creates sentences as well, which are not always fully correct but improving every day! The cutest thing is to hear how she mixes languages, using Hindi grammar on German verbs or adding Hindi words in German sentences when she doesn’t remember or know the translation!

In English, she usually only uses a few single words now but already asks our Ashram guests ‘What’s your name?’ She is anyway talking to everyone who comes by, interested, open and enjoying. And she knows with whom to talk which language! When a German person comes, like her grandfather yesterday, she unpacks all her German words and tries to translate whatever she can!

Of course, that openness towards everyone comes from the fact that she is surrounded by many people every day and everyone interacts with her. For some months now, she has a friend of her age, the son of two staff members, and spends most of the day with him, playing, loving, fighting a bit and then loving again.

We have had many possibilities to see other children of her age and while we know that everybody’s development is different, we cannot be anything else than proud when we realize that she is quite far with her speech development for her age and also otherwise a very smart girl!

Of course, the proudest we were when we were in Germany with all our friends, introducing her to everyone and seeing how well she coped with this journey and time away from home. We had the greatest time with her, there and here in India, playing with her, watching her grow and learn and loving her more than anything! We are sure that the year 2014 will bring more amazing development!