CAIS

How CAIS Shaped My Life

By Julia McDaniel Brown, Class of 1997

I started my first day at CAIS shortly after my third birthday in 1987, despite the protests my parents received from other family members and friends. No one seemed to understand why my parents, namely my father, would want to send a Caucasian girl to a Chinese school. My grandparents feared that I would get confused by adding yet another language to our Polish and English-speaking household. My parent’s friends also pointed out that my parents would be at a disadvantage: how would my Polish mother and American father be able to help me with my homework or understand the Chinese curriculum? Would the Chinese language be useful in the future? Would the Chinese curriculum mean spending less time on developing English skills?

But as a child, I was not conscious of the controversial decision my parents had made. I was happy going to school and singing Chinese songs, participating in speech contests, celebrating Chinese New Year and practicing lion dancing. Going to school and learning through two languages was perfectly normal for me and my classmates. Looking back now, I realize just how different our lives were from most American students.

At the age of six, my father also began to take me on business trips to China. I still remember one meeting at a steel factory in Shanghai. I sat in a small, cold room with my father, his translator, the factory director, and a government official. I was bored and jet-lagged. Being six years old at the time, I didn’t understand the nature of the meeting, but I could sense that neither my father nor the director were happy with the way it was going. The meeting seemed to come to a standstill and everyone proceeded with idle chatter. The translator mentioned to the official that I spoke Chinese. I recall the official’s eyes widening as a smile spread across his face. We began conversing in Chinese and I was even persuaded to sing the song “Ni Wawa”. Everyone applauded with delight; the mood in the room brightened.

Years later I learned the significance of the meeting. At the time, the Chinese government had begun to mandate that all factories place filters on its smoke stacks. The official was threatening to shut down the steel factory because it did not have filters. Shutting down steel factory not only meant the loss of jobs, but also my father’s ability to deliver goods to his customers. After my interaction with the official, he decided to give my father and the factory an extension. I had no idea what the implications of a Caucasian child speaking Chinese were at the time; I only remember thinking how excited everyone was getting over what to me was nothing. Didn’t most children speak Chinese?

I still did not fully understand the significance of my CAIS education even after I graduated in 1997 and after many more business trips with my father. It really wasn’t until my final two years of college that I began to realize how much CAIS has shaped my life. In college, I briefly toyed with the idea studying of theatre and becoming an actress. That idea was short lived, not only due to parental protests, but also because I found myself drawn to my China focused Asian studies classes more than anything else. I also felt drawn to my Chinese classmates and the Asian Studies House on campus. I became an Asian Studies major and spent my junior year in Beijing training with the Beifang Kunqu Juyuan (Northern Kun-Opera Company) and attending classes at Peking University.

After graduating from college in 2005, I moved to Los Angeles and started my career in the fashion and garment industry where my Chinese language skills are being put to good use. But besides the practical implications of my Chinese skills, I have also found that so much of the culture has been ingrained in me—in things as trivial as the way I hold my chopsticks, my love for pickled chicken feet and my appreciation of Chinese opera and art. I find myself able to quickly adapt to new environments and I am more willing to accept different traditions and customs. CAIS taught us to be well-rounded, positive people with a hunger to embrace new challenges and make a difference.

All of the fears that my family and friends had about a Mandarin-English bilingual education vanished long ago not only because they see China becoming a major force in today’s global society, but also because they have witnessed all of the benefits that I have received through this truly unique educational experience. Also, the idea of non-Chinese speaking parents not playing a role in our education was far from true. All of the parents and faculty shared the same vision and created a nurturing community for each and every student. Today, I look back at my ten years at CAIS with fond memories and hope that my children will one day receive the gift of this outstanding education.