August, 2010
Articles from prior issues of beijingkids can be found by checking out the archive links below for the month and year you are interested in.
Perfectly Professional
Beijing-born Nancy Ding divides herself between two very important roles: a business manager at Microsoft and a mother to her son Andy (3). A self-professed "workaholic," Nancy admits she finds juggling the two to be rather difficult. "It's very challenging - I don't have a work/life balance," she confesses. When Nancy's not taking 1am conference calls, she's devoting her time and energy to her son who attends Ivy International Kindergarten. It's high time this mom took a break from her hectic schedule to relax and unwind. Thankfully, London-trained stylist Tom from The Cut Culture was on-hand to pamper Nancy and force her to put her feet up for a whole afternoon.
The Blissful Bryants in Sanya
The Travelers
Colleen and Gregory Bryant, their daughter Cole (7) and son Cian (4).
The Plan
The Bryants booked their flight on China Southern Airlines through BJS Travel Service (www.bjs.com.cn). Flight fares for economy tickets were RMB 2,400 for adults and RMB 1,180 for children. They stayed in a villa at Mandarin Oriental Sanya, which can be booked online (www.mandarinoriental.com/sanya) for four nights.
Sunny Shanhaiguan
The Travelers
Pat Sommer and her daughter Ellie (8), and Julie Johnson with her daughter Kaylen (10).
The Cost
The total cost of the three-day trip was roughly RMB 1,300. Roundtrip train tickets set them back RMB 290, a double room at their hotel was RMB 310 per night; meals, tickets and taxis made up the rest of the costs.
The Plan
The Sommers and Johnsons packed their bags for a last-minute weekend getaway to Shanhaiguan. There was a lot on the itinerary: exploring the Old City, visiting the Jiaoshan section of the Great Wall, swimming at the beach, visiting the Great Wall museum, and more.
The Accommodation
And Baby Makes Three (Or Four...)
Fifteen years ago, having a baby in Beijing wasn't an option for most expat moms. Now, with a range of world-class facilities and professionals, moms-to-be can expect family-friendly private rooms, longer stays and midwife support. But navigating the system still involves some trial and error, which is why beijingkids is here to walk you through one of the most important times in your life.
In the Beginning: Conception
As a general rule, couples should start planning for a baby long before they actually conceive. First things first: Does your insurance provider cover you and at which hospitals? Once you're up to speed with your health insurance coverage, you can move on to the fun stuff.
Escape to Commune by the Great Wall
The Commune's collection of modern villas sits nestled in a green valley about 80km outside central Beijing. For those looking to splurge on a retreat from Beijing's bustle, the Commune combines beautiful scenery with striking architecture and award-winning service.
Modern Luxury
The Commune began as twelve unique modernist houses, each designed by a different Asian architect. The contemporary designs, with their sleek angles and sharp silhouettes, stand out from the verdant hillside while still complimenting the valley's natural beauty. Large windows, sweeping porches, and rooftop patios make every house feel open and airy.
Due to rising demand, the Commune has since duplicated the original designs; now, a total of 42 villas sprawl across the valley. Each has several private bedrooms and a common living room and kitchen, stocked with complimentary sodas and water. Couples can rent an individual room for privacy, or families can rent out an entire villa.
Sniffle Solutions
For many of us, summer brings simple pleasures: picnics in the park, pistachio ice cream, walks with the dog. However, for those with severe allergies these basic activities can trigger miserable sneezing fits, nasal congestion, itchy eyes and even rashes. Seemingly harmless to most people, a spectrum of substances found in everyday life can cause debilitating allergic reactions. So what can we do about it?
Giving Birth, Naturally
Wanting a natural birth is simply another way of saying you want the least amount of medical intervention as possible. Giving birth naturally has many rewards for both mother and child: The mother feels a high sense of accomplishment, her rate of recovery is often faster and she is quickly able to attend to her baby. At the same time, the baby is alert and ready to begin feeding. Any possible unwanted side effects due to the medication have been thwarted. But with every important decision, it's best to arm yourself with the facts first.
What's Fun In: Beijing Zoo
It's time to put away your flippers and let Beijing's aquatic life do the swimming for you. Watch dazzling dolphins show off their acrobatic tricks at the Beijing Aquarium, and find hundreds of the world's most awe-inspiring animals waiting for you in the surrounding Beijing Zoo. A shady oasis full of lakes and streams, the zoo provides a relaxing and educational outing for the entire family. Don't expect to stand by idly and watch the creatures sleep; there are plenty of opportunities for interaction. Kids can spend quality time with man's best friend or feed the goats at the Children's Zoo. The Panda House is sure to bring delight, whether the bears are exploringtheir outdoor playground or lazily lounging in the shade. This inner-cityanimal kingdom is located mere meters from the Beijing Zoo subway station, so pack a camera and prepare yourselves for an all-day adventure.
Postnatal Depression
Childbirth is a life-changing experience and adjusting to motherhood can be difficult. Some women are prone to depression as they come to terms with the demands of caring for a new baby. For most, the symptoms are mild; however, some develop a more disabling condition known as postnatal depression (PND). Dr. Wei Chang, a psychologist from the Family Counseling Center at Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU), offers her advice for moms who are suffering from PND.
What are the baby blues?
More than half of new mothers will suffer baby blues in the days and weeks after giving birth, with relatively mild symptoms, like mood swings, anxiety, unexplained sadness and irritability. Symptoms generally fade within three weeks.
Say Hello to Beijing's Smallest
Sirio Della Ragione
Italian/Chinese. Born to Pan Yanrui and Jacopo Della Ragione on Mar 10 at Beijing Union Hospital.
Top 5 Places to... Dig into Fish and Chips
International Food Warehouse (IFW)
Only available on their weekday a la carte menu, International Food Warehouse's fish and chips is the priciest of all our picks, but well worth it for the authentic taste. Parents will appreciate the attentive service and sleek décor.
Mon-Fri 7.30am-10pm, Sat-Sun 10.30am-10pm. B1/F, Park Life, Yintai Center, 2 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District (8567 1568)
朝阳区建国门外大街2号北京银泰中心悦·生活地下1层
Orange Tree Bistro
What's better than nibbling on fried fish and potatoes while sitting outdoors? If the weather permits, then Orange Tree Bistro's courtyard and rooftop deck are a perfect fit. The kids are free to run around as you sit back and enjoy the view.
Daily 11am-11.30pm. 27 Dashibei Hutong (near Yandai Xiejie, north of Houhai lake), Xicheng District (6401 7797)
西城区大石碑胡同27号（后海烟袋斜街附近)
Demystifying Old Wives' Tales
Chinese people love to disperse pregnancy tips, share their birthing traditions and offer up their age-old superstitions. beijingkids seeks out the modern take on these traditional Chinese beliefs from Deng Lei, mother of 13-year-old daughter Li Jiameng and one-year-old Li Jiaxua Beijing, and Dr. Sun, a gynecologist at International Medical Clinic (IMC) who has been treating Chinese and foreign patients in Beijing for the past five years.
1. After the first three months, the shape of the mother's pregnant belly is a prediction of the sex of the baby.
It is said that a pointed belly means the baby is male, while rounded indicates a female fetus. To conceive a baby of the desired sex, tradition advises a couple to feast on specific foods seven days before conception. If they want a boy, they should eat tofu, mushrooms, carrots and lettuce. For a girl, the diet is pickles, meat and fish.
I Want to be a Social Entrepreneur
Five years ago, Holly Chang sold everything she owned, from her house in Kentucky to the car in her driveway, and moved to Beijing to study Mandarin. Chang holds a dual bachelor degree in Civil Engineering and Psychology from the University of Kentucky, as well as an MBA from Bellarmine University, specializing in the Chinese market. In 2007, she founded the non-profit organization Golden Bridges, a Beijing-based service provider that creates peace-building missions between the US and China. Recently, Golden Bridges supported a grassroots youth NGO in mobilizing a delegation of 40 young people to attend the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen, marking the first time in history that China's youth had major representation at a UN event. As founder and CEO of Golden Bridges, Chang spoke with students from Beijing BISS International School about the importance of social value, the challenge of running your own business and the difficulties of being a social entrepreneur.
A Time to Get Pregnant
When I studied Chinese formally for a year at Beijing Language and Culture University back in the halcyon, pre-fatherhood days of 2003-2004, I was one of three swotty types who sat at the front. We had the unfair advantage of having native Chinese speaker spouses (by the way, I always think the plural of "spouse" should be "spice", don't you?), and the dubious qualification of being "maturer" than the rest of the class. After we had done battle with the language for a while and discovered that the more Chinese characters we learned, the less we remembered. I recall a conversation in which a fellow square and I asked ourselves whether we would still have set out to climb the mountain that is Chinese if we had known what we were letting ourselves in for. "No," we concluded.
Debate Club: Are Books Dead?
With the advent of e-readers such as the Kindle and devices like the Apple iPad, the humble paperback may seem a thing of the past. The question should be asked: Are books still relevant for a generation raised on laptops and cell phones? We went to the Canadian International School to ask students about their reading habits.
Pregnant at 39
Moms can spend hours browsing stores picking out the perfect pair of pajamas, the perfect bottle and the perfect mobile to hang above the crib. But ask them to name the perfect age to have a child, and they probably couldn't give you an answer.
The Golden Age
Doctors and psychologists have an equally hard time pinpointing the best time for women to have children. Some say it's as early as the late teen years, when the body is physically prepared to deal with the tolls of pregnancy, while others will claim that the late 20s are the golden period to ensure emotional stamina. Statistically, the age of first-time moms is on the rise. According to the US National Center for Health Statistics, the average age of first-time mothers in the US has jumped from 21 in 1970 to 25 in 2005. The UK Office of National Statistics reports a similar increase in the average age of first-timers, rising from 26 in 1971 to 29 in 2005.
Top 10 Things To Do in August
1. Giddy Up
Saddle up and ride a horse at Equuleus. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced rider, qualified bilingual instructors can guide you through the basics or help refine your skills. Daily 7am-12pm, 2pm-6pm (call ahead). Equuleus International Riding Club, Sunhe Zhen, 91 Shunbai Lu, Shunyi District (8459 0236, 6432 4947, equuleushorse@yahoo.com.cn) www.equriding.com 顺义区顺白路91号孙河镇
2. Tango with Life-Size Dinos
Get up close and personal with some of history's largest and fiercest reptiles. At Dino Dream Park's three exhibition halls, kids can oogle a collection of fossils as well as interact with life-size mechanical dinosaurs. Closes August 31. RMB 90, RMB 60 for children under 1m and senior citizens. 9am-8pm. 300m north of National Stadium (Bird's Nest), Olympic Green, Beichen Lu, Chaoyang District. Tickets on sale at Piao.com.cn (400-610-3721, ponypiaoen@hotmail.com) www.en.piao.com.cn, www.dinodreampark.com (Chinese only)朝阳区北辰路奥林匹克公园
Out With the Scouts
When Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts in Savannah, Georgia 98 years ago, she probably never imagined that it would become the largest organization for girls in the world. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts has over 100 million members in 145 countries. A branch of the national Girl Scout Organization, USA Girl Scouts Overseas (USAGSO), was established in Shanghai in 1925 and later in Beijing. Last year alone, Beijing's branch consisted of ten troops with over 200 members. The Girl Scout's Three Keys to Leadership are: Discover, Connect and Take Action. Girl Scouts is about empowering girls - encouraging them to be their own leaders, exploring a broad range of activities and pursuing community projects of their own interest.
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.
Peachy Keen
I've always felt there to be a solid division between the sweet and savory schools of breakfast. There's your bacon and eggs and then there's your waffles, pancakes and fruit. I always looked sideways at people who ordered a side of bacon with their waffles and dipped them in maple syrup. Probably as a result of my Chinese taste foundations, I've never really had a sweet tooth. Growing up, mine was a household where it was never too early for savory offal soup, and so it was that eggs and noodles were chosen over cereal and muffins time and again. But recently, I've noticed that my breakfast and brunch classics don't seem as appetizing in the hot steam of a summer's day. I wasn't looking for salad at 10am, but when faced with temperatures north of 35°C, bacon, eggs and beans didn't sound like they'd sit comfortably in my stomach.
Snapshot: Summer Style
Shokoofeh Khajat
What do you do?
I'm a computer engineer.
Where are you from?
Iran
How many children do you have?
One daughter - she's 7 years old.
How long have you been in Beijing?
Nine days - we're just visiting.
Where do you like to shop?
Wangfujing. Chinese brands have great prices and good quality.
Do you have a favorite spot in Beijing?
We like the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace.
Where is your outfit from?
Wangfujing
What has been your favorite outdoor activity?
Swimming at the Doubletree by Hilton Beijing.
How do you stay cool in the summer?
Air-conditioning.
Follow the Leader
Kathryn Tonges is everything you'd expect from a parenting expert and dedicated primary school teacher. Though relaxed and friendly, her attention to the intricacies of communication is flawless. Constant eye contact and a persistently calm tone of voice let you know exactly where she stands. No wonder her skills are in high demand. Tonges has spent the past three decades studying the Parent Effectiveness Training (PET) method of communication, using it to not only to advise others but also to raise her own children. We sat down with Tonges to find out why the onus is on parents to change and how listening to your kids is the first step to better behavior.
Family Favorites: The Super Stahleckers
German Christoph Stahlecker is the managing director of Pangio Consulting Ltd. and his wife, Shandong-born Zhang Xinyuan, works as a theater teacher. Together with their 2-year-old daughter Sissi, they have been living in Beijing for almost four years. They are on a mission to unearth as many of Beijing's hidden gems as they can.
