New thread for all Chinese mothers

[wyls]

I think this might work?!

My dd went to the Chinese School at Bacons College (Surrey Quays) for a while. We werent very impressed with the Mandarin class tbh, but there was only onewith very mixed ages and ability, but loads of Cantonese classes at all levels. It was very much a Cantonese environment and the MAndarin teacher sometimes used Cantonese to some of the kids! I think The Cantonese classes were better organised.

nice to know i have options of sending DDs to cantonese school nearby - surrey quays & greenwich. saves the weekly trek to chinatown. DH is really keen but i'm so embrassed at how BAD my cantonese is i dont speak to them in cantonese much.... i'm also worried about helping them with cantonese homework - definitely forgotten most of the writing & reading .... anyone else feel guilty, ashamed and embrassed??

reason that DDs get lots of exposure to the language and culture via my family who we did (and will be seeing) on a weekly basis so hopefully they'll have an ear for the language even if their mum is crap at it....

Blossom - I do feel that way sometimes too, I will have to rely on my parents to help with the homework! Every now and again I dig out all my old books and try to study then life gets in the way!!!!!

Yep live in sunny acton!

My spoken Chinese - Cantonese & Mandarin is atrocious at best and pretty much non-existent right now. I do wish I had paid a bit more attention at Mandarin classes but tutor was old fashioned cane-wielding tyrant!!

I'm quite embarassed about it and can't pass muster ordering in Chinese restaurants here hence I get given the English menu rather than the (probably more extensive) Chinese menu.

Wouldn't mind picking up Mandarin again if I could find a class that would take me and DS together.

Girls, it's just practice so dont worry too much about it. I never used to speak cantonese at all, not even to my mother but after having ds i have picked it up again cos i want him to learn. I think it's just confidence, there is nothing wrong with my cantonese and the more i speak it the more i can remember different phases and words. Just keep trying and you will be fine.

Waiters in chinese restuarants could be a bit funny, i remember odering seafood noodles once and the waiter took the mickey out of me and said was that 3 meat noodles or seafood noodles. He was laughing at my accent but really it was his hearing not my accent.

Don't start me on waiters in Chinese restaurants - if ever there was a breed of people who weren't meant to be in the service industry - it's Chinese waiters!!!!

They're rude, patronising and seem to feel they're doing YOU a favour by bringing food you've paid for to you (if they haven't spat in it in the ktichen first!!!) - and yet, for the majority of time, we tolerate it and even view it as a kind of quirky charm of eating at a Chinese restaurant ref: Wong Kei in Chinatown in London!

Then again, maybe it's just me they're rude to because I don't speak the lingo and to all intents and purposes am just a banana to them....

Pam, Wong kei is famous for that and apparently they put it on just to attract more customers.

Not all chinese waiters are rude but i know what you mean though. I get nice ones most of the time. I had one telling me once not to eat chicken claws in front of my DH cos it's not ideal for me DH to watch me spitting the bones out on our date. (Well he thought it was our first date) And then there was another one where he made a joke of my DH's surename - Duggan, he said it translates as "waiting" and he was asking me if my DH was always late for everything. (In a way, it's true) How funny is that and now I use that joke whenever i need to book a table at a chinese restaurant and they always give me the best one.

See sometimes they could be quite entertaining!!!

about wong-kei, my dad years and years ago used to work there as a waiter and so of course when we went we got treated well but I know that a lot of them were rude and they enjoyed it - not my dad though. A neighbour also worked there and when I went there with my aunt he was rude to us!!!!!

Also when i was in HK, my dad was so incensed by a waiter's rudeness that he stormed out, swearing in english and chinese - LOL it was so funny!

I hardly ever go to chinatown, I tend to go to local restaurants. Also my parents always preferred to eat home cooked food as they always feel restaurant food has too much additives and other stuff in it. We only really go for dim sum on special occasions.

Duggan thing is funny. A girl i met at a wedding recently who is half chinese told me her nan laughed at her boyfriend's name Stuart because it sounded like roast pork!!! LOL i thought that was quite funny as did my mum!

OMG, that is funny!!! I have to rememeber that one!!! It does sound like roast pork!!! LOL

I had to keep repeating "Stuart, Stuart" before I suddenly remembered the Cantonese word for roast pork ...

Me too...I kept coming up with char siu instead of Stuart!

just a quick note, had the baby, 12 days early1! Labour was very fast! will write more later. have to go!

Congratulations Yingers! Great to know you and new baby arrived safe and sound.

Congratulations Yingers, did you have a boy or girl? Hope you're keeping well!

congratulations!!! Take care and speak soon.

Congratulations Yingers
Tell us more when you have time!

congratulations yinger! hope to hear more soon. take care.

Hey all, tah for congrats.

It was all a bit fast, labour lasted only about 4 hours. I got to birth centre at 6.30am and had Isabelle at 7.08am! No time for pain relief or anything, I was not a happy bunny when they told me that! she was 7lbs and 4

No pain relief

Well at least it was a fast labour then!! Lovely name and how is DD1 enjoying the new baby?

she seems ok although lately has been a bit hyper and also a little more clingy and rebellious! Any tips on how to give a baby a routine with a toddler about?

hope everyone is well.

does dd1 have a routine at the mo yingers?

by the way, how was the move blossom?

Yingers, mucho respect for still having the time (and energy!) to post with a newborn and a toddler. No experience with 2 kids but from talking with those who have, it looks like the younger one fits in with the routine of the older. Btw, really lovely name for DD2.

dd1, bed by 8pm, and a nap of an hour at 2.30pm although likely to lose this by new year. The problem is more related to the fact dd1 goes to a lot of classes and playgroups, which seem to clash with feed times and naps. dd2 has proven to be a sleepy breast feeder so feeding takes ages and ages!

Hello, how is everyone else getting on? I just bought my DS the dumbo seat and he loves it. Got it from ebay but didnt really save that much money.

I need to get a stroller now as my quinny is too massive and very heavy if i just need to pop to the shops. Any suggestions ladies?

Yingers, how are you getting on? Who does dd2 look like? has she got a lot of hair or not? I bet she's a right cutie.