Sean and Angela met in Japan at a local Japanese language school and got to know each other as classmates speaking only Japanese with each other up until recording this podcast episode together.

Sean Hsieh was born and raised in Taiwan through age 13 when he moved to Singapore to attend an American-style international school. He took an extreme approach to this big life shift by deciding to cut off Chinese altogether and fully immerse himself in English for those 3 years, even if he couldn't speak it at all when he first got there. Thanks to that all-in mindset, he now speaks fluent American-style English. But looking back he regrets not prioritizing also improving his Mandarin, as he now feels subpar in that respect.

Since so many of us are American-born Mandarin speakers, it was interesting to hear Sean's description of his Mandarin level as "not very good" since compared to many of us ABCs/ABTs, his vocabulary range is much wider than what we grew up with, he knows all the Chinese characters, and grew up in the culture/society through his early formidable years. It just goes to show how relative and personal each person's language journey is!

In this episode, you'll learn vocab like 觀點 / 观点 / guān diǎn ("point of view" / "opinion"), 極端 / 极端 / jí duān ("extreme"), 打從心底 / 打从心底 / dǎ cóng xīn dǐ ("from the bottom of one's heart" / "genuinely" / "sincerely"), and more.

Go deeper with your learning from the podcast by joining our Podcast Transcript Membership, which includes full episode transcripts in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English, with vocab highlighted. Download the first episode's full transcript for free to check out the format before joining: https://www.realyoumandarin.com/podcast

And if you like improving your Mandarin through this conversational style format, check out our course Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression taught through video-lessons of realistic dialogues teaching you real life vocabulary to navigate some of life's toughest challenges, including expressing your emotions, interpersonal relationships, fertility & parenting, caring for aging parents, and self-growth. Try a free lesson and learn more at https://www.realyoumandarin.com

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In celebration of my first Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month living outside of the U.S., I'm reflecting on my Taiwanese-American identity and how it's evolved since immigrating to Asia.

As someone who was constantly insecure about both my "American" and "Taiwanese" identities growing up in the U.S., living outside of that context has finally helped me accept both.

Here in Japan, I'm constantly reminded of how "American" my personality, my point of view, my humor... all of it really is. And with my Mandarin being stronger than my Japanese, I've found a sense of connection with other Mandarin speakers living here and finally feeling more confident about my Taiwanese identity for the first time in my life.

In this episode, you'll learn vocab like 亞太裔傳統月 / 亚太裔传统月 / yà tài yì chuán tǒng yuè ("AAPI Heritage Month"), 少數族群 / 少数族群 / shǎo shù zú qún ("minority ethnic group"), 兩極 / 两极 / liǎng jí ("polar opposite" / "very contrasting"), and more.

In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, now through May 31st, if you join our Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression course, you'll get FREE lifetime access to the Podcast Transcript Membership ($100 value) to unlock full transcripts of all past and future episodes. Transcripts include Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English with vocabulary highlighted. Simply forward your course purchase confirmation email to support@realyoumandarin.com to get complimentary access to the Transcript Membership.

Learn more about the Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression course and the Transcript Membership at https://www.realyoumandarin.com !

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Many of us often joke about attending weekend Chinese School back in the day and still only graduating at the same Mandarin level as third graders in the motherland. However, for many ABCs/ABTs who are now parents themselves, there is a sudden wave of anxiety around the idea of how to pass on their family's language and culture when they're not even confident in their own abilities to begin with.

For this episode, we are joined by two guests who bring unique perspectives around the topic of Chinese School. The first guest is Ada Tseng, an ABC and mother of two who attended Chinese School herself as a kid, and is now sending her own kids there in order to help them on their Mandarin journey. The second guest is Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression partner teacher Crystal Hsia who actually has a years-long relationship with Chinese School associations in California, and has worked with various schools in the capacity of creating teaching materials, training teachers, and being a teacher herself.

We discuss the biggest differences in how Chinese School is run now compared to back when we attended in the 90s-00s. Classes are now grouped based on skill level instead of age group, and even split more narrowly into Pinyin vs. Zhuyin classes, Traditional vs. Simplified character classes, and even ABC vs. Non-ABC classes. The overall spirit has also shifted to place less emphasis on strict, rote memorization and more emphasis on creating a fun learning experience for kids so that they'll actually want to learn the language and not simply give up.

In this episode, you'll learn vocab like 混齡 / 混龄 / hǔn líng ("mixed-age"), 社群中心 / shè qún zhōng xīn ("community hub/center"), 特徵 / 特征 / tè zhēng ("characteristic/feature"), and more.

If you are interested in strengthening your own Mandarin skills while building confidence with your kids around their Mandarin, you'll find a wealth of useful contextual vocabulary and phrases in our Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression course, including a full module dedicated to Fertility & Parenting. Learn how to talk through daily routines, help your kids work through big feelings, set boundaries with your own parents about your parenting style, and so much more. If you haven't already, try a free lesson from the course now at ⁠https://www.realyoumandarin.com to see if it's a good fit.

You can find Ada's book Breaking Into New Hollywood: A Career Guide to a Changing Industry on Amazon, listen to her podcast Saturday School Podcast on Spotify, and follow her on Instagram at @adatseng88.

If you're interested in working with Crystal as a private student, you can learn more on her website https://www.crystalmandarin.com

Follow us on Instagram at @realyoumandarin and on TikTok at @realyoumandarin

Many of us were raised to believe that success in our careers is the most important thing we can strive for in our lives, so we chug along climbing that corporate ladder without a second thought. Then suddenly for many of us, we hit a quarter life crisis and we're struck with the thought, "Wait, am I really happy right now? Is this what I want to be doing with my life?"

Our guest this time is Tong, one of Angela's former coworkers from her time working in tech. We talk about Tong's decision to take a two year sabbatical and immerse herself in nature, hiking and backpacking throughout Tibet, Yunnan, and Patagonia. By taking a complete break from the goal-seeking mindset she was raised on, Tong finally had the chance to slow down and think through what really matters to her and what direction she wants to take her life moving forward.

In this episode, you'll learn vocab like 走出職場 / 走出职场 / zǒu chū zhí chǎng ("to leave the workplace/to exit corporate life"), 空窗期 / 空窗期 / kōng chuāng qī ("gap year/period" / "sabbatical"), 人生課題 / 人生课题 / rén shēng kè tí ("personal challenges / life lessons (i.e., in self-growth)"), and more.

Tong is still setting up her Substack, but if interested you can connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tongzhang1/

The final module of our Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression course is dedicated to the topic of Self-Growth. If you're interested in equipping yourself with the tools to talk about this topic with your loved ones in Mandarin, check out the topics covered and consider joining the course. And if you haven't already, try a free lesson now at ⁠https://www.realyoumandarin.com!

P.S. If you want to go deeper with your Mandarin learning, you can unlock full episode transcripts with Traditional Chinese / Simplified Chinese / Pinyin / English, with vocab highlighted, by joining our Podcast Transcript Membership. To download the full first episode's transcript for free, head over to: https://transcripts.realyoumandarin.com/free-lesson-emails

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We received such positive feedback and immense interest from all of you when we had Zhifei on recently for an episode discussing psychedelics, that we decided it was important to have a follow-up episode on the topic!

This time we've invited Mei Yuan, a first-generation Chinese-American who grew up in China and moved to the States for graduate school, who now works as a therapist and has experienced the life-changing benefits of psychedelic therapy just like Angela.

We learn more about how guided psychedelic therapy differs from taking these medicines for recreational use, the cultural challenges Mei had to deal with to face her own past traumas and challenges, and why attitudes even amongst older first-generation immigrants are changing to be more accepting of psychedelic therapy as a powerful way to face tough life challenges head-on.

In this episode, you'll learn new vocab like: 心理健康 / xīn lǐ jiàn kāng ("mental health"), 抵觸 / 抵触 / dǐ chù ("resistance / conflict / contradict"), 靈修之旅 / 灵修之旅/ líng xiū zhī lǚ ("spiritual journey"), and more!

You can learn more about Mei and connect with her at her website https://journeystowholeness.com

While we don't talk about psychedelics specifically in Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression, the final module is about Self-Growth. That, coupled with the previous modules on Expressing Your Feelings and Interpersonal Relationships would equip you with a powerful toolbox of Mandarin vocabulary to share your own experiences and personal insights with those you love.

If you haven't already, try a free lesson now at ⁠https://www.realyoumandarin.com!

P.S. If you enjoyed the Chinese CC on this episode and want to go deeper with your Mandarin learning, you can unlock full transcripts with Traditional Chinese / Simplified Chinese / Pinyin / English, with vocab highlighted, by joining our Podcast Transcript Membership.

To download the full first episode's transcript for free, head over to: https://transcripts.realyoumandarin.com/free-lesson-emails

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We're so incredibly proud to announce the release of our final course module "Self-Growth Journey" from our course Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression!

We reflect on our own personal experiences with these topics, from Angela's second-generation experience of trying to process her triggers and traumas with her immigrant parents, to Crystal's personal interest in manifestation and positive affirmations, despite it being counter the norm with her Taiwanese friends back home.

So many of us have been on a path of self-discovery learning more about ourselves, including what's shaped our pasts and how that's affected how we carry ourselves today. Isn't it time we empower ourselves with the words to express what we've discovered about ourselves with our family and friends in their heart language?

In this episode, you'll learn new vocab like: 自我成長的旅程 / 自我成长的旅程 / zì wǒ chéng zhǎng de lǚ chéng ("self-growth journey"), 顯化練習 / 显化练习 / xiǎn huà liàn xí ("manifestation practice/exercises"), 翻舊帳 / 翻旧账 / fān jiù zhàng ("dredging up the past"), and more!

What a journey it's been creating this incredibly meaningful and meaty course to help guide us through some of life's most challenging life stages -- from emotions, interpersonal relationships, fertility & parenting, caring for aging parents, to your self-growth journey -- won't you join us in unlocking the real you by joining the Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression course?

Learn more about all this course has to offer and try a free lesson now at https://www.realyoumandarin.com!

If you want to deepen your learning through this episode, consider joining our Podcast Transcript Membership to unlock full transcripts in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English with vocabulary highlighted. Download the free full transcript of episode 1 before you join. Learn more at https://www.realyoumandarin.com!

Follow us on Instagram at @realyoumandarin and on TikTok at @realyoumandarin

Who says growth always has to come through suffering?

Out of all places, I recently learned to practice gratitude, appreciating the present moment, and going with the flow on a two-day solo trip to Tokyo Disney, all while rediscovering how important it can be to integrate more joy and play into my life.

In this episode, you'll learn vocab like 活在當下 / 活在当下 / huó zài dāng xià ("living in the present moment"), 隨遇而安 / 随遇而安 / suí yù ér ān ("to go with the flow"), 情緒調節 / 情绪调节 / qíng xù tiáo jié ("emotional regulation"), and more!

Coincidentally, I was able to use a ton of the vocab from our last upcoming course module, "Module 5: Self-Growth Journey," coming out very soon (I'm working hard to complete it ASAP, I swear!).

If you're interested in learning more vocab related to self-growth, head on over to https://www.realyoumandarin.com to join our new course Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression because all that content will be rolling out shortly!

This is your last chance to save $10 off the regular course price before this final module comes out, and in the meantime you'll get instant access to the other four modules' worth of meaty content to learn while you wait!

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For many of us in our 30s and beyond, while we've been finding out more about ourselves as adults, another aspect of getting older is coming to terms with the fact that our own parents are also getting older. With that comes the inevitability of discussions around medical decisions, potential changes in living arrangements, financial/estate planning, and more. Do you feel prepared to have those conversations in Mandarin?

We certainly didn't before creating our most recently released module for our Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression Course... Module 4: Caring For Aging Parents. In fact, while making the content for this module, Angela coincidentally had to make use of some of her newly learned vocab to assist with her own family circumstances.

Much like our entire course, while we cannot anticipate every conversation or situation you may encounter, we truly hope that what you do learn through our course gives you a solid toolkit to tackle some of these difficult life conversations so that you can feel more confident when approaching these topics.

To learn more about the newly released module and to join the full Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression course during its last stretch of discounted pricing before the full course release, head over to https://www.realyoumandarin.com ... if you haven't already, preview the free lesson to see if the course is right for you!

In this episode, you'll learn vocab like 年邁的父母 / 年迈的父母 / nián mài de fù mǔ ("elderly/aging parents"), 口譯 / 口译 / kǒu yì ("to interpret/oral interpretation"), and 主要照顧者 / 主要照顾者 / zhǔ yào zhào gù zhě ("primary caregiver").

Follow us on Instagram at @realyoumandarin and on TikTok at @realyoumandarin.