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When Roots are Uprooted
Being an expatriate child is an experience that will open an infinite number of options, ideas and opportunities. Mastering a new language and enjoying new foods, customs, holidays, clothing and music in a lifetime opportunity for kids living in Beijing. However, becoming global citizens at a young age comes at the cost of missing out on many aspects of one’s own country. Once the initial excitement of a new country wears off, expatriate children soon begin to pine for their home country. They miss town decorations and festivities around holidays, and country specific culture and history in school. In response to this challenge, a number of schools and social groups have developed programs to help kids maintain a connection to their “home” country.
Finding Good Fortune
Susan Conley had grand plans for her life in China. She would write a book and her husband Tony would devote himself to his flourishing career. Meanwhile, their boys Aidan (then age 4, now age 8) and Thorne (then age 6, now age 10) would attend school and pick up some Mandarin. Then Conley was diagnosed with breast cancer. Rather than return to the States, Conley stayed in Beijing and wrote an ambitious memoir encompassing both her time in China and her struggle with cancer. The Foremost Good Fortune was recommended in O Magazine's Reading Room and excerpts have been published in The New York Times. Leading up to her return to Beijing, Conley spoke with beijingkids about her book, her time in China and surviving cancer.
Meet the Man In Motion
To describe Rick Hansen as larger-than-life would not be an overstatement. At the age of 15, Hansen sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) in a car crash, paralyzing him from the waist down. Not one to let disability hamper his dream of being a professional athlete, Hansen underwent months of rehabilitation and went on to win 19 international wheelchair marathons, including six medals as a Paralympian. In 1985, at the age of 27, Vancouver native Hansen took his Man In Motion World Tour (MIMWT) through 34 countries, including China, where he famously traveled across the Great Wall. The MIMWT led to the establishment of the Rick Hansen Foundation, which has generated over USD 200 million for quality of life projects, awareness programs and SCI research. As part of the MIMWT's 25th anniversary, Hansen took a group of Western Academy of Beijing students and teachersto the same spot on the Great Wall that he wheeled across decades earlier. beijingkids met with the man who doesn't give up to find out what keeps him motivated.
United They Stand
On a beautiful Sunday in late March, while the trees were starting to bloom and most sane people were out in the city's parks enjoying the season of renewal, 20 or so high school students - a cross section of Beijing's international schools - crammed themselves into a stuffy, windowless conference room to hammer out the details of the next UNIT-E magazine. Fueled by spent plates of giant waffles and mugs of caffeine-laced beverages, this all-volunteer student crew forsook their free time to ensure that the latest issue reached production and that the precious few 1,000 copies of UNIT-E got to those schools fortunate enough to receive them. Co-founder and editor-in-chief Katherine Tsen, a senior at the International School of Beijing (ISB), explained that they don't have nearly enough copies to meet demand. "At ISB, if I put out 200 copies in the morning, they are gone by the next day. All I can do is send people to the website." Tsen added, "I'm always surprised that people want to read the magazine and use the articles."
Growing Up Global
Do you know what a 3CK is, or a CCK? What about a Global Nomad, Military Brat or Missionary Kid? All of these names loosely describe someone who is a third-culture kid, or TCK. The term was made popular in the early 1960s thanks largely to Dr. Ruth Hill Useem, a pioneer in the field of TCK research. She defined TCKs as "a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents' culture. The TCK builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any." Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
The Digital Student
Technology is advancing rapidly with everything from maps to photo albums now having a digital equivalent. Schools are feeling the push to modernize and think outside the classroom box. The students of today are utilizing far more than the simple word processor - their assignments combine a range of multimedia, the Internet makes locating primary sources easier than ever, and downloading lectures from the world's most prestigious university professors is a mere click away. Education has indeed gone global. beijingkids sat down with Russell Layton, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Director and Rob Cormack, ICT Facilitator, Middle School from the International School of Beijing (ISB) to find out how they're using technology in the classroom and what they envisage for the schools of 2020.
Kid Bloggers
Tavi Gevinson
www.thestylerookie.com (VPN required)
Tavi Gevinson is a 14-year-old fashion blogger from New York. Her site is brimming with well-written insight regarding both indie and high-end wear and some pretty decent self-shot photography. Gevinson looks like a junior hipster: eclectic clothes topped off with wide-rimmed glasses and a wry smile. She describes herself as "a tiny dork that sits inside all day wearing awkward jackets and pretty hats." Her parents found out about her blog when she surprised them by asking for permission to be interviewed by the New York Times. Her blog now has around 50,000 daily readers. Gevinson is an inspiration for many, and not just the young and quirky - she has been described as the muse for the Rodarte sisters' line of clothes retailing at Target. Currently, Gevinson has a publicist and is working on monetizing her site through collaborative posts with fashion designers. Some fashion gurus look down on this mini-fashionista, claiming she doesn't have the maturity to write a serious style blog, but we think this teen has more style than most adults could hope for.
The Good Witch of the East
The name Yanhong Wheeler may not mean much to the English-speaking community, but here in China, she's the controversial new voice in the push to change traditional parenting practices.Better known to her Chinese readership as Xiao Wu or "Wee Witch," Wheeler is a Beijing-born US citizen who's married to a New Zealander. They are currently raising their two children (ages 10 and 7) in Beijing, where Wheeler has developed a career as a writer, lecturer, La Leche League leader and parenting expert. Her seven Chinese-language books, including the best-sellers Of Love and Liberty and Boundaries and Disciplines, shine a spotlight on unpopular concepts such as breast-feeding and putting less academic pressure on children. For a tiny woman, Wheeler's words pack a giant punch and have influenced thousands of families. beijingkids sat down with Wee Witch to find out how she's cast her spell over China's parenting establishment.
One In 22 Million
There are times when the plight of others comes into sharp focus; at no time is that more true than Christmas. The urge to do good by your fellow people inspires many of us to lend a sympathetic ear or make a charitable donation. But for five Beijing residents, they don't need a time of year or a tradition to inspire them - all they need is a good cause. Their sustained commitment, from the suburbs of Langfang to the heart of Beijing's migrant worker communities, makes them worthy of charitable goodwill all year round.
