Chinese School

So Chinese School was always a given for me as a kid. No matter where we moved, and we did move to quite a few places, my parents always found a Chinese school to go to and it was something we went to every Saturday (or Sunday depending on the school). I remember living far inland in California where there was only a small Asian community and every Saturday my whole family and I would drive 1 to 1-1/2 hours to the city where there was Chinese school so that we could attend. 

It's funny that I meet a lot of people that went to Chinese school as a kid because their parents 'made' them and how they 'hated' it and how they didn't learn anything.  For me, it was kind of the opposite. I actually liked it and I somehow learned there. I think my parents were also really strict about speaking Chinese at home - and English was used pretty much just outside or at school.

Now as a parent, I'm just assuming my kids will also follow in my footsteps and go to Chinese school. I took K1 to some mommy and me classes and it's really interesting that in her class there were Caucasian, Koreans, Japanese that were also taking the class. Chinese language classes are becoming really popular!  There are a few (unfortunately not close to us) immersion programs appearing as well. If there was one in our school District I would definitely send my kids there.

It's interesting although I live in a community with a large Asian population there is not an immersion program available.  I heard it's quite political and maybe Districts don't necessarily want to open up to let in ethnic programs. I know 1 program was started in a school District by a bunch of moms who convinced the school District to incorporate an immersion program. The school the District allowed it in was slightly under performing and is hoping the immersion program will attract students from outside the community. The District even stated that we will accept the program 'only if it doesn't cost us a dime'.  Interesting, huh?

I think it's interesting how different generations thought differently about being bilingual issues. My husbands older cousins, who's parents immigrants but immigrated when they were older seemed to tend to think it is better to become American and be fully assimilate. They tended to learn English and eventually spoke English to their kids. So their kids don't speak or understand Chinese and nor will their kids, the next generation. However the younger aunts/ uncles who also immigrated here, tended to continue to speak Chinese to their kids. Their mentality was to keep your culture and be more what people call 'Asian-American'.  So their kids will still understand it and can communicate with it and possibly the next generation, will also learn it and be bilingual - but it will depend if they can keep it up. 

The other thing I find interesting in talking to parents that are bilingual some have the view that the child will be confused if you speak to them in 2 languages. Some have the view that if your kids all speak English and you speak Chinese, then after awhile, you might not be as close to your child because you don't quite 'fit into' their world which is all English (e.g. school and how they communicate with their friends). 

As for me, I find it important to be bilingual. I really hope that my children will learn and appreciate the same that my parents gave me. I hope that I have the discipline to keep it up - since I do see now that my daughter is going to preschool classes and talking to her peers and cousins in English she speaks a lot more English now. 

Lunar New Year Traditions

For several months I've been thinking about what I should blog about since this being the first blog 'club' I've been asked to contribute. And as exciting as it is I thought since its my first post on my first blog then I better have something profound to say. But the more I thought the more complicated it got and here I am months in and no post. So here goes nothing...

Even though my kids technically are 2nd generation, I really want my kids to know Chinese/ Hong Kong/ Taiwanese culture. Mostly because I was brought up that way and it wasn't necessarily a choice it was just simply how it is.

Every year for Lunar New Year we get together at my in laws place with my sister in law and family, my mom, and my sisters family to have a big New Year's Eve dinner. I think it's a great way to get together with close family and celebrate. My mother in law makes a lot of dishes including all the lucky foods such as fish, fat choi, vegetarian dish with ginkgo nuts vermicelli veggies dish that's my favorite, stewed pork hock (ti bang), duck or chicken, lobster, and various other things. My mom usually cooks black mushrooms or her sticky rice and my sister in law always makes their family recipe nian gao (sticky sweet rice cake) in which she usually puts a twist in it and makes it with mochiko or something japanese.

In addition to all the food which of course is a big part of the culture too, I think Chinese New Year is about family being together and about multiple generations getting together.

The kids usually dress up in traditional colorful Chinese clothing and all get red envelopes. Yay! Although they would really rather get candy or toys. Haha.

I hope that we will continue to have this tradition. I think it would be so wonderful to be able to take our kids to Asia during Chinese New Year someday and celebrate the festivities there!

So how about you? Do you have any traditions that reflect your culture that you upkeep so that your kids can also learn about too?