It happened on our next trip, a couple of weeks later. This was our first "big trip" -- we went for three days, and took Neung with us for two nights to a resort north of Takua Pa. We were also accompanied by my French niece Gwendolîn, who was visiting from England (where she is training to be a teacher). We were worried that Neung would be homesick -- by the standards most of us are used to, four years old is very young to be away from home -- but it turns out that she is a tough kid.
Fortunately for us, the resort we had chosen to stay in was inland, in the rainforest, for this happened to be the night of the second big earthquake in Sumatra. The tsunami warning systems are now much improved, and coastal hotels and resorts had emergency evacuations that night.
By the end of this trip, Neung was definitely understanding at least a few of the things that we were saying to her. And, thanks to Jill, her spoken English was improving dramatically as well .
(Go on, click on the link. It may take a few moments to load, but trust me, it's worth it.)
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