Seeking Helpful Hints for Having Two Mandarin-speaking Children

There are some good suggestions here, and I wanted to add that if nothing else learn to say their Chinese names. Do not give them "American" names. They are going to be confused enough as it is. Allowing them to keep the names they identify with will at least allow them to keep a sense of identity and dignity. Even if the names are hard to pronounce, don't take that away from them. I'm not saying you would, but so many things are going to be different for them, a few familiar aspects will do wonders.

When I brought my 3 boys home from Russia, none of them spoke a lick of English except the word Spiderman :) Although I learned a bit of Russian first, it wasn't very helpful since although I knew how to ask where the bathroom was, at home I knew exactly where it was! In otherwords, I learned traveling Russian, not practical and loving Russian.

First, I would check out your local library quick to see if they have a translator book you can check out. Or, you can look at the translation sites on the internet. Also, see if you cannot pick up a picture book with everyday items on it so they can point to things that they want need: food, drink, toilet, etc. Their biggest frustration will be not understanding very well WHY they cannot get their point across. Frustration often leads to anger and sadness :( If you can find a CD or DVD of music or a video in their spoken language, that may be comforting at bedtime.

Most of all, give them time to adjust. It is a very long day when everyone around you is talking gibberish and you cannot make a single need known without acting it out. It is very wearing on a child and even if the kids are not napping, you may want to consider having rest time in the middle of the day. My boys, especially the oldest, really needed the time to shut down his brain every day and NOT hear English.

Finally, I don't know what the circumstances are surrounding them coming to your home, but do NOT overwhelm them with activities and visitors. It will be tempting to take them places and people are going to want to visit. Just say no. Trust me :) Try to keep as normal of a routine as possible. While it will not be the routine they had wherever they were before, start your own as soon as possible. Consistency will help build trust with them.

Good luck!

I did a quick search and there is a Chinatown in Alexandria. I would be willing to bet that there is a large grocery there specializing in Asian foods.

While in Shanghai last year, congee was definitely served a lot for breakfast. It is sort of a thin, watery rice porridge. Served savory or sweet--ground, spicy pork; green onion, corn, a bit of fish or meat.

Vegetables, as others have said, for certain and plenty of rice. Baby bok choi, by far, was what I was served the most...never wanted to see it again after a week.

Good luck...you are doing a beautiful thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cuisine

A lot of the sticky rice that is easier to use with chopsticks, stir fry with small chopped vegetables.

My father lived in china for a few years and I have some friends who lived there as well teaching English to children, they didn't speak the language either. I asked them about this and this is what she had to say,

"As far as communicating, it would vary greatly depending on their ages. If they're little, they'll pick up the language surprisingly fast. lots of repetition, body language, etc. I would check around with college students nearby that can help translate??? the traditional Chinese diet is mostly rice, vegetables and some fish. definitely dumplings as well. They don't generally eat many sugary or sweet things, but lots of fruits. Since they're American born, that may be different. Traditional Chinese does not include ham fried rice, or sweet and sour anything, just fyi. Hope this helps :). "

Also, you should rent the movie The Girl Who Spelled Freedom. It is also about a family who takes in a Cambodian family and they can't verbally communicate either, but they learn to communicate anyways. It may give you some ideas.

http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Spelled-Freedom-VHS/dp/630...

Mandarin is a pretty difficult language to learn, each character has so many different dialects it could be confusing. Here is a free online little course you could start to learn at least some basic words/phrases.

http://www.chinese-tools.com/learn/chinese

Wow this is wonderful! And quite an interesting challenge.
I am currently living in Beijing (I know this website is for those living in DC, but when I left DC I just could not stop reading everybody's little advices!).
A few ideas already mentioned here are very practical - the image board, borrowing books from a chinese center, looking at cooking some basic chinese dishes.
Regarding food, as they are young I am sure they will be happy to eat some american food. But as someone mentioned it already, the most different for expat here when eating chinese food is that for breakfast, they eat warm congee and other things that appear to us like regular meal not breakfast. It would be useful for you to know maybe where is the mom from, as you might get a better idea of their diet - people from the north eat more rice base dishes, from the south more noodle based dishes. China is so big and diverse that it is sometime hard to make generalization on what one can perceive as chinese comfort food...
I am pretty sure the older boy will be able to use the chopsticks without any problems, the little one might surprise you. offer them the option to use the chopsticks.
since I live here I have found a number of website to assist my learning of the language (and trust me this one is VERY hard to learn). but maybe you can figure out a few basics from there... this is the site I find most useful.
http://www.nciku.com/
also check this out:
http://www.chinese-tools.com
chinese nursery songs would be a great idea - you can buy some things here I think... http://www.childbook.com/
but I think you should also not stress too too much - communication that is non verbal will be easier for kids - and they will pick things up very fast you will see. My 3 year old son has been exposed to 4 languages since age one, and every time we spend a holiday in one place or another where one of these are spoken, he picks things up very soon. So although the kids were raised in speaking only mandarin with their parents, they would have heard lots of english as they live in america (unlike the chinese kids raised here). So they might not be yet able to speak but they certainly be able to understand basic commands and questions... speak slow, make games, read them english language books with lots of images, entertain them as you would for english speaking kids. and yes, lots of hugs!
I think the idea of finding them a playdate with a chinese american family would be a good idea - I am aware there is a listserv in DC of parents who want to raise their children with some chinese language. I am not sure what is the address though.
good luck!
Let us know how things go!

R.,

I would try to learn a few words/phrases in Mandarin to help them to feel more at home. I know this works, from speaking the little Japanese I know to a child in my school, and French to a French-speaking child, too. In both cases, the child felt more at home with me because of my (albeit feeble) attempts to speak their primary language.

One easy way for you to learn some simple phrases, and to bond over the experience, is to watch a kids' show, like "Ni Hao Kai-Lan"... yes, you won't learn to read the newspaper in Chinese overnight, but you can communicate some simple words. :)

In terms of meals, rice is definitely a staple (the kind that is usually cooked in a rice cooker - jasmine or other slightly sticky rice) in an Asian diet. Simple stir-fries are good (a little chicken or beef or pork with broccoli, tofu, etc.) and dumplings are a good staple (which you can buy frozen in Asian food markets, and then just fry/boil them when you want to eat them. Chopsticks are nice to have around. I say this, because I am Asian-American, too, and I love to use chopsticks for most of my meals. :)

Usually, dessert is simple, and can be ice cream/jello/ fruit.

Basically, your new foster children will need the same thing any other foster child would need: lots of love and reassurance and a place to feel cared for and safe. Even if you can't find all things Chinese, you can definitely provide a warm and loving environment for these girls. I wish you much luck. XO.

p.s. - One thing you might consider (if you haven't already) is that the girls might want to co-sleep/share a room because the situation will be so new to them... I know that even when my parents left me and my sister with our grandparents for a week without them, we preferred to be together in the same bed. And we cried about missing our parents, even though we were with our grandparents!! So, maybe expect some difficulties in the beginning, but you sound like a very caring and wonderful person, so I am sure you will adjust and give a great home to these children. Best to you.

I'm not Chinese, but a hug is universal. As for diet, you can find recipes online: http://www.ifood.tv/r/kids-chinese/recipes, for instance. Also, I would ask the center where they were staying what were there favorite foods, toys, and activities, if possible. And, if you need to learn a few Mandarin phrases, this Web site was very helpful: http://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php. Nǐ​hǎo​ma means "welcome!" and "how are you?" Wo ai ne means "I love you." Not sure if it's grammatically correct, but the children might be able to appreciate your efforts. There is a button on the Website that lets you hear the pronunciation. You can teach your children how to use this tool, as well to help them learn English quickly.

There is a Chinese school in Baltimore, so I'd be surprised if there isn't one in DC. They teach both the language and the culture and a good number of the children there are adopted children raised with white parents. They are a very helpful group and might be able to give you some advice. If you don't find a school in DC, then call the one in Baltimore. Explain your situation and I'm certain they will be able to give you some advice.

God bless you for what you are doing, first of all.

My only suggestion to aid in communication is to make up some simple picture boards, or picture cards that the kids can use to show you what they need/want, and some you can use to get messages across to them at first, as well. I think this would greatly assist in at least the first days/weeks until you start to break down the language barrier a little. I'd include pictures of things like: a cup/drink, foods- fruit, vegetables, meat, rice, a picture of people eating a meal to signify meal time, a toilet for potty time, a sleeping child for bed or nap time, a picture of a hug, so they can tell you they need comfort, a picture of toys so you can tell them its playtime, a picture of clothes, to tell them its time to get dressed, a bathtub, showing them its bath time, etc. I'd kind of think through your daily routine and put pictures of those things together just to help get through those first few days. You could probably print pictures out from clip art, or certainly from the internet, or find them in magazines, kids books, etc. And possibly, the kids can even teach you the names of the things on the pictures (and you could help yourself by writing the the Mandarin translation on the cards in phonetic English to remind you how to pronounce what the kids are telling you) to help you all communicate those important things to them, and you can teach them the English words for those things, too.

Best wishes to all of you. What a wonderful thing you are doing.

There is a Chinese cultural center in DC. Also, since you are in Va, go to Eden center @ 7 corners and you will find a wealth of Chinese people who speak English, and are willing to help you. We have a friend who adopted her son from China @ age 3. He was in an orphanage and his diet was pretty bad. Took him a while to get used to many foods here. Chinese groceries abound in VA; so you should have no trouble finding traditional veggies to prepare. A rice cooker and a wok would be the 2 best items to have for food prep.
I would seek out Chinese American children who speak Chinese to help with the transition.
Best of luck to you,
L. M

I dont' know where Centreville is but if you are around any of the colleges try their foreign language departments.
I would probably do take out for the first day and if your Chinese place is actualy run by Chinese then talk to them, maybe call in the early afternoon.
THey will learn the language. We had a Spanish child living next door to us, form Spain not Mexio, and she picked up English faster than her mom. She was 6.

I would try the Chinese embassy probably located in Washington DC. Tell them your dilemma and hopefully someone will be able to help you. Also you get go to the local library and see if if they have language tapes. Call a local police station many times they have interpreters who speak different languages. Good luck.