A Chicken Trying To Talk To A Duck
September 14, 2008 | Filed under Asian-ness, Family & Friends
I’m informed that today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, or 中秋节.
I say informed, because my family, although extremely yellow, has effectively lost touch with all the festivals and celebrations that one would experience when actually living in China. A side effect of living in Australia for the past seventeen years, but also a result of pure apathy on the part of my parents, who view our cultural festivals as nothing but occasions that end up costing too much money and creating too much extra housework for them. Aside from Chinese New Year, we pretty much ignore all other Chinese festivals and celebrations in our household.
It’s sad of course, because while I have enough interest in my heritage to research such traditions in my own time, my brother, as a born and bred Australian, has none. He knows nothing about such festivals and celebrations, he has no interest in learning the language, and in fact, can’t communicate with our parents in our native Cantonese. Coupled with my parents’ lack of English, he’s become literally “a chicken trying to talk to a duck” (a Cantonese phrase).
It’s sad. What’s sadder, is that I know this will happen to my children – and if not my children, their children, or the children of their children. I intend on speaking Chinese to my children from a young age, in the hope that they’ll grow up bilingual. They’ll be fed Chinese food, they’ll be educated about Chinese traditions, and heck, I’ll feed them moon cakes whenever the Mid-Autumn Festival rolls around.
15 Responses to A Chicken Trying To Talk To A Duck
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I kind of agree with your parents’ notion on how festivals and celebrations cost money and extra housework. XD
Seriously, though, I guess I should be glad that I am aware of my heritage by living in Korea, but at the same time, though, I have that apathy of your brother’s to an extent.
If I ever have kids (a BIG if), I’d want my children to grow up bilingual, but unfortunately my Korean skills aren’t that great compared to a native-speaker, so their Korean language skill would kinda suck more than mine if they were to learn just from me. Of course, if I meet a Korean-speaking person (who speaks way better than me) would be a different case. XD
Kudos to you to want to teach your children their Chinese heritage, though. :3 And your parents speak Cantonese? I thought you guys spoke Mandarin?
Reply: We actually speak Cantonese at home (we’re from Hong Kong), but I’ve learnt Mandarin at university. I’m more confident/fluent in Cantonese, but my vocabulary is actually larger in Mandarin.
Tara on September 15, 2008 #
Happy Mid Autumn Festival. Maybe it came from me since my display name has it all day? :P
Anyways, I’m lucky that we have all these festivals in Brunei. The temple was filled even though it was raining since there was a Peking Chinese Opera performance.
*gives Amanda mooncakes*
Chien Yee on September 15, 2008 #
Growing up in a multicultural environment, I grew up with not just Filipino and American cultures, but a little bit of everything as well. It’s hard to totally fit into one specific culture (some aspects I accept, others I completely disagree with), but I like to think that I can assimilate in any culture I’m placed in, and I’m doing well so far. :P
I would teach my children the same thing. I’d teach them to identify themselves not just with one culture, but with every culture they come across. We’re citizens of the world, and who we are and our heritage can come from anywhere.
Aravis on September 15, 2008 #
I can understand your parents’ point of view about celebrating all traditions. But it’s sad that your brother doesn’t have any idea about his heritage. Are you sure he’s not interested or did no one ever offer to teach him these things?
Reply: I borrow lots of those children’s history/cultural books from the library for him, but he’s just not interested.
Chans on September 15, 2008 #
I think preserving cultural traditions is so important. For example, I really wished my grandparents had spoke to me in Polish instead of using it to fight in front of me so I wouldn’t understand.
Arielle on September 15, 2008 #
Well, I’m kind of lucky, because my Galician grandparents always told me stories in that language so I pretty much understand it. (It actually helps that Galician is similar to Spanish and Portuguese)
Nathan on September 15, 2008 #
I spoke Chinese when I was little, but once I started learning English, my Chinese kind of…fell off the wayside. I guess I can communicate, but what I can say is so limited that I usually end up not saying much at all. It is kind of sad, and I wish I’d seen how important it would be to be fluent in Chinese.
On a random note, I had moon cake for breakfast today. Probably not very healthy, but… :)
Kycoo on September 15, 2008 #
You would think that he would know Cantonese since it is the primary language spoken in your home. Wouldn’t he have learned it before English (or at the same time)?
Or is it like with Kycoo? He knew it but lost it?
Reply: He’s spent so much of his formative years in an English environment (pre-school, kindergarden, school), that his Cantonese is elementary at best. I spend half my time translating between him and my parents…so I don’t know how they’re going to communicate when I’ve moved out.
Skye on September 15, 2008 #
I think I’m essentially the same- my ability to speak is elementary at best, but I understand well enough. Luckily, my parents are pretty solid English speakers. My extended family, however, is still extremely traditional so we do celebrate all these festivals- last night, I went to a celebratory dinner for the Festival.
I’m going to be sad to see it all end when my generation becomes the primary one, and we’re responsible for hosting these celebrations- or not hosting them at all, as I imagine will happen.
Carmen on September 15, 2008 #
Yeah it is sad , my parents no longer celebrate many of the traditions they had in Mexico and I doubt my generation will either. Tony, the lil one, speaks Spanish but with an accent since we spoke English to him, even though our mom would only speak in Spanish. I do hope to teach my kids Spanish but I realize there’s never any certainty that they will continue speaking it after.
Natali on September 15, 2008 #
It’s essentially the same with my family – or immediate family, at least. Chinese New Year is the only thing that is made out to be a big deal, shortly followed by the official swimming in The Sea Of Red Pockets. I’ve lost all but the basics in terms of my grasp on the Vietnamese language, but I’m trying to get back on track with it – speaking it with relatives wherever possible, random dialogue with Vietnamese shopkeepers, etc. etc.
As for kids… if I hypotheticaly ever overcame my substantial despising of all things children-ish, I’d teach my kid (note the singular…) Vietnamese just for the hell of it.
Xuan on September 15, 2008 #
*hypothetically.
I do love my average typing skills.
Xuan on September 15, 2008 #
My nephews have the same issue that your brother has. My sister, a born and raised Jamaican, has never told them too much about the culture. In fact, up until a few years ago (when my mom actually set them straight), they thought that all Jamaicans lived in huts. Everything that they know about Jamaica (elementary at best) was taught in textbooks and my mom to some degree.
Nat Marie on September 16, 2008 #
My family is the same… except we don’t even get money for Chinese New Years. That sucks.
Katy on September 16, 2008 #
Oh wow I never knew you spoke Cantonese!
I’m the same as you in that I know more Cantonese than my siblings and am learning Mandarin at uni.. :)
My brother, I think has recently (or sometime…) mentioned that he would learn Mandarin at uni too alongside his major.
Whereas my sister, like your brother doesn’t really express any interest in learning anything about Chinese culture..
I find it quite amazing how many people I have met this year that knows how to speak Cantonese or is Cantonese-born..
Maggie on September 16, 2008 #