Nikita Gupta – Beijing Kids

Talking Shop: “C” Is for Cookie – Holly’s Cookie Jar offers a variety of baked goods

Sisi_Chen — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Hong Li Ping (or Holly) started baking seven years ago when working as a domestic helper for American families in China. In the process, she was able to pick up western baking techniques and improve her English.

She started her business, Holly’s Cookie Jar, six years later after deciding she was more interested in being an entrepreneur than a domestic helper. “My American friends convinced me that my cookies were good enough that others would pay for them,” she says. “And so far it looks like they were right!”

Hong adopted the saying “that’s the way the cookie crumbles” as her slogan. “It pretty much sums up living in Beijing,” she explains. “Life here is hard, but we all still choose to live here anyway.”

Her menu features a wide variety of baked goods. Top sellers include chocolate chip, snickerdoodle (a type of cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar), oatmeal raisin, sugar, and banana bread. The newest additions are rainbow sugar cookies and cinnamon pumpkin bread. Holly’s Cookie Jar is headquartered at the JK Culture Center, a home-based culture exchange program for American and Chinese students. Hong works as an assistant there alongside Owner Jennifer Johnson. While Hong is able to receive orders in English, Johnson sometimes helps her during school fairs and other catering events.

Holly’s Cookie Jar also offers private baking lessons for kids and adults. Children usually learn how to make and decorate cutout sugar and rainbow cookies while adults learn how to make banana or pumpkin bread. Hong also teaches lessons on baking techniques for kids, which take place at the Oriental Rose compound within East Fourth Ring Road.

Currently, Holly’s Cookie Jar only operates in Beijing, but Hong has plans to expand with a cookie factory to provide jobs in less-developed areas of China.

To order, customers can call the number listed below or message her through WeChat. There’s no website for now, so email Holly to ask for the PDF menu. Both Chinese and English are accepted for orders. Holly’s Cookie Jar delivers for free within 10km of the JK Culture Center. Distances beyond this range carry a RMB 5 delivery fee and a minimum order.

Contact Hong for details at 136 9124 1927 (also her WeChat ID) or email
hollyscookiejarbeijing@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared in the August 2014 issue of beijingkids. To view it online for free, click here. To find out how to obtain your own copy, email distribution@truerun.com.

Photos: PIXstudio

Nice Work If You Can Get It: Q&A with Two Teens with Part-Time Jobs

NikitaG — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Like teenagers anywhere else, Beijing teens want their own money to spend and save. However, the chances of getting a part-time job here are pretty low if you don’t speak Mandarin. But some students have found ways to make it work anyway. Recently, I talked with two Grade 10 classmates (both 16) from the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) about their part-time jobs and how they manage their money.

First, tell us a bit about yourselves.

Cate Hooton: My name is Cate Hooton and I’m Australian. My part-time job is babysitting and I’ve lived in Beijing for two and a half years.

Missa Nguyen: My name is Missa Nguyen and I am from Vietnam. I work as a dog walker and I have been in Beijing for four years.

What motivated you to acquire a job?

CH: First of all, the need for money. Second, to gain experience that I can put on resumes and that will help me later in life.

MN: I was motivated by my cousin. She told me she had wanted to visit a friend in Italy for a while but she did not have enough money to do so. Therefore, she decided to find a job when she was 16. She worked eight hours every day during the summer to save money for a ticket. By the end of the summer, she was able to buy herself a ticket to Italy.

Could you describe the process you went through to find your job?

CH: Well, I didn’t really apply for a job. I found it mainly through my mum because I babysit her friend’s kids. So the process was basically just meeting them and showing them how I would look after their kids.

MN: My job was not very hard to find because I know the employer; she was my teacher in ninth grade. At that time, she was looking for people who could take care of her dogs. She preferred people who lived close to the Indigo area and I did.

Describe the challenges you faced as a non-Mandarin speaking teenager trying to find a job in Beijing.

CH: There weren’t many challenges for me because the families I look after are typically Australian, so that eliminated the language barrier.

MN: I don’t speak Mandarin fluently, therefore people did not want to hire me.

What are your work hours?

CH: Usually, I work once every two weeks but its really depends on the parents and when they want to go out without their kids. I mostly work on Saturdays or Fridays from around 6pm to midnight.

MN: Usually I work once or twice a week for about an hour.

How much do you get paid?

CH: It really varies depending on how long the parents aren’t home, but my going rate is about RMB 50 per hour.

MN: The cost for an hour is RMB 60.

What are the benefits of having a job in Beijing as a teenager?

CH: Personally, I think the experience of having a job this young is beneficial for the future, even if it’s just a small part-time job.

MN: I think it’s great that I’m making money on my own and not depending on my parents.

What are the difficulties of having a job in Beijing?

CH: Time. Having to factor in school hours, homework hours, family hours, and now working hours takes a lot out of my own free time. But I guess it is worth it in the end and there’s no real bad thing about it. As for not speaking Mandarin, for me it’s not an issue but I can see how that would be a big disadvantage if I had to babysit local Chinese kids.

MN: Communication is a difficulty. It’s very difficult to communicate with people when we don’t share a common language. I definitely faced this problem until my teacher hired me.

What do you love most about your job?

CH: The money, of course. And it’s also fun to spend time with kids because it’s all just fun and games. You don’t really have to dress up for an office or try to make a good impression.

MN: I love that I have the ability to work independently and take care of dogs.

Would you recommend other teenagers to search for employment in Beijing?

CH: Yes, the experience and earning your own money is really great. And it’s not too hard; you can find connections through your parents and local community.

MN: Yes, if you know people through which you can get a job without the disadvantage of a language barrier then having a job would be a good experience.

Nikita Gupta is currently an intern at beijingkids. Nikita moved to Beijing two years ago from Seattle, Washington. She is a grade 10 student at Western Academy of Beijing. She is passionate about writing and loves to read and play guitar.

Photo: Courtesy of skirtpr (Flickr)

3 Places You Might Find Your Teen on Weekends

NikitaG — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Most parents in Beijing don’t really know what their kids get up to when they’re off with their friends on weekends. Frequently I’ve heard parents worry that their teenager is probably getting themselves arrested or creating massive destruction in an unknown location. As a real, live teen I’m here to tell you where I really go with my friends and what we actually do.

The truth is, kids don’t tend to stray too far from the usual places in Beijing or do “crazy” things.Oftentimes, you’ll find us loitering around, chatting with our friends. Other times we could be shopping or eating out. Really, we stick to familiar, well-known places around town, perhaps not center crowd but not too far off. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself.

Solana

A common location to spot your teen on weekends is Solana. While Solana is a large complex, there are specific places worthy of teen attention.

One of these would be the large water fountain near the entrance of Solana. This quaint little area is a common place for kids to dawdle. The surrounding shops include the renowned, but overly expensive Starbucks and Cold Stone Creamery, which sells ice-cream with a huge variety of toppings. Often, kids will run around the edge of the fountain and take pictures.

Tai Koo Li (aka Sanlitun Village)

Sanlitun Village is another popular hangout spot for expat students. Though often crowded with foreigners, tourists, and locals alike, the sprawling outdoor mall has its share of small, half-hidden corners that are ideal for teenagers to idle away their time in.

One of these small corners is near the skateboard ramp across from the DVD shop on the east side of Yashow Market. Along with being able to skateboard on the small half-pipe, teens enjoy watching the skateboarding activity while seated on the stairs by the ramp.

Usually, there is also music from speakers below the ramp making the location more lively and enjoyable. Not too far from the half-pipe is the ubiquitous Starbucks. And right beside Starbucks, there is a range of shops, such as Marc Jacobs, MAC, and agnes b. that girls tend to gravitate towards as they chatter with their friends.

Pinnacle Plaza

Though familiar, Pinnacle Plaza remains a trendy venue for high school students to gather in. This is a long strip of shops, most of which are restaurants that are perfect for teenagers. The shops include Baskin Robins, Starbucks and Pizza Hut.

Jenny Lou’s is right across the street, making it convenient for kids to run in and buy a bag of chips to share. This area is usually filled with teenagers from nearby international schools like the International School of Beijing and the British School of Beijing. Pinnacle Plaza also happens to be situated in the center of many foreign communities, contributing to the large crowd of children on weekends.

Photos courtesy of Solana Lifestyle Shopping Park and Nikita Gupta