And now it’s October
Wow, it’s been more than a year since my family was logged in at the CCAA with our letter asking that we be able to adopt a second child, a little sister to our big girl.
I remember when the slowdown started and there was a rumor that half months would continue until CNY. I didn’t believe it. There was no way they could slow down like that for that long.
Well, they did. And then the month after CNY I was so sure we would see a whole month and things would go back to normal. But, it didn’t happen and I was crushed.
Since then we’ve had a few months that we had reason to believe things may speed up, but I don’t believe any other month has been as big as the possibilities this month. But still, I am having a hard time getting excited about the possibility. If we start seeing some rumors pointing to a huge month then I may be able to jump on the bandwagon, but I just can’t go there emotionally right now.
Hopefully we will start to see some SN TA’s today and that will be reason for some celebration.
What would ya’ll like to talk about today? Did anyone else watch the Discovery special on China last night? I was very impressed with the picture of modern day China that they showed. The very rapid rush into the future while they try to hold onto their traditions of the past, and the conflict that this creates. I think they also did a good job of showing that communism (in the actual definition of communism) is dead. They may still call it the communist party, but they are now a fully capitalist society - call it a totalitarian capitalist society, but their economic model is far from communist.
For those who haven’t been to China, when you travel I think you’ll be shocked to see all of the construction going on. Not just in Beijing, but in cities all over the place. Half of the concrete usage in the world is being used in China. China is in a period of phenomenal growth.
And yet, as we’ve talked about before, some areas of the country are economically prosperous and others are not.
For those of you who saw the program, what were your thoughts about it? All in all, I was impressed.
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:42 am
I did not get to see all of it but was impressed with what I did see. I plan on getting the DVD for our daughter.
LID 4/17/06
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:47 am
I noticed on The Discovery Channel website that there will be an encore presentation tonight at 9pm. I’m embarrassed to admit, I fell asleep for the last 30 minutes! :0! It was very interesting and I was amazed at China’s growth.
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:50 am
I was very impressed with the photography. My heart got tugged when they said that there are 34 babies born every minute.
It really showed China as a rich, beautiful, full of culture country and we can’t wait to go there to bring our daughter home.
Paula
LID Aug 14/06 ( a long way to go)
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:54 am
I watched most of it, recorded it though to watch today. Did the 12 yo girl make the olympic team?
Back to the speed up-I agree that this is the prime month for one, but I gave up on hoping last month, just can’t do it anymore. But the point I want to bring up is this: I’m afraid to get excited if they do speed up, because it could only be because of the decrease in dossiers for Aug and Sept. Of course, any speed up brings me that much closer, for that I’ll be greatful, but I fear that a speed up will be followed by a slowdown for the big months of Oct and Nov(my magic month)
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:56 am
I watched (and Tivo’d) it as well. I was impressed as well. The producers did a fantastic job of portraying China as a country hurdling toward a more pogressive, open society while trying to cling to its culture.
I would highly recommend the program for anyone - but especially school-age children. Our 7-year-old daughter was fascinated. China became a real place with real people to her rather than a mystical, strange land where our baby lives. We have been trying to find resources to educate her about China before we travel and this one is even-handed, modern and realistic.
BTW - did anyone else see the 60 minutes story the Canadian woman with severe depression? Her case was so bad she has undergone an experimental brain surgery. Before her surgery, she would spend most days in bed, unable to interact with her husband or children… 2 girls adopted from China. I must say I was a bit shocked. NOT because I think people with depression are unfit parents, but because we all know how tough the CCAA is on these types of issues. Anyone else see it?
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:57 am
I will judge a speed up on number of matches made, not on number of days they manage to do.
And yes, my heart got a huge tug at the part about 34 babies being born every minute, too.
The 12 year old girl made it to the next round, but that doesn’t mean she made the Olympic team.
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:01 pm
Hi I watched the program last night also and was quite impressed. I feel it is so important for us to learn as much as we can about our children’s homeland.
The Daily Planet all this week is also focussing on China.
It is mind boggleing that even with the one child policy and other population control measures China still has an enormous population growth per year.
Could you imagine one woman making a 22 course Chinese New Years Dinner by herself. Wow talk about having to have everything timed properly. The kitchen facilities were nothing compared to the average home here. Could you imagine here in North America how much you would pay for a 22 course meal……
If you didn’t see it, it is worth seeing.
Anne
Mommy to Brianna Wuwei Gansu
Adopted: Feb 27, 2005
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:03 pm
Oh shoot I forgot it was on! Thanks, sllflorida I catch it tonight!
OSSU!! OSSU!! OSSU!! OSSU!! OSSU!! OSSU!! OSSU!!
or
OSU!! OSU!! OSU!! OSU!! OSU!! OSU!! OSU!!
(If you’re from OHIO or attended OSU ;) )
LID 5/10/06
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Hi there.
I, too, forgot it was on, but will try to see it tonight. Thanks for mentioning it.
The CBC (in Canada) also did an excellent documentary on China recently - called China Rises (I think). The DVD is probably available online.
I did see the woman on 60 Minutes. Depression is an awful disease.
Jackie
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:17 pm
I watched it along with the Amazing Race so I’m glad to hear I can watch it tonight without flipping!
I really enjoyed it. I’ll second what RQ said about all the construction. I think I had a jolt when we landed because in my head I was expecting 1940’s China. :)
Our guide jokingly told us, as she noted all the cranes at work, that the Chinese are so used to them that they are now the national bird of China. :) Now, anytime we see them here our daughter says “china bird!”.
oh i miss china……..
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:18 pm
I saw it, I thought it was great, a bit scary though too to think that they say we will need another planet earth to provide all the raw materials that China is going to need for all this growth! And, it reminded me that this is a part of the world that still has a lot of the ancient traditions and how sad it is in a way to see what is coming. Growth is good, just sometimes seems a shame to see what you lose in order to get there. I thought that tonight was a continuation? What was the gymnasts name? We could google to see if she made it! I thought that was sad to see that they plucked her out of nursery school to go into gymnastics, then what do they do with her at 18 when she is DONE? She will never have lived in the real world?
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:20 pm
I also wondered a bit about the gymnastics program. To take a child away from their family at 2 or 3 just seems dangerous to me. I mean, sure, they may be a great gymnast, but what about their other development and growth? Is it possible that the girl they focused on has thrived above the other girls because she gets a couple of hours a week with her dad? I think it is quite possible. Never underestimate the power of a parent’s love.
Gymnasts in the U.S. who are eyeing the Olympics probably work about 4 to 5 hours a day. An hour or two before school starts and then a couple of hours in the evening. During the summer there are intensive “camps” where they work even longer. But, the difference is that they go home at night (except for the camps during the summer). They have their parents there to guide them through the day to day stuff. They go to school and lead a semi-normal life. Sure, there aren’t a lot of dates and not much time for playing with friends, but it is at least semi-normal. The girls in the show do not lead any semblance of a normal childhood. How very sad.
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:23 pm
We watched it and I taped it to view again. I thought it was a fantastic show and was so amazed at the rate that China is growing. My dh and I both gasped when they talked about 34 babies being born each minute… wow! I’m crossing my fingers that things will start to speed up just a bit. We are so ready to go and experience China and meet our little one. I keep thinking that each month we are getting closer however the latest rumors make me feel like each step forward means 3 steps backwards. With a Dec 14 LID I don’t know what to think anymore. Glad that so many of us watched this, I told my dh that everyone would be buzzing about it today and we are.
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:25 pm
Well now The Discovery Channel has changed their website and I can’t find where it is showing!! UGH!! I swear it was on the site this morning prior to my previous post. I checked it so I could watch the last 30 minutes. Now American Chopper is on our local DSC at 9pm. Sorry guys!! You can buy the DVD of the show, though.
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:32 pm
I missed the very beginning of the show, but I think we will tape it tonight.
Like others have mentioned, the little gymnast really tugged at my heart. I know it is common outside the U.S. for Olympic athletes to train away from their families, but it always makes me sad. No true childhood at all, and it is primarily for the glory of the country.
The Chinese New Year celebrations were fantastic to see. And the 22-course meal made my mouth water!
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:53 pm
Where’s our sports/olympic expert that’s out there? Gymnastics is my favorite olympic event to watch and I remember them showing profiles of the American girls and they said they train 6-8 hours a day. They are tutored for school and train year round. I also remember that there were great rewards for the Chinese gymnast and their family if they were to win a gold medal.
The sport of gymnastics is an orthopedic doctor’s nightmare. One told me that it is the worst sport for the joints, particularly the knees. I can’t imagine the toll it takes on the body of a preschool girl to be training so hard everyday.
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:55 pm
So happy to know I’m not completely losing my mind!!! The show is airing on Discovery Times tonight at 9pm. Unfortunately, my basic cable package doesn’t include that channel. :( I can only hope they air it again on the regular Discovery Channel. One of these days I’ll get TiVo!!
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:06 pm
According to the show, there are 34 babies born every minute. That’s every 1.76 seconds. Incredible.
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:13 pm
I saw it too and liked it. Freaked by the whole “Need a planet to meet their needs in 30 years†thing. EKKKK!
The girls name was pronounced Jolene, I think I remember thinking it sounded western, but that was probably to my Western ears.
I haven’t been there but thought it was a good overview.
B
LID 4/19/06
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Her name was Jin Yang.
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:22 pm
We watched last night as well. I was very impressed with the film for so many reasons, and my heart too was tugged at several times. The numbers are a bit staggering to me and I was wondering if any one knows how many children are born in the Us in the same time span of a minute. I guess I am looking for a little perspective on which to go on. I can not wait to see if Jin Yang made it or not.
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:29 pm
I was very impressed with the show, and I may buy the DVD for our daughter to see some day. The “new vs. old” , the photography, and the sheer size of China, were fascinating. I was surprised at the policewoman in western China dealing with Heroin trafficking! If anywhere, I would have thought that drugs would be creeping into the eastern seaport cities with all the migrant workers? I guess it’s using the overland, back-roads method…
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:30 pm
I didn’t watch it…yet. I did the DVR thing. It’s good to hear from you guys that it’s really informative and well done. Not to mention I’m sure the scenery is fantastic (we recorded the HD broadcast).
someone mentioned ‘China Rises’. It is available on DVD from Discovery. It’s a 4disc set and I want to say it was like $45 or something. I loved that one because they showed both the Chinese people who are making a great life for themselves but countered it with the struggle that many still face. It was very well done…and with each ‘episode’ I got a deeper understanding and feeling for the struggle between the desire to grow and become the country they want to be versus holding on to their customs, culture, and traditions. Very good show.
I have a bit of a interesting perspective in concerns with the exponential use of ‘goods’. In my work I deal with contractors (data/comm) and other co-workers deal with contractors in the construction and electrical industries. We’ve seen the impact on the markets because of the demand and usage of copper (which for me concerns cable), steel, metal, etc. It does come up occasionally when discussing the pricing and availability of these materials that the big reason is because of China. Sometimes the talk of China’s use is negative. I do have to remind people occasionally that what is going on there is actually good…good for the Chinese people and inevitably, good for all of us. One has to remember that when the US was going through it’s Industrial Revolution, things weren’t that much different (on a much smaller scale though obviously…) than what’s going on in China. They are taking a giant leap in their development and personally I find it fascinating to be present to witness it…as I’m sure someone back in those times may have felt watching the transformation of the States. I guess it’s all perspective, but it always makes me think that somehow China’s been tied to and will always be tied to some aspect of my life.
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:37 pm
We watched it. I never stay up that late! I watched it until the gymnast competed. I needed to know. My husband who did not accompany me to get our first daughter balked at the cuisine. All in all the documentary was lovely. It was especially nice to see Gansu where our friends just traveled to get their first daughter.
Come on CCAA lets speed up the referrals!
Jeanne
LID 6/15/06
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:45 pm
Since I work for a construction company, I’ve known about China’s building boom for a while. The prices and availability of concrete and steel have been a problem for a few years now because China is purchasing such huge quantities of these items. It is great that they are building modern buildings but companies in the US are also now having trouble staying in business because they sometimes can’t get the materials. Of course, our customers can’t understand why our prices have gone up (the material prices go up every 3 months). If they saw this program, they’d understand and stop blaming us for the pricing. It was a good program and the photography was surperb.
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:54 pm
I’m glad we’re talking about this today… we too enjoyed the program! However, I couldn’t help but feel yet another type of overwhelming sense of responsibility to our soon-to-be daughter. Gesh… how can we possibly provide her with a TRUE sense of the Chinese culture - it’s so rich in history, tradition, politics, and patriotism???? Books, language classes, and videos are all great resources, but how will we “recreate” a China in her mind that compares? Our Americanized version seems so inferior to experiencing the real thing. Perhaps we will have to set aside some funds to provide trips to China throughout her childhood and adolesence. My husband reassures me that we will do a good job of keeping her culture alive in our home, but boy, oh boy… we certainly have A LOT to learn!
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:54 pm
In 2003 when we travelled to China the first time, I remember standing with another member of our travel group on a street in Hefei. We were talking about our impressions of China–and he said something to the effect that his impression of China was that they were rebuilding the entire country–TODAY!
It really does feel like that — at least in the places we visited. Everywhere you look, older buildings are being replaced by multi story sky scrapers…it truly is amazing.
Liz in CO
October 2nd, 2006 at 2:05 pm
The program was very interesting. Having been in Bejing in 1999 and seeing the amount of construction then we are very excited to return and see what has changed and how much more construction is happening. Here is a link to the U.S. Population clock. I happened to be reading the 5th Grade Weekly Reader article last month about the U.S. Population reaching 300 million this year and found the archive issue with this link. Interesting. http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html
We have about 8-9 babies born each minute in the U.S. compared to 34 in China.
October 2nd, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Can anyone do the math on that one? Since our population is so much smaller, who actually has the higher birth rate?
October 2nd, 2006 at 2:22 pm
Hello everyone. First time to comment, but I’ve been reading for about a month now. Problem with reading only is that when you finally register, there are so many things to bring to the table. Yes, my DH and I watched the documentary. I must say that I got quite emotional at the beginning. I think “China” all the time, but to see the images and the faces of people …
On another note. I was wondering whether anyone has a similar situation - I am a naturalized citizen (otherwise I would not be able to do this adoption), but am originally Czech. My husband is Swiss/Swedish. This always comes to my mind when I read posts about culture and what will our daughters be. I stopped identifying myself by nationality long time ago. The Citizen of the World syndrome…:-) Also, does anyone have a dilemma regarding what/how many languages to speak to their daughter? And if several, how soon after the adoption?
Lastly (and yet again a major change of topic), I know some recipes were exchanged. I plan to try what my Japanese friend does. She precooks rice and then freezes it in an ice-cube tray. I think when the rice freezes, she dumps it into a freezer bag, and when she goes out or travels, she just grabs couple of cubes. I assume one could do this with congee?
Thanks for reading. And sorry for my English.
October 2nd, 2006 at 2:38 pm
Have you done any research on the relationship between how long it takes a month to get out of the REVIEW ROOM and how long it takes for the CCAA to process that month’s referrals/matches? I’m new to ‘commenting’ and I think I asked this in another place, so I’m not sure where to place this.
October 2nd, 2006 at 2:54 pm
My husband and I watched it last night. We have been to China once to adopt before and found the program to be very similar to our experience there. I thought that the program was excellent and showed the country in a very positive light.
We have a chinese adoption group that regularly meets in our home and will be showing this program at one of our meetings. We thought that the show was very imformative and helpful to those who will be adopting–at least to understand the cultural changes that are going on there.
Denise
waiting for Katherine
October 2nd, 2006 at 3:05 pm
I saw on a travel agency’s website that you could arrange a stay at a Chinese family’s home instead of a hotel. I think that would be a great way of immersing yourself in the culture. Has anyone done this? The show last night mentioned the different languages spoken and that there were 8? distinctly different cultures in China along with many, many different dialects. Oh how I wish we had the opportunity to be with a family in her province when we go get our daughter.
October 2nd, 2006 at 4:04 pm
lucyhark-
I think that would be a interesting comparison– the number of days it took to go through the review room and the number of referrals that month. In a conversation with my adoption consultant a few weeks ago, she made some reference to that comparison. The only month I specifically remember her talking about was Dec 2006 and that it must be a light LID month since they breezed through the review room. However, we are also relying on the CCAA to give us correct information about how long it actually took.
October 2nd, 2006 at 4:19 pm
I Checked my listings and Discovery is showing an encore presentation on China tonight at 9:00 PM on “Discovery Times” not “Discovery”
October 2nd, 2006 at 4:59 pm
Did anyone read the Wall Street Journel, big artical on the poisoning of China (lead). They had very scary statistics.
October 2nd, 2006 at 5:42 pm
“Desperate Housewives” was on at 9pm… i totally forgot about the program!! Wisteria Lane is a GREAT distraction to this neverending wait………………………………… ahhh!
9/29 LID
p.s. i’m hearing that the statistics of 2006 registrants for China adoptions has significantly decreased this year at our agency….
October 2nd, 2006 at 5:47 pm
We whatched the program last eve.and counting down the hours to watch the continuation tonite.It was very informative and very well done,can you believe 34 babies a minute..WOW!!!!!!! Loved the excellent photography,the CNY celebrations looked fabulous.
October 2nd, 2006 at 6:11 pm
I stayed up and watched almost all. I fell asleep during the last half hour. I’m definitely getting a copy for our daughter.
I especially was moved on the story about the gentleman who was a window washer. He came to Shanghai to make money for his family. He had been away a long time and was finally going to see his daughter soon.
The scenery was so impressive. The rice terraces…..
October 2nd, 2006 at 6:44 pm
lucyhark,
I don’t think there is any correlation between time in the review room with time in the matching room. Check out the referral statistics on this site. Case in point, August was reviewed in several weeks, but is a very large month. November took months to clear the review room, but is probably a similar size to August. Also for a brief period people were logged-in shortly after doc’s were sent… looks like they’re back to a month or so delay from DTC to LID. I guess what I’m saying is that since I’ve been watching numbers since last December, the only thing that we can count on is an increasing wait.
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:32 pm
Nazar - I too am thinking about the languages I will speak with my daughter. Since we live in New York, we will speak English at home….but much of my close family lives in Mexico and speaks Spanish…..so maybe I will expose her to Spanish. Then there is Mandarin. I have been learning Mandarin and am thinking that she should learn Mandarin as well. Even if she comes from a Cantonese or other dialect region. We have a very active Chinese community in my area and I have several friends who are encouraging me to join one of two Chinese Schools nearby. I think, though, at first I will speak to her in English and then introduce the others during the first year….
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:50 pm
jmlance,
I was also watching Desperate Housewives, my weekly escape. I love all the characters!
October 2nd, 2006 at 8:02 pm
ziegsma - do you speak English at home or Spanish? My husband and I speak only English together, but I know that I have a tendency to speak my native language with children. Especially since I will stay at home with our daughter. My DH’s first language is French, and he thinks that he can start speaking it to her later, once she masters English. But I am afraid that she may refuse at a later point. I’ve seen it with my friend’s kids. They felt like “why is mommy/daddy suddenly saying things I don’t understand?”. But then again - she will already be so confused. I would love to teach her some Mandarin as well, but I think four languages is REALLY pushing it.
October 2nd, 2006 at 8:17 pm
nazar - please send me an email and we can discus this language thing together
maryzeigler@earthlink.net
October 2nd, 2006 at 8:20 pm
another interesting documentary out there on China
http://www.mongrelmedia.com/films/ManufacturedLandscapes.html
October 2nd, 2006 at 8:51 pm
Didn’t see the show, but thought I would put my two cents in on the gymnastics. I can’t imagine what a beating those little girls bodies take to practice that many hours. My DD practices 3 days a week for 3 1/2 hours each day. We had to go to the orthopedic dr this past spring because she was having pains in her feet. She has inflammation of her growth plates between her heel and arch (which by the way she has no arch). Anyway, he told us that gymnastics is one of the hardest sports on a girls or boys’ body. Unfortnately, there is not a whole lot to do to make it better until she stops growing. Orthotics in her shoes and an arch support brace has helped a lot. If it hadn’t I would have pulled her out. It is amazing to me to see how many of the girls at our gym has braces on their wrists and knees. When our DD’s body starts breaking down, then she knows that she will be done.
October 2nd, 2006 at 8:53 pm
BTW, I forgot to mention that we just found out that our neighbor, who is from Beijing, was the #2 gymnast in China when she was in high school years ago. Thought that was interesting.
October 2nd, 2006 at 9:25 pm
windthrow, thanks for the link, that looks like an interesting film.
October 2nd, 2006 at 9:28 pm
Okay, I missed the program both nights-not keeping up on checking the RQ website :( Does anyone know if it is supposed to be show again soon?
Meg
LID 9/29
October 2nd, 2006 at 9:43 pm
Romanian is spoken most in our home and with my mother in law coming from Romania to help us out, I imagine our child will speak both English and Romanian. In the future we hope to provide her exposure to Mandarin at a local day school. I think kids are very adaptable to languages and there should not be too much concern about their ability to get along.
October 2nd, 2006 at 10:15 pm
does anyone in the lid group think that such a huge group will delay travel as we are trying to all get appts. during the same time?
meg
lid 9/29
October 2nd, 2006 at 10:41 pm
Rebroadcasts on DTMS are set for:
Tonight at 9 pm
Tomorrow at 7 am
Sunday Oct 8 at 4 am
October 2nd, 2006 at 10:50 pm
Hi
Did anyone watch the Daily Planet goes to China tonight. It was very good. Boy the olympic stadium being built is awesome. It is on everynight this week at 7 & 11 (in Montreal) I am taping them all so that Brianna can watch them when she is older.
Anne
Mommy to Brianna Wuwei Gansu
Adopted: February 27, 2005
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:26 am
I got to see the last half of it. It was beautifully done, but it left out a lot. I would love to see another one done on China very soon… with more information. There is too much that we didn’t get to see that would have been great for others to know. I felt really bad for the father (window washer) who had to commute to Shanghai to earn a decent living, and when he returned, his daughter didn’t recognize him… how sad.
In the Wall Street Journal last week, there was an article about a town that had extremely high lead levels in the adults and children. Most of the children there are in the high 200’s - some as high as almost 800! I believe these children are from the Shaanxi province - I remember the capital of the province was Xi’an. It also talked about a child here in the U.S. dying from swallowing a trinket that came with some athletic shoes. The trinket, made in China, was 100% lead.
October 3rd, 2006 at 3:29 pm
Hi all,
I’m reading the discussion about languages with great interest because I would like to speak French to our kids. I have heard that the best way to teach kids multiple languages at once is for one parent to only, always, speak one language to the child, while the other speaks only, always, the second language to the child. To each other the parents may speak whatever they wish. We have friends with trilingual kids: the mother speaks French to them, the father speaks German, and they have just naturally picked up English from speaking to everyone else around them. They don’t seem confused at all, and are completely fluent in all three languages. It’s really amazing.
October 3rd, 2006 at 3:56 pm
Nazar — try OPOL (one parent/one language); she’ll pick up English anyway, like breathing; you won’t need to “teach” it. At 10-16 months, they already have a good grasp of the dialect they’ve been hearing and are on (or past) the verge of speech; I don’t wnat her to lose that connection, so I found a bilingual (Chinese/English) daycare/preschool. How much Mandarin she’ll continue beyond that, I’m not sure. But at least she’ll have a solid speaking and comprehension base, which she can draw on later, if she chooses.
Home is French (me) and English (my lovely husband); & her school here is bilingual: French/English.
Dutch people seem to speak at least 3 languages, so I’m excited about this: citizen of the world, indeed.
Infants and toddlers minds thrive on sound and stimulation and will be much more easily imitate sounds from various language families if they hear them at an early age (around 7 years something closes over in the ear/brain & it’s too late for perfect imitation, hence the terrible accents of so many Alberta politicvians struggling to speak French, heh heh).
October 3rd, 2006 at 4:04 pm
meg, i hope the group doesn’t keep all 9/29er’s going together. i’ve heard of groups being cut in half, one group goes one week and the other group goes 2 weeks later. this happened to a friend of mine about 2 years ago. but this was when whole months were being referred and so i’m sure the # of people going was very large. hopefully it won’t be a big deal. i’m soooooooooooooooo rumor hungry right now… anything going on? ANYTHING?? throw me a bone!!!!
October 3rd, 2006 at 4:05 pm
oops, i should clarify my 1st sentence… “i hope the group doesn’t get kept from going all together!”
October 3rd, 2006 at 4:13 pm
My DH and I are Brazilian, and we live in the US. We plan to do the “one language, one environment” method: we will speak exclusively in Portuguese at home, and the child will be exposed to English outside the home (nursery, school, American friends, etc.). We also plan to enroll our child in Mandarin classes at our local Chinese Community school. Research shows that bilingual/multilingual children have the ability to differentiate two or more language systems.
October 3rd, 2006 at 6:36 pm
It may take them longer to begin speaking at all, as they need time to separate the languages in their minds but when they start speaking, they’ll speak whatever languages they’re hearing. Pretty amazing.
October 3rd, 2006 at 8:11 pm
China Revealed will run again on the Discovery Channel on Sunday October 8th, at 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm.