There Are Mangoes in Those Meadows

I asked mom how far we would have to go when we got off the train.

She told me that we would get on one more train and be there very soon.

I looked back at her and asked if she new how many stops?

My mom laughed and told me Anna, I don’t know how many stops. Someone told me that it was almost 300.

300 stops! I couldn’t wait that long. I’d waited so long for today. My mother told me that once school was finished we could go to the city. Today was the day that I got to see the penguins at the zoo. I’d waited so long and now she was telling me that I might have to wait 300 stops.

300 stops as the train bumped along into the city. The cows, then cars, then houses and I became more and more anxious to see the tall buildings. The tall buildings meant that I would finally get to the monkeys, giraffes, and my favorite, the penguins.

I started thinking about the penguins. I thought about their funny little feet and how they look so cute when they shuffle from side to side. I thought about them sliding on their bellies across the ice. I thought about how funny they look in suits. I thought how nice it might be to go see them in their home. But then I thought about how cold it must be where they live. My mother might not like that, she said every winter she thinks about home in Hong Kong. She says Hong Kong is always warm. No winter coats, no runny nose, and no snow.

I asked her what she thought the first time she saw snow. I was happy to see something new. Was she also happy to see snow? Did she make a snowman? Did she go sledding?

She smiled at me, and she told me that the first time she saw snow she felt cold.