Saturday, June 12, 2010

conversation with E

at chinese culture camp

after a morning at Chinese culture camp...

mom: wo ai ni, E.

E: no i no speak chinese.

mom: you don't want to speak chinese?

E: no i don't want it.

mom: how come sweet pea?

E: because. i want to speak home.

56 comments:

  1. Gee... what can you say!!! I have a friend (Australian) who is a Acupuncturist, studied in China and speaks fluent Mandarin and has offered to teach Shauna... I am fine with it... the extra language the better but if ever she asked us to stop... then I would be more then happy to stop. Love the new look so far!

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  2. Wow! Cool new site! Thank you so much for allowing me to continue to follow! I am honored!

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  3. The best endings lead to new beginnings....happy to be here, thank you. ;0)
    As for your conversation with E, seems typical, I have two friends who brought older children home from China in the last year with the same story, though not so eloquently put as E's "...because I want to speak Home" (melted my heart!) Speaks volumes doesn't it? Immersion vs. ESL. Still reading up on it, since I'll be there hopefully by year end.

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  4. Thank you for inviting me to follow along with you on your journey!! Looking forward watching the next chapters unfold. Love the new blog!! :) Di

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  5. Wow...not much to say about that.

    Thanks for the invite for your new blog!! It's beautiful!

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  6. Thanks so much for allowing me to continue being a fan of your family! I consider you a very spiritual person, and that quality extends into your mother-hood, too, of course. You inspire me in that way. :-)

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  7. Thanks for letting me continue with you. And that story about speaking the Chinese language is FUNNY!!! She is toooooo cute!

    S

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  8. Thanks for letting me follow your journey. I think it's sweet that your daughter wants to speak "home". :-)

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  9. Beautiful new beginning! Love the site.
    The conversation with E melted my heart into a pile of mush...sweet thing.

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  10. What a sweet conversation, and thank you for allowing me to follow your journey.

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  11. So glad we could continue to follow your sweet family.

    I have always wanted to have my C take classes in Mandarin, but I haven't been able to find them around us.

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  13. Home is where her heart is, that spoke volumes.
    love your new site..

    Sorry about the above deleted post, name was used, again apologies..

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  14. WOOT WOOT!! I am included in following your new blog!!! Yep, I am excited!! :)

    Just love the post above! Speaks volumes...home!!

    Dawn

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  15. She's got the right idea, follow her lead.

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  16. Wow, what a bittersweet thing to hear!

    Thanks for letting me follow along. :)

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  17. Those words had to just melt your heart!! So very sweet.....

    Thanks for including me in your new beginnings. I am happy to be here:)

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  18. Home is her comfort and her joy that is for sure.
    So happy to be here...THANK YOU!

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  19. Thank you for letting me follow along with your family's journey. I so enjoy your writing style and hearing stories about E's perspective on life.
    Thank you!!

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  20. I'm having the same issue with Lala - she argues pretty ferociously when I try to speak in Spanish. "not Futbol! Soccerball!" I'm at a loss.

    This summer I may hire a former student to play with her or have her bring her niece over to play. Spanish is their first language, so maybe she'll get into it more if she has "friends" talking to her in Spanish?

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  21. Soooo happy to be here!!

    And about the Chinese....mine has REFUSED to have anything to do with anything Chinese...I'm not pushing it, when & if she's ready, we'll figure it out! :)

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  22. I think that's really common Patricia. My heart sunk when she said she didn't want "Chinese" but her last statement was so telling. And even though it was bittersweet, she spoke a deeper truth she isn't even aware of yet.

    I hope one day she will come to love China as "home" too :O)

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  23. Thank you for letting me continue to follow your blog :)

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  24. Thanks for the invite! She's just too sweet.

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  25. Thanks for letting me join the adventure!
    My daughter L-R doesn't want to speak chinese anymore either. She does however ...thanks to Dora...speak Spanish!

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  26. ...Good to 'see' you here.

    Bittersweet to see these precious girls 'detaching' from their birth country/culture and embracing 'home' in various ways. One of my Chinese friends in China finally told me to think of all that 'my' daughter is gaining instead of what she is 'losing' as I have struggled with all of that at times.

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  27. So happy I am able to follow along in your family's life journey.

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  28. Thank you for including me, and letting me follow your journey!

    And our W. came to us fluent in both Mandarin and English and refuses to speak Mandarin except on occasion when we go to our local Chinese restaurant. The owners are from the same city and province as he was born and lived for 2.5 years. He speaks it when he wants to...I don't push it.

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  29. I'm here! Thanks for having me. :) Bittersweet words, indeed...

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  30. So darn cute but then she always is (both her looks and her little larger-than-life personality). Love the new blog and thanks for letting me continue to follow along.

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  31. Thank you for inviting me along on your family's journey. What a meaningful conversation with your little girl... The depth of their wisdom and feelings leaves me speechless.

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  32. I'm a fan of "More than This" by Roxy Music!

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  33. How wonderful to know that we can be invited guests to follow your amazing journey. Thanks you so much.

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  34. Thank you for inviting us to follow your journey.
    Our M & E are both learning Mandarin from scratch as they were too young to have retained much beyond baby talk so they have never seen it as anything other than additional to their "home" vocabulary. Your E was already fluent which I imagine is why she sees it as a conflict while she is still acquiring more "home".

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  35. My China blessing has also said that he doesn't want to "talk China" anymore. He wants to talk "America cuz my famlee is America" ;)
    Sad but heartwarming in different ways.

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  36. Home IS where the heart is. And, thank you.

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  37. Thanks for including me.

    What a telling brief exchange. Oh that someday she would grow to love two places called "home"

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  38. Home. She wants to speak home. I bet your heart just melted into goo (mine did).

    Thanks for letting me follow!

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  39. So very happy to be here too! Like all the others.

    What a poignant conversation. It's often in the littlest moments or words that the biggest things occur.

    Each journey changes and twists and turns and we pray that these sweet angels grow up to be deeply rooted in all aspects of who they are :)

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  40. K- Have you read the broad work of Dr. Gindis?
    http://www.bgcenter.com/interview1.htm
    You can start there but keep digging. This little conversation of yours and your sweetness inspires a post I need to future write.

    OH! Polka dots now!

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  41. that sure touches the heart, "home"...thanks for taking me along for the ride..

    wendy in OH

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  42. Oh!! That melts my heart! How incredibly sweet!!

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  43. Very sweet.....I love that she wants to speak "Home" very telling where her heart & mind are these days. Thanks for letting us continue with you on your journey

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  44. Thank you so much for allowing me to continue following your journey!

    We all want to speak "home". I'm thrilled to hear that she KNOWS what "home" is! Home = Love :)

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  45. Hello!

    Like what everyone else has said, thankyou for letting me follow your new blog. ^_^

    I can relate to E's wishes... I don't blame her.

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  46. Thank you for your allowing me to continue following your journey as await my referral.

    From what I've learned, not wanting to speak Mandarin is common since children have a great desire to fit in with those around them. It's a survival instinct. As long as it's not traumatic for the child, the most common recommendation is to keep up the language.

    I was recently at the premiere of Wa Ai Ni Mommy, a documentary recently released and at the Q&A afterward this was addressed since the child in the film, who was 8, also "forgot" her Chinese quickly. It surprised me, though, that the child quickly fell into it for a word here or there while on Skype with her foster sister still in China.

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  47. Home is where her heart is!! Thank you for continuing to bless us with your princess and your inspirational blog. =)

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  48. Thank you for letting me tag along to your new blog.

    My son has been home for about 2,5 years and just recently want to learn some Chinese again. And yes, home is where your heart is.

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  49. This is such a great answer by E! I love it. Thank you for letting me follow along. The new blog looks really good. I don't understand how to do any of the set up and paid to have my blog done.
    My daughter is in a chinese immersion program and so far loves it. She came home at 3 1/2 and after a year lost her first language. I thought she might have a headstart in the immersion program. So far she's been the same as all the other kids. Maybe she speaks clearly than some of them. She sure tells me when I can't say something right.

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  50. My Little Bit feels like that too...sometimes she embraces all things Chinese, and other times she will emphatically say, "NO!"

    "home"--how profound

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  51. It comes from the heart - Amazing little girl - and I agree K mirrors me (nature nurture ????) I say both!!
    Love the new colors - I may just paint a wall that color blue!

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  52. Awww... priceless. So glad you have that written down. That is something that will be repeated for forever. Love your girl!

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  53. sweet....very sweet. We all sing chinese songs together and my daughter loves it- "home" can encompass english and chinese if you are all a part of it!

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