What do Nguyen Thi Tiep's Names Mean?

Our little Tanje's Vietnamese name is Nguyen (pronounced something like n'WIN) Thi Tiep. We're told she goes by the name Tiep, which is a little different than the Chinese convention of having surname written first, given 'everyday use' name second and middle name' last.

Here's what Tanje's names mean:

Nguyen: Revert to the original state (by the way, Nguyen is by far the most common surname in Vietnam, kind of like Tremblay in French Canada, or Smith in English

Thi: poetry, or, to compete, to race to take an examination

Tiep: to procede to receive to transfuse to help, to lend a hand

Stay tuned for a future instalment on the meaning of the name Tanje...

Meanwhile, happy 9 month birthday, little Tanje!

Wondering...

We often wonder what little Tanje is doing as we wait for her and think of her. Savannah talks about her often, and is pretty excited about becoming a big sister. She's even conceded (once, and once only!) that she'd share her maman and papa, as well as her toys. That's progress! She still always adds that she'll share her books. Here's a link to a map of Hai Duong http://www.maplandia.com/vietnam/hai-hung/hai-duong/ - neat to think we can see where Tanje lives from a bird's eye perspective. And here's another interesting link about Hai Duong Orphanage http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/vol/1831538680.html/ .

We received a package from immigration Canada - part 2 of a slew of forms. I can't even understand whether we're supposed to complete these now, or once we're in Vietnam (or, as Savannah calls it, "Vee-eetnam"). I can't imagine how an aspiring immigrant, whose first language may not be French or English, can make heads or tails of this stuff, which makes me feel like a dunce every time I look at it. Hmm! Not to welcoming, that's for sure!