Bob, Open The Bottle Tak-Tak

The other day, Bob came to my house. He is a big-man. My father told me that he is a big shot. He comes from Marblehead, and he gets snow in his house. He took my tuition book and drew a tortoise on it.

He talked about Pineapple Almeida, about Harry Potter's real name, and he told me a little story. The story was about a boy, who was asked by the police for his name. He said his name was 'Shaddup'. The policeman thought he was saying "Shut-Up" to him, and sent him to jail.

Bob is a very funny guy. My brother asked to open the Pepsi Cola bottle. Bob asked whether he could do it. He put his finger in his mouth and made a very funny [bottle-opening] sound.

My brother also said Bob is very funny. He called him Bob The Builder, because there is a cartoon with the song: "Bob the Builder, Bob the Builder. Can we fix it? Yes we can..." My brother often watches this cartoon, and when Bob came he thought he was Bob The Builder.

When he went back home, he wrote to my dad, saying: "I was delighted to meet Riza and Aren, especially the former, who is a charming kid with all her chatter. Tell her I've met Pineapple Almeida over here and he wants to say that 'Life is not a potato.' And he knows Harry Potter personally. Knew his mother, Jill Hill, way back when."
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FOOTNOTE: Bob is Robert S Newman, anthropologist based in Marblehead, MA, who has been researching and authoring papers on Goa over the past two decades. -FN

Accidents on the road

When I went to school on Monday, Suhail told me that my friends had met with an accident. I got a surprise. Two days earlier (on Saturday) when I was going to Panjim with my dad for an outing, I saw that there were a lot of people and police on the road Sangolda.

When we were going to Panjim, my mother told us: "Be careful, there are two or three accidents on the road." I also saw another accident at Porvorim. My Daddy told me that a Father from Arpora had died in the accident. Uncle Robert also fractured his hand and leg. My father showed me all the photos of the accidents in the newspapers.

My friend Abigail, Gabbie and Heidi's car got b-a-s-h-e-d, and the lights got jammed.

Accidents are not good. They're dangerous. Please drive safely, and not in a zoom-zoom way.

Something about Shabnam

Shabnam is my tution teacher. She teaches me all subjects. I like my tuition teacher, because she teaches me very nicely, and in the exams I pass well. She also takes Konkani, which is my weakest subject.

She is good to me, and also kind. She comes at 3 o'clock, and goes at 4 o'clock. She talks very nicely and sweetly. Her favourite clothes are a purple sherwani-kurta. She is 21 years old. She has one small brother, and a big brother. The small brother's name is Shadab, and he is in the sixth standard.

She always asks me which lesson I want to do first. I say Maths. Because Maths is lot of fun, and there are shapes in Maths, which you can learn about. There are also sums, which I like best. And tables too. I know my tables of nine (novacho paddo), and of five, four, three, two, one. Also ten, and eleven. I don't know the tables of six, seven and eight too well. Tables of 10 and 11 (from the big tables) and of zero and one (from the same tables) are the easiest.

Drawing I find very easy. But I find craft very difficult. Shabnam teaches me for my craft exam.

I know to read quite small books, and now I'm learning to read big and bigger books. I want to learn to read so that when I grow big I can read big Harry Potter books, and other books. I would also be able to read the newspapers, when there are accidents or something. I would also be able to learn goodnight stories to my brother. My tuition teacher and my mother are helping me to read. Shabname makes me read my school English grammer book, and my mother teaches me different big fat books.

My tuition teacher is very kind to me; I like my tuition teacher very much.

A wedding in Bombay

My mother's god-father Uncle Mario recently brought a photo of a wedding which I attended.

I went to Bombay on January 4, 2006. I couldn't wait for the wedding. as I was the flower-girl. Vanessa, my cousin, was getting married to Dexter. (He was not my uncle, but now he became so.)

Many of my cousins came to Bombay (Borivali) and they were staying in Lionel's house, which is just at the side of my grandmother's flat.

On the day of the wedding, I went at 1 o'clock to their house. We dressed up, and the photos were taken by 3 o'clock. The wedding was in the church, at the Mary Immaculate Church, which is close to our home.

My brother Aren came for the Mass.

Tammy and Danika were the other two flower-girls, and Halley and another big girl were the bride's maids. There were two best-men, and a page-boy. Danika was the smallest. She and the page-boy were walking arm-in-arm and everyone said, "So cute." Tammy and myself were behind them.

I have been flower-girl for three weddings so far. First for Dolly, my cousin. Then for Eula, my mother's friend. And Vanessa's. When I was a small girl (three years old) I didn't know how to be a flower-girl; but now I know.

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In photo (from left) Aunty Charlotte, Gavin, Aren (reaching for my hair), mama, me, Uncle Dexter, Aunty Vanessa, Uncle Joe, Aunty Sylvie, and Ian (who is becoming a priest). This photo was taken by the photographers.

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Picnics are lotsa fun

Last week we went for a picnic. We went to Bicholim and Mayem lake. We saw pottery there. And we went to see three factories.

Then, we got so tired. At least we reached the picnic spot. We settled down. And we ate out food and then started playing.

I was playing with Isabel. She didn't bring a bedsheet to sit on, so she collected all the towels on the ground and started sleeping. Zzzzzzzzz.... She took a handkerchief and covered face. She was just lying down.

We had so much fun. By playing and all.

Last, they took us to the park at Mayem Lake. Then, only those who had two rupees with them could buy ice-cream. I bought two; I gave Isabel one and I had one.

Teacher Sybil, Teacher Savia, Teacher Bella, Teacher Judy, Teacher Rosy, Teacher Maria, Sister Angeline and another teacher from the first standard also came. Our school Aunty, who keeps the place clean and tidy, was in the first standard bus.

Two buses went together. The first standard was together with the fourth standard. The second standard was with the third standard. I like picnics very much, and they're lots of fun to me.

Dr. Elephant

Have you ever seen an elephant that acts like a doctor? I saw one in the Empire Circus at Mapusa, yesterday.

At the circus, I also saw a horse on which a boy was standing, and taking out all his clothes -- he had many -- even while the horse was running. He finally had a shiny top and a shiny pant on.

I saw a donkey. It was running round and round on the circus grounds, and a man kept hitting him. I was feeling very sad.

There was one big man, and he was a 40-year-old man. But he was a dwarf. He had a whistle and he was blowing it. Someone else took his whistle and hid it in his pants. And whenever the man turned around, the shistle kept blowing. I found it very funny.

I laugh at dwarfs because they are very funny. I also feel sad for them; but they act nicely. It's so funny.

There were two grils, and they were moving with a stick. Like this. Parrots of many colours were on the stick. The girls kept going back with the parrots on the stick.

The elephants only played "doctor doctor". The Doctor Elephant was also dressed up like a doctor. He brought a ... what's it called... yes, a stethoscope, and he checked the other elephant. Then, he went back and brought a screw-driver. The Doctor Elephant took the screw-driver and poked the other elephant. It was like an injection! We clapped, and we were so happy.

My friends were with me at the circus. Their names were Joshua, Keenan, Nora, Abigail, Gabi, Heidi, Saachi, Rajat and two other boys. My brother came later, because he is small and because he cannot stay for a so long while, because he gets bored.

Now, I had enough of this. Don't write that....

Sometimes good, sometimes bad...

My brother's name is Aren. He is two years old. Sometimes, he is good to me. Sometimes, he is bad to me. When he is good, he plays with me nicely. When he is bad, he beats me, and pulls my hair. He says, "Bad girl, Riza."

Before my brother was born, I used to go to the chapel and pray everyday, "Jesus, give me a little brother." One day, Jesus heard my prayers. I got a baby brother.

My father took my Mama to the hospital.

Then, in the evening, at about 5 o'clock, my Daddy phoned me up. I said, "Daddy, do I have a sister or a brother?" He said, "You have a little brother." When I heard that, I started jumping. I was happy.

Then, my Daddy came home. He told me, "Come on, let's go to the hospital." I saw my little brother. He was sleeping. He looked wonderful, I thought to myself. I said, "My baby brother!" He got up. He started crying. "Weehhhhhnnnnn". My Daddy carried him and said, "Don't cry little boy."

When he was just born, I asked him 'What's your name?' He blew a big bubble and said, "Ah-poo-poo-zuh!"

Grandmee was with us to help; she came down from Bombay. She came with us to the hospital. After the baby was born, my godfather and uncle (mother's brother) Joce also came down.

Before he was born, I didn't know what to call him. First I thought of calling him Bonny. Then, I thought of calling him Johnny. Then, my Mother said, "No." Everyone decided to call him Aren. My father pronounces the name as Ah-ren. My mother calls him Aron. My grandfather calls him Bootikens. My nana calls him Baba. Joce calls him "Rajaboy". Grandmee calls him "My Nunooboy". If anyone asks him his name, he says, "I'm not Baba. I'm A-R-E-N Aren."

Aren like chicken. He also likes juices; his favourite juice is guava juice. He drinks a lot of water. He likes to eat biscuits. His best junk food is Chitos, which are a kind of sometimes-spicy sometimes-sweet sometimes-plain cheesy stuff.

He is in Teacher Cherie's Play School, in Saligao. His best friend in the school is Alea.

When I get punished, he takes up for me.[He says in a stern voice, "Mama, don't shout at Riza...."] And when he is punished, I take up for him. But, we cannot stop fighting on our own.

I love my brother. He loves me too.

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Photos (above) Aren a few months old and (below) at Calangute beach, September 2004.