Moving for a year - ml becomes ML

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Tona R
Junior Keeper

Posts: 11

Country (residing now): USA
Country (originally from): USA / Mexico
Children, Ages: Boy (2013), Boy (2016)
Majority Language: English
Minority Language(s): Spanish

Moving for a year - ml becomes ML Mar 21, 2018 22:10:12 GMT 9

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Post by Tona R on Mar 21, 2018 22:10:12 GMT 9

I've been meaning to come back to this forum for a while. Over a year ago, we had to move houses. That plus a new baby pretty much derailed my participation. Things are going quite well in the ml. Sure, my boy's production is better in the ML, and there are many things I could do better, but all told, I'm pretty happy and amazed with how he's done.

I wanted to share an amazing opportunity I have. I plan on taking a sabbatical year in the ml country (Mexico). So ml becomes ML and now I don't even know what to write! We have both boys registered in schools that have little to no English. The 4yo will be in preschool and the 1yo will be in a daycare. My wife will really improve her Spanish to where I hope I can banish my use of English from the house while the boys are awake.

I kind of feel like I'm cheating!

Amy
Star Keeper

Posts: 853

Country (residing now): France
Country (originally from): France
Children, Ages: 6 and 2 year old girls
Majority Language: French
Minority Language(s): Spanish (ml1) & English (ml2)

Moving for a year - ml becomes ML Mar 21, 2018 22:40:00 GMT 9

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Post by Amy on Mar 21, 2018 22:40:00 GMT 9

Tona,

You are so lucky! It's an amazing opportunity! And you certainly aren't cheating, you're just shaping your family life to give all the best opportunities to your children.

No later than this morning, I came across Kris T 's thread where she explained how she took a term's leave of absence to do the same thing with her children. The results her kids reaped from this incredible experience were fantastic.

All my best wishes on this great experience.

Amy

***"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - Oscar Wilde***

My guest post at Bilingual Monkeys: bilingualmonkeys.com/bilingual-families-and-limiting-the-influence-of-the-majority-language/

My blog: www.ourmlhome.wordpress.com

Alison
Senior Keeper

Posts: 124

Country (residing now): UK
Country (originally from): UK
Children, Ages: 9mths
Majority Language: English
Minority Language(s): Norwegian, Sami

Moving for a year - ml becomes ML Mar 22, 2018 0:22:05 GMT 9 via mobile

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Post by Alison on Mar 22, 2018 0:22:05 GMT 9

That's a fantastic opportunity, Tona! I hope we get the chance for an extended stay in ml country one day too. It will make a massive difference. It certainly isn't cheating, though, as you can make sure to think of ways to get the most out of your stay ie making connections with people and stocking up on resources and then sustaining it once you return to ML country again. Hope you can check in again and let us know how it's going.

Kris T
New Keeper

Posts: 4
Country (residing now): Japan
Country (originally from): Canada
Children, Ages: Boys 11, 9
Majority Language: Japanese
Minority Language(s): English

Moving for a year - ml becomes ML Mar 22, 2018 9:23:17 GMT 9

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Post by Kris T on Mar 22, 2018 9:23:17 GMT 9

Tona,

Definitely not cheating! How wonderful that you can do this. Your whole family will reap the rewards of this experience. Your children will likely start using new words/expressions within days. At least that's what I have found even on just 2-week visits to family, especially if they are around other children. I took my children back to Canada last fall for 4 months and on the third day, my youngest was playing with his cousin and after a cool move, he announced 'that's so sick!'. I laughed so hard because it's definitely not an expression I use, but he had picked it up and was using it correctly so quickly. I wish my own language development moved so fast.

Good luck with the move and enjoy every aspect of the immersive experience!

Tona R
Junior Keeper

Posts: 11

Country (residing now): USA
Country (originally from): USA / Mexico
Children, Ages: Boy (2013), Boy (2016)
Majority Language: English
Minority Language(s): Spanish

Moving for a year - ml becomes ML Mar 22, 2018 22:52:23 GMT 9

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Post by Tona R on Mar 22, 2018 22:52:23 GMT 9

Thanks for the encouragement. We're excited. The application isn't finalized, but we don't expect that it will be rejected.

Mar 22, 2018 9:23:17 GMT 9 Kris T said:

I took my children back to Canada last fall for 4 months and on the third day, my youngest was playing with his cousin and after a cool move, he announced 'that's so sick!'. I laughed so hard because it's definitely not an expression I use, but he had picked it up and was using it correctly so quickly.

Great story. That's may be what I'm most looking forward to. Having kids around will be so much more motivating and so much more natural than dad and his books.

Adam Beck
Head Keeper

We're moving this month...to a house about 1 kilometer away!

Posts: 1,452
Country (residing now): Japan
Country (originally from): USA
Children, Ages: Girl, 14 and Boy, 11
Majority Language: Japanese
Minority Language(s): English, Spanish

Moving for a year - ml becomes ML Mar 23, 2018 5:29:01 GMT 9

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Post by Adam Beck on Mar 23, 2018 5:29:01 GMT 9

Mar 21, 2018 22:10:12 GMT 9 Tona R said:

I wanted to share an amazing opportunity I have. I plan on taking a sabbatical year in the ml country (Mexico). So ml becomes ML and now I don't even know what to write! We have both boys registered in schools that have little to no English. The 4yo will be in preschool and the 1yo will be in a daycare. My wife will really improve her Spanish to where I hope I can banish my use of English from the house while the boys are awake.

Tona, what a marvelous opportunity for the whole family!

(In fact, I wish my kids and I could join you. Spanish is now our third language, but our progress is very slooooow.)

I look forward to hearing how it all unfolds!

Adam Beck is the founder of Bilingual Monkeys and The Bilingual Zoo, and the author of the popular non-fiction book Maximize Your Child's Bilingual Ability amzn.to/22XKuCt and the humorous novel How I Lost My Ear amzn.to/2EsjVRS, both available worldwide.

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Amy: Happy birthday to your 2 bilingual monkeys Mayken and Adam Beck !

Jun 30, 2018 5:15:05 GMT 9 *

Adam Beck: Mayken, that's true, but in our case, the U.S. didn't make it to the World Cup this time! Japan has gone through, but they'll probably get knocked out very soon... Jun 30, 2018 7:22:16 GMT 9

Adam Beck: Wojtek, Poland won! I was disappointed, though, to see Japan hold the ball at the end of the game because they only wanted to go through to the next round. I understand why they did that but I wish they had played harder... Jun 30, 2018 7:24:42 GMT 9

Wojtek: Well, it suited both teams to slow down the ball. However, it was really unexpected and peculiar

Jul 1, 2018 1:16:27 GMT 9

Mayken: On the train from Cologne to my hometown, I saw a boy about 9/10 and his older sister. She was fluent in German but spoke French with a slight accent, he spoke only French. They were visiting their grandparents. I was intrigued but didn't ask. Jul 1, 2018 22:06:55 GMT 9

Wojtek: Does anyone know an online English speech language therapist? I thought that it could be a good idea to get my girl evaluated in her ml... Jul 6, 2018 4:02:38 GMT 9 *

Mayken: Yay! My 8-year-old daughter passed her ml swim test today! After swimming & diving, the pool attendant asked her to recite the swimming/safety rules (our recent captive reading), and she knew them all! Jul 6, 2018 21:28:23 GMT 9 *

Adam Beck: NEW! Bilingual Lives: Ana Cristina Gluck, Author and Publisher of Multilingual Books for Children (with a Book Giveaway!) buff.ly/2ziSQ4J Jul 7, 2018 11:28:32 GMT 9

Agnese: First words. What to expect? My son is 10 months old. He's still babbling, but I've noticed some different sounds depending on the situation. I wonder if he'll start saying his first words in the next weeks (or months, who knows?). What should I expect? Jul 11, 2018 0:30:24 GMT 9 *

Amy: Don't expect anything Agnese.

Just let it happen, and then what he says will hit you like a train.

It's an amazing moment. Just live it and don't overthink it. Whatever he says, in whatever language it is, it is a magical moment.

Jul 11, 2018 5:11:14 GMT 9 *

Agnese: I've recently found a further (annoying) challenge: when I speak ml (Italian) to my child (10m) in front of ML acquaintances, they are making jokes about what I said (mostly accent, similar unrelated words...). What do you think is the best way to act? Jul 15, 2018 13:04:11 GMT 9 *

Amy: Agnese, it is simply because they never had the opportunity to be acquainted so closely to that language. Just smile and keep going. Over time (even if this may seem long), the comments will fade. Don't show your son you are embarrassed by your ml.

Jul 16, 2018 3:56:41 GMT 9

Adam Beck: Agnese, I strongly second Amy's advice! Stay strong and continue speaking Italian! Jul 18, 2018 6:22:37 GMT 9 *

Adam Beck: And Agnese, keep in mind that, above all, the highest priority is your bilingual aim, not the other passing concerns that are part of this experience (for us all). Don't let these distract you from the greater goal.

Jul 18, 2018 6:24:49 GMT 9 *

Agnese: Thank you! After this setback I feel stronger than ever! The same day of the incident I ordered plenty of books in the ml on Amazon and I'm reading every day new research on bilingualism and bilingual education. I'm ready to defend my goal! Thanks Jul 19, 2018 18:37:58 GMT 9

Amy: Go Agnese, go!

If you want information on bilingualism, visit the website of THE bilingualism expert, François Grosjean: www.francoisgrosjean.ch/myths_en.html

Jul 20, 2018 3:44:12 GMT 9

Agnese: Thank you for the suggestion! Jul 21, 2018 15:40:43 GMT 9

Mayken: My daughter met some inversed ML/ml kids today who live in our ml country. Their parents probably weren't thrilled they found n ML (for them) friend in their ml country. I'm sorry...a little bit. Aug 7, 2018 2:07:34 GMT 9 *

Adam Beck: NEW POST AT BILINGUAL MONKEYS: Make the Most of Your Precious Time with Grandparents, Whether Near or Far bilingualmonkeys.com/make-the-most-of-your-precious-time-with-grandparents/ Aug 11, 2018 9:35:23 GMT 9

Adam Beck: ANOTHER NEW POST AT BILINGUAL MONKEYS: 5 Key Ways to Fortify Your Home Environment for Bilingual Success bilingualmonkeys.com/5-key-ways-to-fortify-your-home-for-bilingual-success/ Aug 15, 2018 16:07:10 GMT 9