Sunday, October 9, 2011

Chinese Developments, Part I


Tenny's now one month into Chinese immersion school and he's doing really well.  He thinks it's totally normal, and he's having so much fun with his new teachers and new friends that he doesn't even really notice he's learning a new language along the way.  His parents are also getting over the initial jitters and are falling in love with the excellent program.  One of my favorite moments so far was when I was dropping him off about a week ago, and as we approached the front steps he grabbed my hand to stop me, he gave me a very empathetic look, and he said, "Now daddy, you might not understand what they're saying in here because they speak Chinese here."  Then as we walked through the hallways to his classroom, he translated for me what the teachers and administrators were saying to him (good morning, hi, how are you, welcome, etc.).

Of course, one of the first things they teach you at a Chinese immersion school in DC is how to count the amount of money we owe the Chinese.  Here's a video of Tenny making it to 20 -- he's got a ways to go yet.

2 comments:

Hillary said...

Tenny speaks Chinese better than I speak English - and I'm a born and raised American.

But if you ever want to revisit high school German class with Herr Mott, Suzy, I'm sure you and I could re-enact the Alles Gut videos

"Haben sie ein zimmer frei?"
"hier ist Ihr schlüssel!"

:)

ashley said...

oh heavens. this kid will be at byu before i graduate.