Hi from NYC
Sept 21, 2016 4:33:27 GMT 9
Post by Talida on Sept 21, 2016 4:33:27 GMT 9
Hi all, I'm Talida and I'm happy to find this community. My husband and I live in NYC with our twin daughters (almost 2) and we primarily speak Mandarin Chinese at home with them.
My husband is from Taiwan and moved to the US at the age of 6. His family has always spoken Mandarin Chinese even while living in the US, and it certainly helps that his mother is a language teacher (both Chinese and English).
I was born and raised in the US in a Chinese-Thai family. My parents were both born and raised in Thailand so their families are culturally Thai, but ethnically Chinese. Growing up, my family spoke mostly Thai, but English quickly dominated especially since I had an older sibling who was not so keen on speaking Thai at home. I lost the practice of speaking fluent Thai as I got older, but the knowledge is still there and comes out when needed. I am certain growing up bilingual allowed me to pick up Mandarin Chinese rather quickly. I started learning in college, and after marrying my husband, my Chinese has continued to improve.
When the girls were born, we quickly decided Chinese would be our language of choice and made it a priority to speak as much as possible at home and even with each other. I'm thankful for the number of Chinese/Taiwanese friends we've made in our area, and I continue to run into Mandarin-speaking families in the neighborhood.
Though resources are plentiful, I'm realizing the dedication to continue using the minority language at home and in public will only become harder as the girls grow, and especially as they enter school. I want to make it a priority for myself to gain fluency in Chinese, because a part of me will always regret not reaching fluency in Thai due to my upbringing.
Thank you for all your work, Adam. I'll be browsing the site and reading your book soon! I look forward to being part of this community in our family's journey.
My husband is from Taiwan and moved to the US at the age of 6. His family has always spoken Mandarin Chinese even while living in the US, and it certainly helps that his mother is a language teacher (both Chinese and English).
I was born and raised in the US in a Chinese-Thai family. My parents were both born and raised in Thailand so their families are culturally Thai, but ethnically Chinese. Growing up, my family spoke mostly Thai, but English quickly dominated especially since I had an older sibling who was not so keen on speaking Thai at home. I lost the practice of speaking fluent Thai as I got older, but the knowledge is still there and comes out when needed. I am certain growing up bilingual allowed me to pick up Mandarin Chinese rather quickly. I started learning in college, and after marrying my husband, my Chinese has continued to improve.
When the girls were born, we quickly decided Chinese would be our language of choice and made it a priority to speak as much as possible at home and even with each other. I'm thankful for the number of Chinese/Taiwanese friends we've made in our area, and I continue to run into Mandarin-speaking families in the neighborhood.
Though resources are plentiful, I'm realizing the dedication to continue using the minority language at home and in public will only become harder as the girls grow, and especially as they enter school. I want to make it a priority for myself to gain fluency in Chinese, because a part of me will always regret not reaching fluency in Thai due to my upbringing.
Thank you for all your work, Adam. I'll be browsing the site and reading your book soon! I look forward to being part of this community in our family's journey.
