"Ta ka koi?" An Anna Tale

When Anna was three, and new to our family having recently been adopted from Russia, she stunned us with her language acquisition.  She'd only been an American citizen for a few months but  she was fully embracing English.  To begin with, we weren't even sure if she knew much Russian, as she hardly spoke it at the orphanage and the director had told us she might have a speech delay.

Not so!  Within days of her adoption finalization in Moscow, the tiny tot the size of an 18-month old was chattering away - in Russian, of course.  But even there she began to learn English.  Words like "Mama, papa, glasses, paper, potty" were mastered before our plane touched down in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  At the airport she was greeted by her new grandparents with a bouquet of balloons.  Before we'd left the premises my father had already taught her "balloon" - pronounced
"ball-ooooon!"

It wasn't long before we were privy to solitary review sessions in the sanctuary of her room.  We chuckled as the baby monitor spoke in her disembodied high voice the new words from the day: "balloooon", "Roscoe", "doggie", "banana", "gramma", "Katie."

My favorite memory has to do with a stop we made at a gas station on a travel to see family or friends - I don't remember which now - in which Anna accompanied me inside to use the restroom. As she toddled her way next to the outside aisle, she kept pointing at objects on the shelves and inquiring "ta ka koi"?  Now, I had learned a bit of Russian but not this "ta ka koi", whatever that was. She held my hand insistently and wouldn't move forward to the restroom.
Ta ka koi?
Finally it dawned on me; she must be asking me what this is called in English?  So I named the object and she was satisfied.

"Tuna."
"Tuna," she would repeat.  "Ta ka koi?"
"Batteries."
"Batteries. Ta ka koi?"
"Toilet paper."
"Toilet paper. Ta ka koi. . . "

This continued all the way down the aisle, Anna asking then repeating.  She was a sponge!  She never needed to ask again.  And that is how she came to speak English only in three months versus the usual six months for children in her situation.

Just in case you are interested, ta ka koi doesn't actually mean anything in Russian!