Donna Scaramastra Gorman
Haunted House
The packers came last week to cart away all of our earthly belongings. It took almost two days for them to box everything up and stash it all in containers on the back of their truck.
And now, we wait. There's still a week to go before the plane takes off with us on it. That's just one short week to say goodbye to the people and places that we've come to know so well.
Our house is full of ghosts, so full I can't stand to be in it for long. Here's the office where I wrote these articles, Skyped my sister and changed countless diapers. Here's the kitchen, with containers of frozen soup still stacked in the freezer as dishes dry on the counter. That empty space over there? That's where I liked to sit and read when I had a few, rare, quiet minutes to myself.
Ordering Pizza in Beijing
When we moved here, I had big plans for the kids. They would learn to speak Chinese, eat Chinese and appreciate all things Chinese. I had no idea there would be so many pizza joints within a one-mile radius of our very un-Chinese house in the heart of Shunyi. Going native isn't as easy as I imagined it would be.
Circling the Wagons
I'm standing in a parking lot, chatting with neighbors when it happens. I look down at the baby, Ainsley, and she's choking, or gagging. I'm not sure what's she's doing, actually, but it looks wrong. I pick her up and she's trembling, gasping for air. Best Dining Spots for Families - Shunyi
Blue Frog
Best Family and Date Night in One
Cuisine: American
English-language menu: Yes
Kid-friendly food: Hamburger, hotdogs, milkshakes
Three healthiest items for kids: Hamburger, salad, fruit juices
Kid-friendly staff: Yes
Bathroom: Clean
Kids’ play area: Includes computer stations with computer games and a separate enclosed area with toys for younger children. Also, crayons and coloring menus.
Seating: Tables and chairs
Price: RMB 400+ includes drinks, appetizer, entrées and dessert
Parking: Yes
Credit card: Yes
Atmosphere: Comfortable and fun
Must-order item: Their famous hamburger with a variety of toppings.
Juggling, Holiday-Style
The holiday season is upon us, which seems as good a time as any to tell you about my son’s P.E. teacher.
Mr. Callahan has a voice that can be heard from the top of the bleachers, and an air of confidence that is a requirement of P.E. teachers across the globe. And speaking of the globe, he pretty much spins it on its axis, according to my son, who will do anything Mr. Callahan tells him to do. He tells my son to jump – the boy jumps. He tells my son to run – the boy sprints. I tell my son to wash his hands before dinner, and he grumbles as he slouches toward the bathroom, looking like a kid who hasn’t run or jumped a day in his life. I’ll bet he’d wash his hands if Mr. Callahan told him to.
And here’s something else you didn’t know about Mr. Callahan: He can juggle.
New Hope Foundation: Helping to heal underprivileged children
When Robin Hill and his wife, Dr. Joyce Hill, came to China 16 years ago, they had no idea they’d stay on so long. “We were living in Lido, working as expats,” explains Robin. “Around the time we were getting ready to leave China, we felt called to take sick children into our home.” The pair retired and established a home for children in southern Beijing. Seven years ago, they moved to Shunyi District, where they built a place big enough to house 12 babies (now 56), and the Hope Healing Home was started.
Learning Disabled in the Capital
Many expats in Beijing have trouble choosing which school their children should attend; after all, there are so many choices, each with quality teachers and gleaming facilities. But for a smaller group of expats, those whose children have a learning disability of some kind, it can sometimes seem as if there are no choices at all. “Three years out, and we’re still not sure we’ve found the right school for our child, who doesn’t quite seem to fit in anywhere,” said one parent of a special needs child, who asked not to be identified.
Time Stands Still
I’ve been here more than two years now, so you’d think, wouldn’t you, that I’d have everything pretty much figured out. By now I should be able to find what I need, get where I want to go, and even understand why turn-right-on-red trumps drive straight-through-green. You’d think. But you’d be wrong. Take, for example, the case of the broken watch. Pay close attention here, because this story actually starts almost two years ago.
Welcome to the Motherhood Club: Worry lines, silent prayers and crossed fingers
Nine years ago my first Mother’s Day seemed like a game. The word itself, “mom,” as it applied to me, was still new enough to sound strange on my tongue. Like all new mothers, I carried my baby everywhere, proud to be the mother of such a perfect little creature.
Exhausting though it was, this mom gig was a lot of fun. Talk to the baby, change the baby, take the baby out, watch the baby grow into a healthy, productive, appreciative adult – what could be simpler? 
