Welcome to Mama & Baby Learn Mandarin!
I’m Jeanne, a Taiwanese American marketing designer with a background in edtech, raising two children in the San Francisco Bay Area.
On Mama & Baby Learn Mandarin, you’ll find:
- Resources to learn Chinese for kids and families
- Tips for raising bilingual children with less struggle
- Ways to reconnect with Taiwanese heritage through family and culture
Looking for advice or want to explore a collaboration? I’d love to hear from you!
I began learning Mandarin and reconnecting with our Taiwanese heritage when my son was a baby. This journey has given me a sense of identity that I can pass down to my children. It's brought me closer to my family by breaking down language and cultural barriers. Every moment has been worth it.
Where it began...
My story begins in Hawaii, but at just 30 days old, my mother handed me to a stewardess and sent me across the ocean to Taiwan. My 阿公 (grandfather) loved telling the story of how I arrived in a fruit basket. Perhaps he meant bassinet, but knowing my mother, it’s entirely possible that it was a fruit basket.
My happiest childhood memories come from Taiwan—the hawkers shouting at Beitou wet market, the scent of incense at Guandu Temple, the swooshing of sticky air as my 阿嬤 (grandma) fanned me to sleep, and the taste of dust in the air as I rode on the gas tank of my uncle’s motorcycle.
My first home was Taiwan, and my first language was Taiwanese. When I returned to the U.S. to start kindergarten, I spoke little to no English. Within two years, I had caught up to my grade level in reading and writing. This is why I say not to worry about learning English and invest in learning Mandarin.
Although I returned to Taiwan every summer, I never learned to read or write Chinese. My relatives spoke Taiwanese at home, and I never had the chance to attend school there. Back then, there were no summer camps either!
The last summer I returned to Taiwan was when I was 16. After that, I only went back briefly for my grandparents’ funerals, which were a year apart. Over the next 15 years, I drifted further from my relatives and lost touch with much of the culture and roots that once felt like home.
When my son was born, I was determined that he would learn Chinese. At first, my sentences were a jumble of English mixed with Mandarin words, but it was a start. Over time, I no longer needed to consult Google Translate. When my son began speaking, he preferred Mandarin over English, and I was one proud mama! Since then, our family has grown, and now there are 3 of us learning Mandarin together!
The Mama & Baby Learn Mandarin Team
Our Family Background
My first language was Taiwanese, but I grew up speaking English at home. My husband doesn’t speak Mandarin and has no interest in learning, so the responsibility of passing the language on falls entirely on me.
Some days it feels exhausting, frustrating, and almost impossible, yet the connection to our relatives and family history is what keeps me going.
Raising bilingual kids is tough, but you don’t have to do it alone. Follow us for tips, stories, and strategies that work.
