soultravelers3: California Girl - Chinese School: 個在中國學校的美國女生

[mechgator]

Your daughter is doing great in Mandarin! Have you thought of visiting or even attending a school in Taiwan. The weather is great especially during winter and they teach and write in traditional Chinese characters.

[soultravelers3]

@mechgator Thanks! We do have many friends in Taiwan so will probably visit there this year, but we will most likely stick with the Mandarin school we are at as it works well for my daughter and our family and she has many friends there. We will also go to mainland China this year and many places in Asia on her school holidays.

[scorpion136]

wA SEH BETTER THAN ME

[miissy235]

I love china :) ♥♥♥

[AiPing15]

she's goood

[soultravelers3]

@AiPing15 Thanks! She will start another year in Jan at her Mandarin school so will get better and we plan several trips into China for more practice. ;)

[amytran7703]

I'm American my daughter 6 yrs old went to school in China it terrible education teaching.

if you go to public school it cost less but you have 60 student per teacher. if you choose private school most of student very spoil because the rich family. kid has no common sense

and very spoil. i live in a tropical area in China. every time i pick up mu daughter at 5pm she would sweating allot I feel very sorry for her. can't wait to take her back to American.

U.S has way better education.

[soultravelers3]

@amytran7703 We're actually a homeschool or rather "world schooling" family so not attached to schools ANY where except for language immersion. The private Chinese school my daughter is in tropical Asia and not in China, so perhaps that is part of the big difference and why some parents in China send their kids there via the boarding school. As monolingual parents this has worked well for us to help our trilingual child immerse in one of her languages and culture.

[soultravelers3]

@amytran7703 By the way, we are in USA California right now doing homeschool here and just came from 4 months in Europe where we did homeschool & we continue her homeschooling in English, even when she is in her Mandarin school in Asia where we will return to this winter. We happen to think the best way to educate a child is to do it yourself based on the child's lead. Few American non-Chinese will understand the culture like my daughter & ditto with Spanish. Important for our coming world!

[kleistliu]

@amytran7703 yap ``I deeply agree with u `````I m Chinese and I had been studying in China for almost 10years `````I came to Singapore to study after I finished my middle school ```````````because of the huge population and terrible communism Gov ```` the standard of education in China is really horrible````

[DjGmSrR]

for some damm reason i always wanted to move to china >.>

[animefan12131]

hi i have a question to ask you about how grades work

my cousin is moving to america for school and she wants to know what grade she would be in like she finished her 2nd year of high school in china and then she technically only has 1 year left so would she have to go to 11th grade or 12th grade?

[soultravelers3]

@animefan12131 It will really depend on the school. Many high schools allow the kids to also go to community colleges while in high school so something she may want to look into.

[beatleskid64]

I LOVE THAT GIRL WILL U MARRY ME

[WBRENDAASNICAR2]

capio tutto

[djthomaswatson5]

love it

[soultravelers3]

@djthomaswatson5 We so appreciate that!

[peaches2034]

awww i wish i was her

[soultravelers3]

@peaches2034 Thanks! She is really enjoying her Mandarin school and her friends there. Now we are in Spain so she is doing her Chinese work daily as we roam the world!

[peaches2034]

@soultravelers3

it really is amazing she’s so talented and defiantly going to go far in this world !! ^^

[soultravelers3]

@peaches2034 Thanks so much!

[soultravelers3]

@peaches2034 She will be back at her school next January, but continues her Mandarin learning as we roam the world. ;) Fun to see her switch between English, Spanish and Mandarin! ;)

[twister5960]

good to check in after a while...mind blowing Chinese. Are you sure that is the same little girl?

Buddha bless your continuing journey x

[twister5960]

good to check in after a while...mind blowing Chinese. Are you sure that is the same little girl?

Buddha bless your continuing journey x

[soultravelers3]

@twister5960 Aw thanks! Yes it is the same little girl speaking Mandarin, Spanish and English in our various videos. ;) We have been traveling the world for the last 5 years so learning as we go and she has grown from 5 to 10 years old. ;) Thanks so much for the Buddha blessings!

[Monscent]

Man, she is gonna be _so_ successful in life.

[soultravelers3]

@Monscent Thanks! We hope to give her a good foundation for life!

[pzb1937]

恩~你的中文說的很棒!! 

對了,你的小提琴也拉的不錯^^ 加油!!

[ulanis]

wow!! what other languages does speak now???? her chinese is good lol!

in time it will be more musical sounding as her accent improves. Great job... and like Is aid before, the world is the best teacher! Rock on Mozart and family.. we only wish we could travel a lot more like you :)

-Rain (and Frankee)

[soultravelers3]

@ulanis She is fluent like a native in Spanish and English ( you can see here reading in Spanish at 6 I think in the attached "pupi" video here.) and reads and writes very well in both. She is fairly fluent reading, writing and speaking Mandarin Chinese, but we are working on strengthening that over the next several winters in her Chinese school. She speaks bits of MANY languages from our travels, probably French, Italian, Portuguese the best after her top 3.

[soultravelers3]

@ulanis Also thanks so much for your kind words! 

[BettinaStaana]

I think it's amazing what you've done for your daughter, she is very blessed and lucky to have parents like you. ( : This experience with all these countries, diversity, languages, cultures, such a beautiful thing, I believe she'll grow up to be a beautiful open minded woman in the future. ( :

[soultravelers3]

@BettinaStaana Thanks so much for your kind words! We certainly hope that this slow travel around the world and immersing deeply into other cultures will give her a great foundation to life.

[soultravelers3]

@BettinaStaana Thanks so much for your kind words! We certainly hope that this slow travel around the world and immersing deeply into other cultures will give her a great foundation to life.

[ytuair]

I guess you are in Taiwan because I saw the teacher wrote traditional Chinese. As a Taiwanese I have to say, "your daughter`s Chinese is AWESOME!!"

[soultravelers3]

@ytuair Wow, thanks so much for the high complement on her Mandarin!! She is actually in an all Mandarin high school in Penang & you can read more details on our soultravelers3 website. There are Asian kids from all over, even many from Taiwan!

[sam71489]

do you plan to stay there long as shes in school? how lond did it take her to learn this its so clear and shes so confident in it...not that i understand anything she said hehe xx

[soultravelers3]

@sam71489 Yes, we will be staying here this winter and coming back for several winters until she is as fluent as a native. It took about 4 winters in Spain, so probably similar timing. She has been speaking Mandarin from birth, along with Spanish & English, but we are monolinguals so she needs time to immerse deeply to improve. Thanks!

[sam71489]

@soultravelers3 she is a very talented girl you should be so proud of your family if there was a lot more people in this world like you it would be a better place keep us updated with how shes doing i wish you many happy travels x

[soultravelers3]

@sam71489 Thanks so much for your kind words! She is doing great so far 3 weeks into it and we'll give updates on our soultravelers3 blog about our experiences from time to time, maybe more videos about the school too. She is learning a Chinese New Year song for choir & enjoying that. 

[sam71489]

@soultravelers3 sorry for all the questions but can i ask how you got her into speaking different languages and why you decided to was it all to do with your travels? i watched your video of her singing a song with another school i think it was she looks like she has great fun you all do xxx

[soultravelers3]

@sam71489 Never apologize for questions, you are probably asking for many! We just thought learning languages & cultures would benefit her, so began them at birth. We travel primarily to educate her in the best way we know how, give her a good foundation and have more time together. She is a fun kid who loves to have fun! xxx

[sam71489]

@soultravelers3 your certainly giving her her a brilliant start to life with this way of education id love to be in a position to do this type of thing with my son, i wish u ll the best and look forwards to many more videos to come.. i just watched your video of making that food and i have to say it looks yummy! your a family to look up to keep it up xxx

[soultravelers3]

@sam71489 Thanks so much for your kind words! We'll be getting up a lot of videos now that we are here for the winter..trying to catch up. ;)

[sinaskates]

I love you guys... you are just so inspirational to me and the raising of our 3 children... You inspire me to do more and support them and challenge them and continually broaden their experiences even though we live in Birmingham, AL. One way is through You-tube, even if we can't be there!

[soultravelers3]

@sinaskates Aw, thanks so much for your sweet words! There ARE so many things one can do as a family to enrich even without travel. We found LOTS of ways for the first 5 years without leaving our state of California. You've just inspired me with an idea for a post. Youtube is a great resource & we're happy to add our little part for kids and families to explore the world with us! ;)

[sinaskates]

Didn't know you guys were traveling our of Europe - way cool! Her Madarin is awesome! Love you guys!

[soultravelers3]

@sinaskates Thanks Sina! We're at 38 countries on 5 continents & plan to add plenty more. ;) We'd doing winter in Asia ( for the Mandarin) summers in Europe ( for fun & keep the Spanish fluent) & cool countries to explore coming and going in the spring and fall phase now. So far it is working out really well. Her Mandarin is going well, but probably still needs years of work to read, write & speak like a native. This seems to be the perfect place to do that!

[taishoukinjiro]

XO That's better than me! I even learned Chinese before english, but then I lost it. 

[soultravelers3]

@taishoukinjiro Aw ,thanks! Yes, it is easy to lose a language, especially for kids. I know many who have lost their native tongues even up to 12 when they move to environments where they are not speaking and reading in it. Takes MANY years of daily practice and work to keep a language fluent.

[MegMerrilies]

Your daughter is having an amazing education. Well done to her!

[soultravelers3]

@MegMerrilies Thanks so much! She is quite brave in doing this, so we are proud of her!

[sellerofdreams]

wow. i understood that perfectly. amazing. well done and keep up the great work =)

[soultravelers3]

@sellerofdreams Thanks so much! She is doing well on her reading and writing Mandarin too....but more work to go to be as fluent as a native like she is with her English & Spanish. Easiest to learn now though. ;)

[loveforeignaccents]

HOLY MOLY.... AMAZING!!!

Amazing, fantastic, and such a wonderful experience and opportunity!!!

Best!!

[soultravelers3]

@loveforeignaccents LOL! Thanks so much! Yes, we feel really blessed to have given ourselves this opportunity. There were risks involved ( like putting a 10 year old into a high school with 1000 kids) but it's working out great!

[lacook19]

so wonderful to see you in Asia now! Always enjoy seeing you and your family in new places! :)

[soultravelers3]

@lacook19 Thanks a lot! It's really fun to be in Asia and a whole different experience in many ways from Europe and North America. We look forward to doing lots of explorations here over the next several winters.

[chiccaboom]

oh my god!!!! I am chinese but unfortunately was never taught the language. I traveled to China this past summer and was able to pick up a few words but NOTHING like your daughter. How did she pick up the language so quickly? Do they teach her classes in english? Wow so impressive!

[soultravelers3]

@chiccaboom Thanks so much & yes it is a hard language.Your trip sounds fun! She has been speaking/exposed to Mandarin from birth but it is the weakest of her 3 fluent languages since we parents are monolinguals, so she works hard on it now so she can learn to read, speak & write it like a native. We will be spending several winters in Asia in a Mandarin school until she is very fluent. More details coming on our soultravelers3 blog later today/early AM Ca time.

[XoCONNIEALWAYSXo]

this is so cool. :D My kids and I love following your adventures. Thanks for posting this. xD

[soultravelers3]

@XoCONNIEALWAYSXo Aw, thanks so much! Glad to hear it!! We have LOTS of really cool posts on soultravelers3 & videos coming soon! That is what we get to do while she is in Mandarin school! ;)

[Hieifireshadow]

Wow! She's growing up so fast. A language like Mandarin sounds so difficult to learn, but it sounds like she's close to mastering it!!! Happy late holidays and more wishes for safe travel. xoxo

[soultravelers3]

@Hieifireshadow Thanks so much! Mandarin is one of the hardest languages to learn, especially for an English native speaker, but she works hard and is doing well. It will probably take several years for her to master the reading, writing & speaking like a native. We'll see. Late holiday greetings to you too & happy New Year!

[EvannRachel]

Fantastic!

[soultravelers3]

@EvannRachel Thanks and for the RT on Twitter too!

[WickedlyChristine]

Wow! She's amazing! What an opportunity to go to school in another country and really learn the language.

I hope one day I will be able to do long term travel. Your blog is helpful for tips for that!

[soultravelers3]

@WickedlyChristine Thanks so much! So happy to hear that our blog is helpful in your planning your long term travel! It's worth the hard work of planning & prep!!

[Annie11011]

why is she in high school?

[soultravelers3]

@Annie11011 Because we could only get her into a secondary school here as it is private & we are not eligible for the primary schools as they are not private & we are not residents. The high school starts at 7th grade so she is just a few years younger than her classmates & can do the work.

[pakjai]

wow...I cannot put it into words...just wow she is amazing! I am Chinese but my mandarin absolutely sucks and she is 10 times better than me! lol...

[soultravelers3]

@pakjai Wow, thanks so much! Mandarin is a lot of work, so she still has a long way to go to be as fluent as a native & reading and writing it like a native, but she is off to a good start!

[hinatah89]

Incredible! But just one question, is she the youngest because she is gifted?.

I still don´t have kids on my own, but you are a truly inspiration. I hope that when I have kids I´ll be a fantastic mother as you obviously are.

Greetings from Spain.

[soultravelers3]

@hinatah89 Thanks so much! Not sure, they were hesitant at first because of her age & because she is Caucasian so not use to the strict Chinese culture for school, but certainly showing that she could do the work helped a lot.

[soultravelers3]

Aw, you are too sweet Margaret! More details coming soon on our website!

[margaretsch]

She is awesome to the Nth degree!!!

[soultravelers3]

@margaretsch Aw, you are too sweet Margaret! More details coming soon on our website!

[s2macdon]

How long has she been learning Mandarin? Will she also learn Cantonese?

[soultravelers3]

@s2macdon She is a trilingual in English, Spanish and Mandarin and have been speaking all of them from birth, but we are monolingual parents, so her Mandarin is the weakest, so we are here to strengthen it until is it like a native. She will not learn Cantonese as we are focused on having the top 3 languages as fluent as natives and then she can add whatever she wants as an adult.

[s2macdon]

@soultravelers3 What a wonderful gift you and this world are giving her. How are the children reacting to her?

[soultravelers3]

@s2macdon Thank you! The children have been really wonderful! The girls in her class are mostly Indonesian Chinese and from Thailand, so also not fluent in Mandarin, but very sweet personalities. She also loves the Chinese boys on her bus as they make her laugh. The first day everyone, teachers and students stared at her, but now they are use to her.

[SkyBlueAugust]

@soultravelers3 So, you must be envisioning an ambassador's role for her in the future....or a spy! LOL! Just kidding.

[soultravelers3]

@SkyBlueAugust Ha! I like your sense of humor! We just think learning languages and musical instruments ( yes we take a violin & piano around the world with us) & experiencing world travel is a good foundation for ANY career. She is a very flexible,, creative kid, so she will thrive I think. She likes spy kids so would like that idea. ;)LOL

[SkyBlueAugust]

@soultravelers3 Hope she has some siblings so she is not alone in all this excitement. Best of luck to you in your wonderful adventures.

[soultravelers3]

@SkyBlueAugust We were told at her baby blessing that she was related to everyone in the world and it is really true. She has brothers and sisters and cousins all over the world where ever we go! Read our post "Can globetrotting kids have friends" on our soultravelers3 blog to see how we handle that & how she thrives on it!

[tammimarie]

wow!

[soultravelers3]

@tammimarie Thanks!

[SkyBlueAugust]

Cute!

[soultravelers3]

@SkyBlueAugust Aw, thanks! We're proud as this is just her first week in Mandarin school in Asia. She just turned 10 and is in a high school with 1000 kids and she is youngest, smallest and only caucasian.

[SkyBlueAugust]

@soultravelers3 Wow! She certainly learned Mardarin fast. Hope she is having a good time. :)

[soultravelers3]

@SkyBlueAugust Thanks! She has been working on it for a while, but still has a long way to go, but she is confident and off to a good start. Her personality is rather fearless, and I think the musical background and often being around other languages her whole life helps make it easier. Kids always make these things look easy. ;) That is why we want her to learn them now! ;)