Swanglish?

As part of my job at Kentucky Refugee Ministries, I'm responsible for helping kids get involved with after school activities. Since soccer season is starting, I've been swamped with kids and their parents in my office signing papers, getting sports physicals, trying on cleats (if they don't wear 7.5, my size, they don't get any), etc. So, last week one of our clients came in to sign some papers for her son to tryout at Henry Clay and brought along her younger son who's 6. While I was going through the registration papers with the mom, I offered her son some candy. Now this candy has been sitting in my desk for atleast a year, its nasty, otherwise it wouldn't have made it past the first month of me using this desk. He takes a piece, runs around the office and comes back for more candy, this time yelling "This is poo poo, this is poo poo!"

UMMM..... WHAT?

Last time I saw this kid, he didn't speak a word of English, and now he's telling me my candy is "poo poo"? On one hand, I get it, this candy really is poo poo. It is GROSS. On the other hand, if my candy is "poo poo" why are your chubby little fingers pawing 8 more pieces?? After chuckling a little, I toss it up to "poo poo" meaning something in Swahili like "good," or "moderately tasting candy but I'm about to go into diabetic shock and am forced to eat it." A form of Swanglish if you will (SWAhili and enNGLISH).

Fast forward 1 week.

I'm out front of their house picking up the oldest son for soccer tryouts. The youngest comes out and asks if he can come too. His mom tells him no and I said, maybe next time (not), and he screams "THIS IS POO POO!!! THIS IS POO POO!!!!!"

I think its safe to say this little man has a mastery of the English language. And he likes to eat poo poo.


***On a side note, if you're in to writing/calling your Representatives please ask Representative Chandler and Representative Rogers for the House of Appropriations Committee to not cut ORR funding for the upcoming fiscal year. President Obama has recommended $741 million be appropriated for refugee resettlement and we're asking them to at least keep that number, but certainly not decrease it. If for nothing else, to get some better tasting candy.***