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I wrote down a list of some terms of affection they have for each other and for me in Hokkien. As part of my journey to reconnect, I’m learning how to write and read Hokkien. I plan to ask my online Taiwanese Hokkien teacher to help me figure out the characters for some terms so I don’t forget them.

“Your cat is very yang-o” (your cat is very baby / affectionate) they used to say this about me

“Siorh” (kind of like 疼) but feels more.. directional? Like loving, often from a parent to a child. My grandmother used to say this to me every day.

And yet, no matter how good I get at Hokkien, it still feels like there’s a giant language and cultural chasm in our lives. Sometimes I feel jealous of people who are able to clearly communicate philosophical ideas with their parents in one language, but I’m learning hard into communicating several ideas with mine in several languages.