Summer 2014 Connections: Our Language Journeys

China’s Children! International!

Find us at:!Chinaschildren!international.!

org!

Lián 连接 �

Jiē

Connections!

Summer 2014- Our Language

Journeys!

China’s Children International- Summer 2014!2

Table Of Contents!

Table of Contents:!3.  Messages from CCI!

5.  Announcements!

7.  Feature- Sun Travel China Trip Reflection!

11.  Feature- CCI-HTS Adoptee Volunteer Trip!

14.  Adoptee In Action- Madeline !

15.  Adoptee In Action- Ming !

16.  Feature- Art Showcase!

17.  Culture Corner- Street Food!

20. Feature- Chinese App Reviews!

21.  Adoptee Essays- Language Stories !


Messages From CCI!

Messages from CCI:!From the Editor:

Hi Everyone!

CCI is a bustling place, and because we didn’t want anyone to miss out on any important announcements, we have decided to release official announcements every other month now. These newsleBers will be slightly different from our old newsleBer which we will now call, our e-‐Magazine. The e-‐Magazine, newly Htled “ConnecHons”, or 连接, will come out twice a year in coincidence with regularly scheduled announcement newsleBers.

To celebrate this change, we asked our CCI members to vote on a new name for the e-‐Magazine and, as previously menHoned, the winner is 连接 (lian2 jie1) which means links or connecHons. We at CCI thought that this name was especially fiRng because CCI connects Chinese adoptees from around the world, and our members serve as connecHons between China and the countries that we now live in.

To accompany this new Htle and format, the e-‐Magazine has also taken on a new design to represent the meaning behind the new Htle: a fan. I chose to represent the connecHons fostered by CCI through the image of a fan because I feel that each of our members are like a slat in the fan. They are each individuals, but they collecHvely serve as supports to the fan as a whole, and are connected together by a single paper, a paper symbolizing CCI and their common beginning in China. Even further, by acHng together, united, the “fan” can create a “wind” that can move things and create change in the world, as is CCI’s goal.

Lastly, at CCI, an important topic of discussion is oUen how we, as adoptees, connect to China and our birth culture, and this e-‐Magazine showcases various adoptees’ uses of language as ways to connect to China.

Thank you all so much for supporHng CCI and I hope you enjoy reading our Summer 2014 e-‐Magazine!

Best, Hannah CCI NewsleBer Editor in Chief


Messages From CCI!

Messages from CCI:!From the Co-‐President:

We are thrilled here at CCI to launch our first E-‐magazine, renamed Connec&ons. A huge thank you to Hannah Lyon for being our indefaHgable E-‐magazine leader and editor in chief!

In honor of our new name, I’d like to talk a liBle bit about why this Htle resonates with me, and, coincidentally, as it is our theme this month, my own personal language journey. In middle school, I was able to choose a language to learn – French, Spanish, or Chinese. I originally wanted to choose French, but my parents encouraged me to study Chinese because, they told me, I would one day appreciate it. I began begrudgingly, learning because I had to.

This decision, and this is no understatement, changed the enHre course of my life so far. I ended up falling in love with the beauty of the Chinese language, the rhythmic sounds, the arHsHc characters, and the rich cultural history embedded within every phrase. It seemed to me at the Hme that I fell in love with Chinese, not because I was a Chinese adoptee, but because of the inherent charms of the language. My passion for Chinese took off during high school – I lived and breathed Chinese. I ended up compeHng in Chinese speech compeHHons, and later teaching Chinese classes for local adoptees.

My intense commitment to Chinese led to a deeper exploraHon and re-‐evaluaHon about my thoughts on adopHon. Perhaps, at some level, my interest in Chinese was connected to my roots. Learning Chinese became a crucial and much needed catalyst for a much deeper exploraHon of my idenHty, prompHng me to ask myself, what makes me who I am today and what, if anything, does being a Chinese adoptee mean to me? By the end of high school, I realized that being adopted had become an important part of my idenHty, and that I had begun to deeply internalize my 100% Chinese and 100% American idenHty.

Thus, it is the Chinese language that I have to thank for connecHng me to the Chinese adoptee community, which is why I find the Htle of 连接 to be so fiRng for me. Of course, I am sure that each of our members can and should have their own personal reasons why the Htle of connecHons means something to them and their own journeys. These different interpretaHons and different perspecHves are much fiRng to CCI’s original moBo, which, even aUer three crazy years of growth, we sHll believe in: “Same Beginnings, Different Paths.”

Thank you for all of your wonderful support! Let’s conHnue to create and uphold a strong, sustainable, and supporHve Chinese adoptee community as we move into the next couple months.

CharloBe CoBer


Announcements!

Announcements:!CCI Announcements:

CCI Promo0onal Video CCI is pleased to announce the release of our community’s new promoHonal video! In order to celebrate CCI’s third birthday, we asked our members to send us videos of themselves saying where they were born and where they live now. We compiled these clips into one video that reflects the strength and diversity of our vibrant and ever-‐growing Chinese adoptee community. CCI hopes that the video shows that, while our members support each other and connect through common experiences, our strength as a community also lies in our individual stories. Watch it here: www.chinaschildreninternaHonal.org/anniversary-‐video.html

Looking for a Pen Pal?

Ever wanted to connect and discuss adopHon with another Chinese adoptee one-‐on-‐one? Or have you wanted to have a friend from across the world? Or even just wanted an assured friend to chat with? Sign up for CCI’s pen pal program for Chinese adoptees ages 13 and up! Register here: www.chinaschildreninternaHonal.org/pen-‐pal.html

“I have made some new friends of various ages. I enjoy talking to my pen pals about adop&on, the future, school, personal life, etc. It's nice to have a person who you can talk to in an

enclosed level (via email).” -‐-‐Kira

CCI’s Updated Adoptee Collage For a larger view, visit: www.chinaschildreninternaHonal.org/adoptee-‐collage.html


Announcements!

Announcements:!

Outside Announcements: (Please note that CCI does not necessarily endorse these opportuniHes)

Updated Chinese Language Resources CCI has recently updated the resources pages of our website, and among these pages is our new, comprehensive list of Chinese language learning resources that we thought might be of interest to our members.

Check it out here: www.chinaschildreninternaHonal.org/chinese-‐language-‐learning.html

Adop0on and Jewish Iden0ty Project The AdopHon and Jewish IdenHty Project is dedicated to improving the lives of adoptees raised in Jewish families by creaHng a broader understanding of the unique religious, cultural, and idenHty issues they and their families face. "Are you an adoptee between the ages of 18 and 36, who was raised in a family that idenHfied, at least in part, as Jewish? If so, we're interested in your story!”

Find the QuesHonnaire here: www.surveymonkey.com/s/AJIPAdopteeQuesHonnaire

TerracoFa Daughters An army of young girls assembles in the first U.S. showing of TerracoDa Daughters, a monumental exhibiHon of 108 life-‐sized and individually craUed clay sculptures that recall China’s famous TerracoBa Soldiers. Created by New York-‐based French arHst Prune Nourry with expert craUsmen in X’ian, this installaHon is a powerful invesHgaHon of the impact of gender selecHon in Asia and beyond.

Nourry's exhibit will be presented in the Crossing the Line 2014 fall fesHval in New York, United States.

CCI Announcements: Con0nued


Feature!

Feature: Sun Travel Trip!Last December marked the second Hme that China's Children InternaHonal partnered with Sun Travel USA to hold our annual Adoptee Youth Leadership Contest. The contest, held by CCI, asked applicants to write a 1-‐2 page essay and parHcipate in a 20 minute interview about what the Chinese adoptee community has meant to them and how leadership has played a defining role in their life. The CCI Board then awarded an adoptee who has made significant contribuHons to the Chinese adoptee community through strong and capable leadership with a free in-‐China travel package from Sun Travel. The contest hopes to maintain the strength of the Chinese adoptee community for years to come by acknowledging adoptees already displaying leadership skills, and encouraging future Chinese adoptee leaders to see that they are so much more capable than they may realize.

This year's winner was KaHe Neteler, a giUed leader and a well-‐traveled young adoptee who spent much of her childhood in Malaysia. CCI was proud to have KaHe represent the organizaHon as an adoptee leader on the Sun Travel Heritage trip this summer. On the following page, please enjoy her reflecHon of the trip.


Feature!

Feature: Sun Travel Trip!ReflecHon from KaHe N.

Since I have been back, I have thought much about how grateful I am to have been able to go to China. It was one of the best experiences in my life. I was able to gain insight about being an adoptee, thus this trip helped me grow as an adoptee. I learned that it’s hard for others to understand what it’s like as an adoptee. AUer I went to my orphanage, I was trying to think of a way to explain to others how my orphanage visit went. The strange part was nothing big happened, but I feel as if it’s hard to tell of my experience. Other than that, I have established some new friendships. Throughout the trip, I met some amazing girls. I hope that all the relaHonships made on the trip will last for a long Hme.

From the experience, I have grown as a mentor. Before I went to China, I didn't know a lot of other adoptees in real life. Most of the adoptees I know are online, and they are great, but it would be nice if I could meet some of them in person. Now, I have some more adoptees as friends. Other than gaining some more friends, I did try to act as someone who the adoptees could trust and talk to. At one point during the trip, I felt like I wasn't doing the best I could as a mentor. Later, I was reassured that I was doing a great job, thanks to Jane. The teens and kids didn't really talk about adopHon. Well, at least not around the adults. I was able to gather up the teens to talk about being adopted. It was great that everyone felt comfortable sharing their feelings with the group. Even though we really didn't have another talk like that during the trip, it was nice that we were able to at least have one chat.

Even though I have leU China, this doesn't mean I won't be back. I plan to study abroad in China during my college years. I'll see you soon China.


Feature!

Feature: Sun Travel Trip!

Before we went there, we stopped at a jade factory. The jade there was so beauHful. When the store employee explained to us about jade bangles, I was capHvated by the idea of having my own jade bracelet. It would serve as a reminder of my trip to China. Once the store owner gave us free Hme in the shop, I knew what I wanted to buy. My mother kept showing me jade pendants because I made a previous statement about buying a jade pendant. When I finally explained to her that I wanted a jade bangle, we went over to look at them. I knew that this bangle would be my big purchase on this trip. There were so many bangles. I didn't want any of the bangles on sale because they didn't look as preBy as the others did, in my opinion. My mother suggested lavender jade, but I wanted the tradiHonal jade. The store clerk gave some suggesHons, and I tried a few on. The bangle I found was a lighter shade of jade and cost more than an iPhone 5S with 16GB on a contract. I will probably not be making anymore big purchases for a while.

Here’s one of KaHe’s blog posts on the Beijing porHon of the Sun Travel Trip. Read more here: www.chinaschildreninternaHonal.org/adoptee-‐leader-‐2014-‐blog

Onto one of the Eight Wonders of the World. Can you guess which one it is?

The Great Wall of China!

AUer our lovely stop at the jade factory, we made our way to the Great Wall. On the bus ride, a few girls and I decided to climb the difficult part of the wall. People separated into 2 groups when we arrived: People climbing the easier part and people climbing the difficult part. Only five people, including me, climbed the difficult part of the wall. The first secHon was hard because it was steep and the steps were big. AUer that, it wasn't so bad. When I finally made it to where I wanted to stop, I was glad I achieved my goal. Let me tell you, climbing down was much easier than climbing up. I was a liBle bit nervous about falling, but I never fell because I held onto my best friend: the railing. If you get a chance to go to China, you need to check out the Great Wall.


Feature!

Feature: Sun Travel Trip!

Beijing blog post conHnued:

Later that day, we went to Olympic Park. I planned on buying an Olympic t-‐shirt, but I couldn't find one outside of the stadium. AUerwards, we went to a tea house. If you didn't know, I love to drink tea. While we were there, we were able to witness a tea ceremony. The tea server was very knowledgeable about tea. In my opinion, all the teas tasted great. My favorite tea was the green tea mixed with jasmine tea. Anyways, everyone loved the pee pee boy, which tested the temperature of the water. My mother purchased four teas, which gave her a pee pee boy and a temperature changing cup. Once we were all finished, we went back to the hotel.

The next day, we went to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The Forbidden City was cool, but very big. It was a good thing our guide, Cindy, was there to lead us. I have no sense of direcHon. AUerwards, we went on a bullet train to Xi'an. I am glad that we went on a bullet train rather than a overnight train. When we arrived in Xi'an, we went to dinner with our tour guide, Tom. The dinner was nice, but there was too much food. AUer eaHng a lot of food, a few people in the group went to the gym. It was nice that the gym was free. AUerwards, everyone headed to their rooms for the night.


Feature!

Feature: CCI-HTS Trip!This July, the second annual joint CCI-‐Half the Sky Adoptee Volunteer trip was able to take thirteen young adult adoptees to volunteer at the Half the Sky China Care Home in Beijing, China. During the trip, besides volunteering at this specialized medical facility for orphaned children, parHcipants took part in CCI’s adopHon oriented discussions led by Grace Gowen (18, adopted from Maoming, Guangdong at 6 months old), this year’s trip’s Adoptee Facilitator. Read some of Grace’s blog posts on the trip on the following pages.

Arrived in Beijing

We’ve arrived in China! Today is the first full day here and we’ve already started our volunteering. At 8:30AM we met for a group breakfast, and then at 9AM, we leU to go to the Care Home. When we were touring the Care Home and seeing all the different rooms, one of the liBle girls named Keke grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let me leave; that’s how I was assigned my room for the rest of the trip. It also happened to be the room with some of the older kids: a 15 year old girl named Jiajia, a 11 year old girl named Fangfang, and an 8 year old boy named Fufu. There are also quite a few toddlers and babies that are absolutely adorable. I’m already in love with all the kids in my room, and it’s only the first day!

Keke is 10 years old and doesn’t talk, but she has the best laugh when you Hckle her. She’s a liBle mischievous, but she’s so adorable that you can’t stay mad at her for more than a second. Jiajia is so smart. Sarah, the leader of this adoptee trip, has only been there for two weeks and has taught Jiajia some English, but for two weeks, she’s learned an enormous amount. Between her minimal English, my minimal Chinese, and lots of smiles and pantomiming, I think we’ll get along really well. Fangfang is so hyper. There’s so much energy contained in her liBle body. I’m really not sure how I’m going to keep up with her for the next week and a half; it’ll be a fun challenge trying. Fufu is a liBle bit more mellow than Fangfang. So far I’ve learned that he likes to play catch and spin around in circles. He has the best smile that just lights up his whole face. It’s going to be my mission to make him smile as much as possible.


Feature!

Arrived in Beijing con0nued:

For lunch, we went to a nearby, small, privately owned noodle place. Although the service was slow, it was made up for because the noodles were so good. Hopefully, we’ll be able to have lunch there again later in the trip.

The aUernoon session was more shenanigans with the children. Fangfang really likes to dance and sing, so we spent a lot of Hme “waltzing” around the room while we sang together. She would sing a rhyme or part of a song in Chinese, and then I would come in singing something from Phantom of the Opera or Jersey Boys, or some pop song from the radio. It was the highlight of my day today.

Tomorrow, we will start sightseeing, as today is the first day and Sarah wants to give us an evening to recover from jetlag before we start touring around Beijing. I’m super excited to see the city even though I’ve been before. There’s always something new to see, whether it be an actual building, a vendor on the side of the road selling trinkets, or someone’s interesHng fashion choice of clothing and shoes.

Time with Jiajia

Jiajia is very silly. The day before we went to the Great Wall of China, Sarah, Jiajia, Fufu, Fangfang, and I were all in a room playing. Sarah and Jiajia were conversing about the sightseeing we had planned for tomorrow. The conversaHon (in Mandarin) went a liBle like this:

Jiajia: Are you coming to volunteer tomorrow morning? Sarah: Not in the morning, but we will come in the aUernoon. Jiajia: Why not in the morning? Sarah: We are going to the Great Wall. Jiajia: Oh that sounds like fun. Have you been before? Sarah: Yes, I’ve been many Hmes. Jiajia: Then why are you going back, if you’ve been so many Hmes? Sarah: Because I’m taking the volunteers. Jiajia: Oh. Well, wait. Doesn’t it get boring? Why don’t you just come in the morning, and the volunteers can go by themselves to the Great Wall?! Sarah: Because they would get lost! Jiajia: *rolls eyes and sighs* Fine. I guess it’s beBer if you go with them. Just make sure you come back in the aUernoon!

Feature: CCI/HTS Trip!


Feature!

Last Day

Today is our last day, and I’m a complete wreck. It breaks my heart to have to leave the Care Home. I’ve goBen so aBached to all the kids here, regardless of whether I’ve had Hme to play with them (as the way the Care Home volunteer system works is that you’re assigned to one room, and you play with the kids in your room during your volunteer stay. Although you can leave your room to go play with other kids, it’s best to hang out in the room you’re assigned to so you can get to know the kids and the kids can get to know you).

As a good-‐bye present to the older kids, I gave Jiajia a purple bejeweled hair clip because she’s always wearing some fancy hair decoraHon. To Keke, I gave a brown knoBed bracelet with bead-‐rocks; Fangfang got a yellow-‐gold cloisonné bracelet. Fufu received 4 sheets of Cars 2 sHckers to add to his growing sHcker collecHon.

I don’t know if I’ve said it before, but sHckers are a big deal at the Care home, and Jiajia, Fufu, and Fangfang each have a huge collecHon. Before I leU the room for the last Hme, each of them gave me one of their sHckers as a goodbye present. I think that’s a good indicaHon of being loved, because they are very picky about who gets their sHckers.

As I leU the room, everyone waved to me; Fangfang blew me a kiss. Although I know I will never see them again, they will stay in my heart forever. I’m preBy sure that even if I tried, I couldn’t find a beBer way to spend 10 days.

Read more at: www.chinaschildreninterna0onal.org/volunteer-‐trip-‐2014-‐blog

Feature: CCI/HTS Trip!


Adoptee In !Action!

Adoptee in Action:!

Currently, I am most intrigued by researching and developing ways that media and photography can be used to capture the natural world. I hope that through photography,

others will come to appreciate the need for protecHng our resources and wildlife.

Growing up as a Third Culture Kid (TCK), Cross Cultural Kid (CCK) teen, and an Asian American adoptee, my formaHve years were spent living outside my home country. This adds a few layers to my core and gives me a complex understanding of cultural diversity; I view life through a variety of lenses. Being a Third Culture Kid, I carry a global perspecHve about life. I have been exposed to mulHple countries, languages, and cultures, both in my extensive travels, and aBending internaHonal schools. As a mulH-‐lingual, mulH-‐cultural

person, I view myself as a global ciHzen and a humanitarian.

-‐Madeline (Adopted from Hangzhou, Zhejiang)

Meet Madeline, one of CCI’s members who is interested in photography and wildlife.


Adoptee In !Action!

Adoptee in Action:!A Dream To Be Had By Ming Foxweldon (Adopted from Kunming, Yunnnan in 1994)

Hello All,

It's an honor to be able to write for this secHon of CCI's E-‐Magazine. I would like to describe the experience of being abroad in China, and accomplishing one of my long Hme dreams: to work in the orphanage I was raised in. First off, I'd like to acknowledge a few points before diving in. Having studied abroad in 2011, I was more than eager to return to my “home” city, reconnect with the friends I made there, and challenge myself in ways that I hadn't done before. I was humbled to have been selected to lead a group of families with children adopted from China around the country, to explore ciHes I wished to visit, to eat the food (some of it) that I missed. I was interested in visiHng other countries in East Asia, and reuniHng with college friends as well. I was nervous to embark on this journey because I was going solo. Solo, this Hme. What a daunHng, yet exciHng thought. I was ready to take on this adventure with as much confidence, courage, and creaHvity as possible. I will give a short synopsis of my trip so you'll have a beBer idea of my adventures abroad…

Read the rest of Ming’s travel story here: hBp://www.chinaschildreninternaHonal.org/adoptee-‐in-‐acHon.html


Feature!

Feature: Art Showcase!

To celebrate the new Htle of CCI’s e-‐Magazine, we asked our members to create their own arHsHc interpretaHons of “ConnecHons.” Check out the submission we received below.

Raina Chris&an (15) was inspired to create a scene reflec&ng an emo&onally safe place for Chinese Adoptees to gather and share.


Culture !Corner!

Culture Corner: Street Food!By Hannah Lyon

In China, there is an endless variety of street food, or 小吃 (xiao chi) that one can buy while walking down almost any given street. The mouth-‐watering aromas will draw you in, and the friendly stand owners and cheap prices will sell you for life and keep you coming back.

In my past year in Shanghai, I’ve become a bit of a street food connoisseur, and here I’ll introduce you to five of the most commonly seen street foods in China.

香菇青菜包 (Xiang Gu Qing Cai Bao): Steamed Buns with Mushrooms and Greens

These pillows of moist carbohydrate goodness are composed of angel white steamed bread and filled with perfectly seasoned greens and mushrooms. The salHness of the filling is perfectly complemented by the warm, saHaHng dough of this tradiHonal Chinese snack. Steamed buns come in many other varieHes as well, such as pork, beef, and custard. Steamed buns are the perfect aUer school or work snack to grab from almost any convenience store on your way home.

炒饭 (Chao Fan): Fried Rice �

The quintessenHal Chinese food, these oil laden bowls of rice are sold off of street side carts that are nearly fully funcHoning kitchens in and of themselves. Complete with 20 pound cast iron wok, flame, and enough ingredients to allow offerings akin to a full Hme restaurant, customers can choose from sHr fried rice, rice cakes, or several types of noodles. AUer choosing your carb-‐y base, the chef adds it to the wok, and laces it with fried egg, meat, onions, spices, bean sprouts, and greens. Filling, cheap, and delicious, these bowls are the perfect, easy, to-‐go dinner or late night snack. Noodle/rice carts are open unHl the wee hours of the morning, and are perfect aUer a long hard night of karaoke with friends.


Culture !Corner!

Culture Corner: Street Food!

生煎 (Sheng Jian): Pan Fried Dumplings �

As if the juicy, rich pork, seasoned with onions and spices, encased in this chewy dough weren’t enough, these classic Chinese dumplings also magically hold delicious, salty meat broth within them. Broth that you won’t even mind dripping down your chin when you bite into these liBle delicacies. The crunchy, fried boBoms of these dumplings nicely contrast with the chewier, gluHnous tops. You can find these dumplings everywhere, from street vendors and small restaurants, to more popularized restaurant chains like the famous Yang’s Dumplings.

油饼 (You Bing): Fried Flatbread

At this point, you may be noHcing a paBern: the extremely oily and fried nature of Chinese street food. And indeed, it is so. As China knows that the best and most convenient foods are those drenched in oil, and this flatbread is no excepHon. You bing are fried, layered breads that, despite their cooking method, are not heavy, but light and chewy, the perfect snack to eat on the streets. You can buy these from many road side stands in China, many of which oUen sell several varieHes of you bing such as a spring onion type, one brushed with a spicy sauce, a type coasted in cheese, and another layered with egg. All of the varieHes are unique in their own sense, but are all worth trying. They’re the perfect way to saHate your appeHte in between meals.


Culture !Corner!

Culture Corner: Street Food!

串儿 (ChuanEr): Grilled Skewers

Hailing from the Muslim, Xinjiang region of China, skewers are quintessenHally known as oily, roasted, seasoned sHcks of lamb meat grilled outside over red hot coals, fanned by your local skewer guy. However, skewers are so much more, as seen by the variety you can choose from at each cart. Skewers are omnipresent in China’s night street food scene, and are enjoyed by the rich and poor alike. Upon approaching the carts, you just grab a plasHc basket, load it up with your selecHon of skewers, and hand it to the stand owner who will grill them up, season them, and then deliver them to your makeshiU, roadside table. Skewer choices range from the exciHng chicken hearts, mussels, sea urchin, frog, and rat, to the safer beef, tofu, steamed bread slices, string beans, mushrooms, and green onions.

Is your stomach growling yet? I hope that this overview of Chinese street foods has made you want to catch the next plane to China, and eat your way through the enHre country. That’s what I would want to do. At the very least, I hope this was informaHve, as Chinese street food is a huge, not to menHon delicious, part of life in China that is definitely worth knowing about!

Disclaimer: Please eat at your own risk, as I cannot be held accountable for the legiHmacy or palatability of what you are consuming, nor the wholesomeness of the cooking methods used to prepare it. This is China aUer all. Please refer to the 2012 Fake Egg Scandal here: hBp://newsfeed.Hme.com/2012/11/06/how-‐to-‐make-‐a-‐roBen-‐egg/


Feature!

Feature: Chinese App Reviews!Pleco Chinese DicHonary:

This is definitely a must-‐have Chinese dicHonary app. Its entries are extremely extensive and it is excellent for everyday use. You can look anything up from radicals to chengyu (four character Chinese idioms), and the input methods are also versaHle as tradiHonal characters, simplified characters, pinyin, and other systems may be used.

The free app doesn’t require internet access and comes with a Chinese to English dicHonary with over 100,000 entries and a flashcard feature. However, you can extend the funcHon of the app by buying add ons that will enable you to handwrite characters to look up (useful if you don't know the pronunciaHon), see stroke order, hear pronunciaHon, read documents, or have access to more technical jargon. I would recommend buying the English to Chinese dicHonary add on.

Mindsnacks Mandarin:

This is a good app for people who are just starHng to learn Mandarin. It is an app mainly geared toward creaHng a fun, exciHng learning experience, as each lesson is “mastered” aUer users use each word correctly a certain number of Hmes in a series of several Hme sensiHve games. The app is excellent for compeHHve people, as the games and quests make learning achievement oriented. However, the app if not as good for people who don’t place emphasis on rapid word recogniHon.

Some of the best aspects of this app are the ability to create mulHple user accounts, play games using only pinyin or only characters, the presence of games geared toward tone mastery, and the ability to receive push noHficaHons from the app to remind you to study.

This app is composed of 50 lessons, but only the first few are free. The rest can be bought for $4.99 USD.


Adoptee Essays!

Adoptee Essays:!

Ka&e N. responds to our wri&ng prompt ques&ons:

What languages do you speak? I speak Mandarin, Spanish, and a liBle bit of German. For four years, I have taken Spanish and will conHnue to Spanish AP. My Father taught me a liBle bit of German, but he stopped teaching me. I hope to learn more German so I can speak to my relaHves. In 10th grade, I started learning Mandarin, and I took it previously in elementary school. My goal is to become fluent in Mandarin and hopefully learn some Cantonese later on. An ever bigger dream is to become a polyglot.

Do you speak any Mandarin or other Chinese dialect? I can speak some Mandarin, but not a lot. Hopefully my Mandarin will improve when I go to China.

Is English your second language? English is my first.

Or do you have no desire to learn any Chinese at all? I do have a desire to learn Chinese, and I want to become fluent.

How do you feel when people assume that you know Chinese or don’t speak English? I feel annoyed when people assume I can’t speak English; Just because I’m a different ethnicity, doesn't mean I don’t speak English. When you look at the world, English is a language that is being taught in schools all over the world.


Adoptee Essays!

Adoptee Essays:!My name is Madeline—age 10. Adopted at age 2 from Guangxi

What languages do you speak? I speak English and am becoming fluent in Mandarin.

Do you speak any Mandarin or any other Chinese dialect? Currently, I take lessons in Mandarin five days a week; my teacher says I will be fluent by the end of Fall.

Is English your second language? Yes, as a two year old, I could understand Cantonese and Mandarin, and I spoke Chinese toddler language. When I moved to America, I lost my language and now I am trying to re-‐learn Mandarin.

Do you have no desire to learn Chinese at all? I would love to become fluent in Mandarin!

How do you feel when people assume that you know Chinese or don’t speak English? A couple of years back, I was at a Chinese dance recital. A lady came in and started speaking to me in rapid Mandarin. For a moment, I froze up, but then I told her I don’t speak Mandarin in Mandarin. Then, she just started speaking to me in English. It was a great sense of relief when she understood what I said and just carried on in English. I have never had anyone assume that I don’t speak English.


Adoptee Essays!

Adoptee Essays:!

Here is a wriHng submission in response to quesHons posed by CCI from Hope Yongquan Wilson (Zou Yongquan, adopted at 2 from Yongfeng, Jiangxi)

I speak American English. I am in high school, and take a Mandarin class. I know about 100 words, and can write/speak them! I have had a great desire to learn and know Chinese. With language it helps me to idenHfy to myself. At Hmes, I forget I am Chinese. Surrounded by Caucasian Americans you just kind of "forget" there was once a Hme you were in an orphanage with no parents. Learning the language and the culture of your home helps with idenHty issues. It makes me sad when people assume I know Chinese. I would be asked all the Hme when I was young to "say something in Chinese," and it would hurt that I couldn't. Made me not "feel" Chinese. Just American with darker skin, black hair, and almond eyes. It makes me angry when people assume I can't speak English. A certain race shouldn't hold you back or keep you chained to a certain language and culture. Just as me being Chinese does not mean I know the language and their tradiHons.


Adoptee Essays!

Adoptee Essays:!By Hannah Lyon

I. My Languages I was adopted at 6 months old so I grew up as a naHve English speaker, but learned Chinese on and off throughout my childhood. I didn't really retain much and only started seriously studying May 2013. I've studied a lot on my own and have taken the equivalent of through the Intermediate 2 Level at my university in Shanghai. As for other languages, I studied French for six years in middle and high school, and am also studying Korean. I've studied Korean mostly on my own, but also aBended a Saturday school for a year, and am currently in an intensive language program in Seoul.

II. On Immersion I have found that when forced into in immersive language environment, a strange phenomenon arises where you realize two completely contradictory facts. The first of which is that your language skills are nowhere near where they should be, and fluency is an accomplishment you are very far from achieving. However, at the same Hme, you are also really good at the language because you are able to communicate what needs to be said, even if it takes you five awkward minutes to say, and even then with imperfect grammar and a heavy accent.

II. On Being An Adoptee For me, in a way, being in Korea and speaking barely any Korean is much, much easier than trying to learn Chinese in China. At least in an interpersonal sense. In Seoul, even though people someHmes assume I am Korean at first glance, people do not expect me to know Korean because I am a foreigner. In China, however, people look at me like I am stupid because I am Chinese and do not speak passable Chinese. Even among my friends, when we go exploring in Shanghai, they rely (mistakenly) on my Mandarin skills and joke about me being a "Chinese fail" whenever I don't know how to communicate something. A lot of the Hme this is really hard on me because I feel like my inability to speak Chinese is a personal shortcoming even though it is really no fault of my own.


Adoptee Essays!

Adoptee Essays:!Hola, me llamo Melissa. I aBended a special trip to China with my college a few years back. On one parHcular day, two of the students got lost in the Forbidden City, and they happened to be Spanish speaking. Since I was the only one with a cell phone... I was sent to look for them.

What did I do? I walked up a group from Spain and explained in Spanish that my friends were lost. They agreed to be on the lookout. I will never forget the facial expressions of those tourists. Their thought process may have gone something along the lines of... “There’s a franHc looking sweaty Chinese girl running up to us... WAIT a minute. She’s speaking in Spanish. WHY IS SHE SPEAKING IN SPANISH? Holy cow, is she speaking in Spanish? SHE IS!!! O.o Well, this is interesHng. Quite odd. Ok, she’s telling us her friends are lost. Hmmm, so she’s definitely not from China. She’s probably from the US. Her accent is VERY American.”

I walked up to the police, who refused to help. I wandered over to the help desk and explained the situaHon in simple English, and then they announced my friend’s names over the loud speaker, royally messing up their Spanish names of course. Yup, during that trip I probably used more Spanish than Chinese. Oh the irony.

StarHng in kindergarten and even a liBle in preschool I was taught uno, dos, y tres. I conHnued taking Spanish classes up unHl senior year of high school. I then switched over to Chinese in college. Biggest hurdle of my life. I even slept through my Chinese final (that’s a story for another Hme). Whenever I was asked to say a Chinese word, it would first come to me in Spanish and not Chinese. I sHll cringe at the menHon of my Chinese name. My mind was always in the wrong country and the wrong conHnent as I sat in Chinese class. La lengua de China es muy di~cil!! I had to drop the course because I didn’t have enough Hme to dedicate to learning all the characters. I do have a desire to “aBempt” to learn again, but that will have to wait for a later Hme. I understand quite a bit of Cantonese, but have an irraHonal fear of using it outside of a dimsum restaurant. I guess, all in all, I’m proud of my ability to speak Spanish, but am looking forward to the day I can communicate beBer in Mandarin. To all those who are trying to learn, JIA YOU!

China’s Children International- Summer 2014!

谢谢你们！ �

Outside Sources:!Pleco Chinese DicHonary App: hBp://a358.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/077/Purple/v4/37/2e/28/372e28dc-‐71c3-‐d241-‐�c3-‐d6630c1e9de5/mzm.ohbbzmgf.png

Mindsnacks Mandarin: hBp://a114.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/094/Purple2/v4/10/3e/9f/103e9fd3-‐43bd-‐f105-‐af92-‐19f6470962c7/mzl.vuvzmvnl.png

Fu Character: hBp://www.thingsasian.com/stories-‐photos/all/3524

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Thank you everyone for reading! Hannah (CCI NewsleBer Editor in Chief)

Documents

Summer 2014 Connections: Our Language Journeys