Move over, traditional career guides. In an era where jobs can involve managing virtual economies, designing sustainable cities or programming artificial intelligence, the classic career path isn’t kids’ only option. For the next generation navigating a world of limitless career possibilities, the well-meaning advice to “follow your passion” can feel overwhelming without a map. Now, a wave of adults with truly fascinating jobs are throwing that map wide open. They’re stepping out of their labs, studios, and field sites to share the real, unfiltered career advice they wish they’d had – not just about how to land the job, but how to build a life of curiosity, resilience and purpose. This is more than career day; it’s a mentorship movement designed to inspire the innovators, problem-solvers and dreamers of tomorrow.

Search the keyword #careerday to find more articles like this.

Tell us your name, and give us the elevator pitch about your job.

My name is Christian François, and I work online with expat parents and professionals from every corner of the world, helping them become CEO of their health, crush their fitness and weight management goals while navigating an over-productive work-life schedule.

Could you walk us through a typical day or week in your role? What are your primary responsibilities?

As a coach, my top responsibility is to create customized nutrition-workout-lifestyle programs for my clients, to hold them accountable along the way and to be a support system for whenever they need a bit of a push.

Now that I’m self-employed, I wear quite a few different hats in a day on top of being a coach.

I usually start my days with going through what I like to call “priority messages” – meaning that I pick up any interactions with my current clients from the day before or anything that came in and that requires direct attention and a response ASAP (e.g., if one client has a brunch event coming up, I need to give them the tips they need to navigate all the yummy food properly).

After that, I reply to any sort of important inquiries or interactions that come through social media.

Then I spend about one to two hours studying something (it’s always either a health/nutrition course or an entrepreneurship course), which gives me some fresh ideas and perspective to attack the next part of my day: social media marketing/content prep.

I spend about one to two hours planning, writing or shooting content for social media. I post about two to four times a day).By the time I finish with this, it’s usually noon or afternoon, and that’s when I go back to wearing my coach hat and do client check-ins, either via video calls or via messages.

The rest of the day after that is usually sporadic. I usually either go back to studying or prepping content.

This entire flow usually [goes]from 8am to 9pm [on weekdays]and on the weekends from 8am to 1pm.

What is the most rewarding or fulfilling part of your work? What problems do you get to solve? On the flip side, what are the most significant challenges or stressful aspects of your job?

The most rewarding part of being a coach is definitely to see the person achieve their goals, mostly after struggling and failing at it several times in the past, then to see them graduate out of my program and being able to sustain their results on their own without needing my help anymore.

I also enjoy building relationships. Most of my clients are in the age range of 40 to 50, have very interesting stories and successful careers, and I get to learn a lot from them through our interactions.

To be able to do something I am passionate about, and have freedom of time and location when it comes to work, and live quite a comfortable life as a result of my daily work is something else I am very grateful for as well.

The biggest challenges and stressful aspects were when I first started. I did not have much experience and knowledge. So I wouldn’t know how to work with special cases such as people who have metabolic and hormone problems, how to create workout plans for people who only have 30mins per day to train, how to help high executives who have to go out and drink with partners several times a week, etc.

Over time, I have learned to navigate every potential situation someone goes through, which has made the coaching process way more enjoyable.

How did you get to where you are today? You can talk about your educational route, pivotal moments, unplanned detours and any other decisions that you find important.

To make it really short, let’s say that dropping out of a PhD to go full-time into fitness and nutrition coaching was the last thing that my mom wanted to hear back in 2020.

I had a bachelor’s degree in hotel and tourism management, came to China for a master’s in business administration, then went for a PhD in management science and engineering (right in the middle of Covid and when online learning started becoming a thing).

I wasn’t enjoying the PhD, while my growing passion for fitness has already opened a few doors in terms of opportunities to work full-time.

So, I eventually sat my parents down (they were stuck here for two years, unable to go back home in Madagascar due to the lockdown situation) and told them that I was going to quit the studies.

So, I started working full-time as an in-person trainer, switched between different gyms, while on the side I was also working on my online coaching program and slowly growing it.

In early 2024, the online coaching was doing so well that I felt confident to let go of all my personal training jobs, start my own company and work fully for myself and remotely.

And here we are today.

I’m grateful that my parents trusted me and gave me their support because looking back at all that I have achieved since then, I truly think that quitting the studies was the best decision that I have taken.

I did not despise or hate studying, but I think my passion for fitness was to big for me to neglect.

Knowing what you know now, if you could go back and give one piece of advice to your teenage self about work and life, what would it be?

The first one is advice that I have gotten from my father while he was tearfully saying goodbye and getting ready to board the plane to leave my home country: “Dream, see and think big.”

When in doubt, feeling tired, not confident, unmotivated, faced with big decisions, remembering those words [has]always been a great way to re-center myself and dare to take steps outside of my comfort zone.

The second advice is a habit that I have always adopted since being a teenager: “Never spend a day [without]studying or watching something related to what you love.”

Since I stepped into the gym back in 2016 when I was looking for a way to make my ex miss me (true story, lol), I never spent a day without reading or learning something about “nutrition-fitness-health.” This is also what made things go smoothly when I decided to drop out of school and work full-time, because at that point, I already had a couple of professional certifications that would qualify me to be a coach. I truly think if you spend a day without at least absorbing some sort of new or even repetitive information in your brain, then you are wasting a lot of potential.

Images: Christian François 

A Fudan University graduate, Edgar Choi is a well-known name in the expat community and, for the past few years, has been the number one person foreigners turn to when facing legal issues. This Hong Kong-born lawyer/legal advisor/author has been helping expats in China with corporate and labor law cases, and even doing pro bono work by offering free legal advice during the pandemic. He’s also been running the “Law in a Minute” WeChat group, where people are encouraged to ask questions and present their legal problems.

Choi has written four Chinese law books on economic, corporate, financial and intellectual property law, however a series of articles on the Chinese labor law was what really got the ball rolling – thousands of foreigners in China reached out to him asking for help and advice.

Choi explains: “There were hundreds of new subscribers and my WeChat was exploding with friend requests. Everybody was in the middle of trouble due to employers not paying their salaries. Every minute that I was awake, I was answering questions pro bono. My dearest mom was worried about me as I was on the phone all the time and awake until 3am, but I wanted to do what I could to help the poor souls!”

Choi has published a new book, Business Law in a Minute, in which he uses interesting stories from real life cases with a goal to, in his words, “guide you through know-hows of self-protecting.” According to Choi, by learning law one protects oneself from verbal, mental and physical harm. He tells us: “Most people don’t even know what rights they have in China, or they know a bit of law from their home country and find out that the rules are exactly the opposite here. I have seen many expats get into trouble for not knowing the law because they didn’t even know what they were doing was illegal!”

The majority of his clients are teachers who are being or have been blackmailed, extorted and threatened by their employers. “Teachers were easy pickings for bullies because they did not know the law, were kind, loving and patient people who put kids in the first place, and did not even speak Chinese.” Explains Choi. ”Employers knew how difficult it was for them to find a good lawyer who spoke English fluently to defend their rights, and preyed on this to strip away their legal rights.” Choi says that some of his clients had tried to find local attorneys to represent them, but were unsuccessful mainly due to the language barrier and the special laws for foreigners.

According to Edgar, it’s very difficult for people to understand the Chinese legal system because China adopts numerous rules and interpretations of local policies, some of which are too rare to find. That’s one of the reasons he decided to write this book – to make Chinese law more fun by using interesting cases and their outcomes.

Even though most of his cases have teachers as main characters, Choi has also dealt with unethical landlords who refused to return deposits for no reason, trading companies or factories that refused to send goods even when the full amount was paid or when the goods sent were damaged, and other kinds of contract disputes between foreign and Chinese companies. If you’re interested in finding out if you should get paid during COVID shutdowns, if you’re entitled to sick or maternity leave, how to sue a seller, how not to get scammed, or when you get your pension, among other issues, and if you would like to learn about legal challenges other foreigners have been facing, Edgar’s new book should definitely be an interesting read. It can be purchased for RMB 108 and includes free legal consultation. If you’re in need of legal help, you can contact Edgar by adding his WeChat: edgarwlchoi

Photos: Edgar Choi, Pexels

Let’s be honest. Whether with a full team of planners, movers, and assistants behind you or by yourself, moving to China is one of the hardest things you will possibly ever do in your life. This is not just for first-time expats on their debut stint abroad, but for experienced expats, even career diplomats who are shellshocked at just how different an animal Beijing can be, how far from their expectations.

It is not a coincidence that each year, beijingkids dedicates an entire magazine issue to compiling all the resources you might need for a smooth transition to Beijing in the ‘Relocation Guide’ issue. This is information gathered in no small part due to the experiences of other Beijing families, who themselves learned the do’s and dont’s when living in China. Beijingkids continues to provide relevant and timely information for Beijing’s expat and local families alike. If you need the information, you will get it from us!

This is why we want to hear from you! Are you a Beijing-based family? Whether new to the ol’ Jing or an old hand at this game, we would like to hear about it. We want to know any and all of the following:

• what has made your stay here successful
• what you learned in your stay here
• what you would tell your pre-China or Pre-Beijing self if you had the chance
• Hacks on how to find your kids the best schools
• How you dealt with culture shock and a language barrier if you did not speak Chinese!

Truth be told, Beijing can feel quite lonely. Hearing about others who went through the same experiences makes us feel more at home. As they say, sharing is caring! And if you wish to share your stories, feel free to email markngina@beijing-kids.com.

We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your stories!

KEEP READING: How to Turn On WeChat’s New Parental Control Mode

Photos: Unsplash, Canva

Girl Scouts may be something familiar to many expats. But as a third culture kid born in Beijing, I’ve never known much about the Girl Scouts, all I knew was that they sold delicious Girl Scout cookies. I only recently found out that they have a location in Beijing, curious, we decided to find out a bit more from Amy Kennedy on what they do and how girls can get involved.

What are Girl Scouts?     

Girl Scouting builds girls who have courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Girls can earn badges by doing activities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), the Outdoors, Entrepreneurship, and Life Skills. Two adult leaders lead a small troop of up to twelve girls. Girls choose from a wide variety of badges in STEM, Outdoors, Entrepreneurship, and Life Skills. Troops are girl-led so every troop works on slightly different activities based on the girls’ interests. Girls can design “Take Action” projects that help improve some aspect of their community.

When did the Girl Scout program start for Beijing?

It started back in 1925 in Shanghai, Girl Scouting overseas has been supporting over 12,500 girls in over 90 places in the world and has now been operating in Beijing for over 20 years.

I heard Girl Scouts originates from the US, so from your experience, what’s the biggest difference with Girl Scouts here in Beijing compared to the US?

Here in Beijing, the girl scouts are a part of the USA Girl Scouts Overseas council. We have meetings and events just like Girl Scouts in the US, but one big difference is – we don’t sell cookies due to import regulations. On the plus side, we go hiking on the Great Wall of China, which most Girl Scouts in the US don’t have the opportunity to do.

Are there different groups of Girl Scouts? If so, how are they organized?

Girls can join when they start kindergarten, and we go all the way through grade 12. Girls are grouped in troops made up of two grades. Daisy Girl Scouts are in K-grade 1, Brownies are in grade 2-3, etc.

What is the ultimate goal for Girl Scouts?

We have Highest Awards for girls in grades 6-12. Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Many high school level girls strive to earn the Gold Award which is an eighty-hour community service project. It is comparable to the Boy Scout Eagle Scout Award and an honor within Girl Scouting. Last year, two high school seniors at International School of Beijing (ISB) earned the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Is there a schedule for Girl Scouts? How does that work?

We start up troop meetings in the fall and meet, usually twice a month, through the school year. In years past we have had annual events – Fall Hike, Winter Dance, STEM Day, Campout, and Bridging Ceremony. This year may look a little different in regard to our annual events due to COVID-19. We run through the school year and as most of our membership are expats and leave Beijing for the summers, we do not offer any summer programming. Girls develop friendships over time since many troops stay together for a number of years.

I heard that you only accept expats. Would you ever consider opening a program to Chinese passport holders?

Currently, girl scouts only accept expat girls. They also run Girl Scouts as an after-school program at Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) and ISB, so any girl enrolled at either school can join, and girls who’d like to join must also be comfortable English speakers as well.

How can people join Girl Scouts?

The most challenging part is finding adult volunteers who are ready to jump in and lead girls or join our Leadership Council. Beijing is a busy place for expats. We provide excellent online learning and support, we have a strong program and most of our volunteers are parents of young girls – so therefore, already experts on what girls enjoy doing!

Parents and interested adult volunteers can email beijinggirlscouts@usagso.org to find out more. One caveat – the only way to make sure your daughter has a place in a troop, is to volunteer to lead a troop yourself! Leading a troop is a great way to form bonds with other parents and have fun doing meaningful activities with your daughters. The more interested and excited a parent is, the more the girls will get out of it.

Volunteering with Girl Scouts, either as a leader or a member of the leadership council is a very rewarding experience. You get to meet other adults you might not normally get to meet, make lifelong friends, and often times, learn some new skills along the way. And teaching leadership skills to young girls is an amazing opportunity!

KEEP READING: Khan Academy: How Free Online Math Courses Helped Me

Photos: Courtesy of Amy Kennedy

Uprooting your life and moving to Beijing is a massive, scary undertaking. For many expats, it requires leaving behind friends, family, and any other sense of comfort or familiarity they know. While the city can be fickle, some transplants not only fall in love with the place, but with the people too. And specifically, one person. In this series, we’ll be talking to folks who have found love in the Capital, and ask them what it was like to meet their soulmate halfway across the globe. If you’d like to share your love story, please email drewpittock@beijing-kids.com

What is your name and your spouse’s name?

Elisabetta Guarnero and Xiong Tao.

Where are you both from?

I’m from a small city near Milan in the northwest part of Italy and Xiong Tao is from Hubei province, China.

How long have you been together?

Seven years now. We met in 2012, dated for a year and a half, got legally married in October 2013, and had a traditional wedding celebration on Chinese New Year in February 2014.

Where and how did you meet?

We met on [Chinese social network] QQ. I was alone in Beijing, [having]came here to study and improve [my]Chinese language. I was living in a dorm in BLCU Wudaokou. Xiong Tao was also in Beijing by himself, working as a landscape designer in a Chinese company in Wudaokou. I started using QQ to try and find new friends, people to talk Chinese with, and QQ has a tool to “search for people around you.” Well, he was doing the same, looking for people around him, and found me! He added me and asked me in English: “Can you speak Chinese?” I said yes, and we started chatting. After 15 to 20 days we decided to meet!

What was your first date?

Our first date didn’t start well. It was a Saturday, he asked me out to finally meet after a couple of weeks of texting and phone calls. He told me to wait for him at the bus stop near Liudaokou. I waited, and then I was like “Where the hell is he?!?” So I started texting him, I thought it was a joke, he was almost 40 minutes late. I’m always super on time and I hate waiting! He apologized and said he was stuck in traffic on a bus. So I kept waiting. After one hour he gets off the bus and when I look at him I think, “Another joke! He lied about his age!” He looked soooo old wearing a suit, super elegant leather shoes, a jacket, and even a tie. He explained many months later that he didn’t know what to wear to meet with a foreign girl, he probably watched too many American TV shows and decided to wear a suit, his best outfit!

Our date after this little incident was super romantic and super good. We walked all the way to the shopping mall in Wudaokou, he invited me for a fresh orange juice, while we kept talking about our life, then he treated me to dinner, and even invited me to the movies. While watching the movie I decided to hold his hand (he was really super sweet) and after the movie he walked me all the way to the dorm because he didn’t want me to walk alone.

At what point did you realize, “this is the one for me”?

Now I don’t actually know how, but he became the most important thing in my life! I finished the Chinese language course, changed many different jobs, and I was always angry I couldn’t find the right place to work. I was underpaid, tired, angry, I couldn’t find the right company to give me a working visa, but he was always there supporting me, comforting me. Right when I decided to give up and go back to Italy for the summer, to give Italy a try and leave China forever, I told him I was coming back to pack all my stuff and move home. I even informed my landlord I was leaving. When I came back to Beijing, at the airport he picked me up and in a super anxious and goofy way he asked me to marry him! Well I didn’t even let him finish, I was so embarrassed everyone was staring at us, well at me, the only foreigner in the airport at that moment, with a Chinese guy holding a huge bunch of roses, going on one knee reaching for something in his pocket I knew he was going to do something stupid. So I just ran away saying let’s go home! Grab a taxi and go home. Well, there I knew he was the one!

What do you love about each other?

From day one I always loved his voice, the way he speaks in Chinese to me and to other people, his way of discussing business, to negotiate, to tell stories to our son now. His voice is like music to my ears. But of course I also love his passion about work, his mind, the way he is with my family and friends. He was more romantic before, now we are so focused on our son we forgot what it is to have a night out or a romantic day at the spa.

I also love his cooking skills! He loves to cook and I love to eat Chinese food, so he’s like my personal chef.

What does he love about me? When I asked him to reply to this question he said “I just love you!”

OK seriously, he loves my independence; from day one he knew I always wanted to be financially independent and not depend on him. He always says he loves my “big round eyes”, and the fact that I’ve never made him feel inferior or not good enough. Not even the times when his salary was very little or when the company didn’t pay him, we were and we still are on the same level. It doesn’t matter how much money we make or how much money we saved in our bank account.

What can you tell us about falling in love in Beijing?

Falling in love is never easy, it’s even harder in a country where language, culture, and dating is all different from your own. So the best suggestion I can give is to follow your guts, your sixth sense. If you feel it’s right, go for it!

I never trusted social networks to find love or make friends, because sometimes it’s hard to tell what is real and what is not, but I’m thankful when I arrived in Beijing and followed this Chinese girl’s advice and opened a QQ account, because I met Tao, my husband, who gave me a super cute son, Leonardo, who is almost 15 months.

Beijing offers so many opportunities, there are so many different cultures and nationalities here, just be responsible and have lots of FUN!

Photos: Courtesy of Elisabetta Guarnero

Looking to do some good for people in Beijing and beyond, but don’t know where to begin? Then why not check out this event being organized by the International Newcomers Network (INN). On Monday, Oct 30 they will be holding a gathering of some of the most prominent volunteer organizations in town who are making a huge difference for many living in Beijing and around China.

Are you an animal lover, or want to help children? Well, they will have something here for that too. This is the perfect event to go around and meet various groups and find out which one best suits your interest, and finally where the next meeting will be.

Along with being a great opportunity to use your specific skillsets to benefit the less fortunate, these groups are also great for meeting people that share your same desire to help. This makes INN’s Volunteer event great for newcomers in the city to expand their network.

So, next Monday at 10am-12pm head over to the third floor of the Capital Mansion Athletic Club to connect and begin your Beijing philanthropic journey. For more info check out the INN website here.

Photo: scmp.com

It was 2012, and L was expecting her second baby.

She and her family had arrived six months prior, suitcases in one hand and their near future in the other. Weekends with the family were spent like tourists—exploring hutongs, meeting new friends, and getting to know their new city. Weekdays started off more adventurously: each day with a plan to keep both her and her firstborn busy. But as the days went by, so did its excited pace, and soon she started spending more and more days at home or online, because lunch meet-ups with a toddler and a huge belly had become tiring and, frankly, sometimes unwelcome.

It had generally been fun if only she didn’t feel so isolated sometimes.

Fortunately, she found—or rather, she helped bring together—the beginnings of a community that understood.

MOPS: A Community for Moms by Moms

She decided to form a community for their specific demographic: mothers of young children from zero to pre-school. Along with three other moms of toddlers, they drafted their plan. The idea started off as a small support group where moms of young children could get together with other moms and share ideas with each other. They’d hire an Ayi to take care of the kids, allowing them to just chat away.

That’s when someone suggested chartering with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)— an international community of mothers that’s doing exactly what they wanted to do. Suddenly. they were getting support from fellow mothers across the globe, including parenting resources and guidance. How inspiring is that!

News of their little project started spreading and bit by bit the curious asked their questions. Do you have to be a Christian to join? Do you need to be married to join? Do we need to pay?

No, the ladies answered. All you need is to be a mom who has a kid who hasn’t reached primary school yet.

Comm-YOU-nity
MOPS originally started out with a mainly expat audience, but is now also slowly gaining traction with the Chinese visitors at its Ivy School venue. I found this quite interesting considering the speakers were mostly expats themselves.

“MOPS is a community where moms can bring kids to MOPS meetings,” Emily, one of the coordinators for Beijing MOPS, says when asked why Chinese moms like attending MOPS. “Kids can stay somewhere and people can take care of them. So moms come here and feel very relaxed. And also. we learn something. and we can share something.”

Emily also adds that local parenting talks generally have a more classroom feeling, with a teacher in front talking about parenting techniques for an hour or so and then giving out Wechat articles for parents to review at home. These are paid sessions and do not have childcare.

One thing that sets MOPS apart is that its two hour sessions are divided mainly into two parts. The first hour and a half are allotted for volunteer speakers who come and share their expertise on topics ranging from personal development, marriage and relationship, to advice on practical parenting. The second part is discussion, where the audience members are asked to share their thoughts and answer questions about the topic within their respective groups. Through this interaction, moms get to share their own experiences, thoughts, and advice to the rest of the group.

The childcare bit is a hit with the parents as well. Teacher volunteers and interns assisted by ayis take charge of the children while the mothers listen to the speakers, confident that their children are safe and being well-taken care of. The mothers then spend two hours investing in themselves and concentrate on building new relationships. Finally, someone else is taking care of moms.

A Safe Place
One mom describes what it’s like to be at MOPS. “I come here and I can say what I really want to say. In my home, I can’t say this with my husband. I cannot say it with some friends (because) they don’t have kids.”

As a mom of two, I can’t help but agree completely with her. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people comment that they’re envious of my housewife status, while in my head I’m envious of the way their careers have set off. Then there are days when I’m tired and my husband goes, “oh, but at least you got to nap.”

But in a community where everyone’s a mom, we don’t need to explain that just because we’re in the same room as our children doesn’t mean we get to nap too. We don’t need to explain to our peers why our child is throwing a tantrum for no reason at all. Who best to understand you than those who know what you’re going through?

The Focus is on Relationships.
Melenie, one of the leaders of MOPs 2016, shares why MOPS is still here, almost five years after its original conception in Beijing. “MOPS is growing because we have dedicated moms who are passionate about loving and supporting other moms and bringing them into community. We’ve experienced it and want others to too.  It’s really tough to be a mom sometimes and even more so if you’re alone and isolated. It doesn’t matter where you come from, as moms of little ones, we all face similar struggles. and we can all relate to each other. I think that’s why this kind of group works.”

“We want moms to grow and be equipped. We want families to be stronger. By sharing our experiences. we can grow in community with one another in a really positive way.”

So moms with young children, here’s a group for YOU. Leave the kids with the program’s childcare, and invest in yourself. Grow as a mom. and, most importantly, meet people who know what it’s really like behind the scenes.

MOPS English talks are on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. 10am-12pm. BICF Office, Room FA 201, 2F of the 21st Century Hotel, Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District.
MOPS Bilingual talks are on the 3rd Monday of every month, 2pm-4pm at Ivy Bilingual School, Building E, Ocean Express Campus, No. 2 East Third Ring North Road, Chaoyang District. www.bicf.org/mops

Photos: Courtesy of MOPS.

Ten years before Facebook started, and well before WeChat, the International Newcomers’ Network (INN) formed in Beijing 23 years ago in 1994. Originally, the group was founded by a group of expatriates who saw great value in sharing knowledge and tips about living in Beijing. The city was a far different environment back then and discovering other expats or imported goods was an arduous task. Finding international hospitals, paying for utilities, and using public transport were difficult challenges, as services were not geared towards foreigners. After founding the organization expat life in Beijing became manageable for its members.

By pooling resources and sharing information and advice, life in a new, exciting, and challenging city became more fun with the best possible outcome of many deep friendships forged. Now, two decades later, INN is still going strong and has evolved over time by broadening its scope of events and interests. The organization’s diversity keeps growing with many husbands and fathers now very active members and enjoying this time-honored club as well.

Living in the capital in 2016 is far more convenient than it was back then, but there are still numerous challenges especially for newcomers who don’t speak Mandarin or understand doing things the local way. INN offers itself as a support network for expats who want to meet new friends and get involved in a community based organization.

Every month, there are multiple events around the city and all foreign passport holders are welcome to join (only foreign nationals permitted to attend the general monthly gathering due to government regulations). The sustainability of the organization hinges on the goodwill of the wonderful volunteers who contribute their time and expertise to assist new and veteran residents to maximize their benefit of living in the capital. As a result, INN’s events and activities always have a friendly and family feel. INN has no commercial sponsors so everything done is purely for the love of helping other expats.

The INN organizing family has an open door policy and is always looking for people to get involved whether as a volunteer board member, helping to organize and host events, and especially attending and supporting get togethers. For example, Arrival Survival is INN’s annual guide on how to thrive and survive in Beijing and is also the biggest event of the year. Additionally, every month INN holds general gatherings at the Capital Club Athletic Center inside the Capital Mansion compound on Xinyuan Nanlu, near Liangmaqiao. Many attend monthly gatherings, where new and existing members come together as well as a host of INN approved vendors and charities, which support the expat community.

Spring bazaar

Arrival Survival
August’s event is always reserved for “Arrival Survival” as many new families relocate to Beijing just in time for the new school year. This year is no different and as every year goes by INN moves in time with the city and offers attendees advice on how to enjoy or cope with life in Beijing.

This year there will be six speakers at the event offering advice on how to live a happy life in Beijing. They draw from their personal experiences and professional backgrounds to offer much needed advice.

INN’s new President, Juli Bradley, who is from the USA, will host the event. With INN under her leadership, we can expect to see the organization continue its high level of support for expats and continue to grow in size as more and more foreign nationals move to China. Other speakers include Averil Harrison-Thuemmel, a member of the INN steering committee and who organizes the monthly Trekkies group, which takes people on tours around some of the lesser-known and more interesting areas in Beijing.

Following Harrison-Thuemmel’s talk will be a chat on how to conquer the Beijing transport network. Then Carnissa Berry, who is a life coach with a great reputation, will talk you through some coping strategies if you are finding the transition and navigating Chinese culture to be sometimes trying. Sherpa’s, a name you will become very familiar with, will introduce how to use their mobile app and get your favorite foods delivered to your apartment. Next will be Kenny, from Fun Guide, who will guide you through how to use his new Beijing based expat APP that includes some of the best places and events to go to. And finally, Beijing United Family Hospital will host a brief talk on staying healthy and medical care for expats.

INN Group Activities
If you are new to the city or have been here for many years, you want to get involved with other expats, meet new friends or just hang out and have some fun while enjoying great food, wine, cocktails or beer, then INN is the right group for you.

• INN General Gathering – Once a month everyone meets up over a coffee and pastries to learn about ways to enjoy life in Beijing and gain a deeper appreciation of Chinese culture with our guest speakers.
• Coffee Mornings – The clue is in the name! There are two meeting ups once a month in down town and Shunyi. The next Coffee Morning is at British School of Beijing, Shunyi on August 25.
• Lunch Bunch – Each month the Lunch Bunch visits a new and exciting restaurant around town.
• Trekkies – A monthly tour of a Beijing hidden gem. The next Trekkie will be a tour of some of Beijing’s various food markets on September 1.
• Beer Night – Aimed at getting more men involved, the next Beer Night is on Thursday 18th August at Jing A, everyone is welcome to join. INN also has various other nights out, social gatherings and, an annual fall social which is one of the most highly anticipated and fun events of the year!

For more information, visit INN’s website where you will find details of all of INN events, INN’s supported charities, and our monthly newsletter. If you wish to receive the INN monthly newsletter please send an email to: contactus@innbeijing.com

Photos: Courtesy of INN

The idea that one day as an expat you have to go home doesn’t become a reality until one of your closest friends leaves the country and you have to hold back the tears from the mere thought that they won’t be physically present in the same location as you. The constant updates as they try to settle back in their home countries start off with hilarity then turns to worry. As friends and family try to adjust back to what they once knew as familiar, they will undergo what has been termed as reverse culture shock.

Reverse Culture Shock affects the psychological, emotional, and cultural aspects of repatriates. If you know one of your friends is leaving or planning on leaving soon then you can help them prepare for what lies ahead. The other scenario is that friend or family that has lived abroad and calls China home is relocating back and will need help to understand. Here’s information collected about what reverse culture shock is:

What’s reverse culture shock?
According to expatica.com’s interview, “reverse culture shock is experienced when returning to a place that one expects to be home but actually is no longer, is far more subtle, and therefore, more difficult to manage than outbound shock precisely because it is unexpected and unanticipated.”

The U-Curve of Reverse Culture Shock
Like culture shock, reverse culture shock has stages that’s a U-shape. It starts with excited at the top of the u when people return seeing familiar places and people, eating familiar food, and getting shoes that fit perfectly. After the initial euphoria dies down, the feeling of disconnection starts when cultural differences begin to weigh heavily. That is the bottom of the U and is the roughest part as it comes with various complications.

What are some of the common effects of Reverse Culture Shock?
Aside from the obvious frustrations, returnees may experience a number of mental/emotional side-effects, such as criticality, marginality, overexertion/exhaustion, and resistance/withdrawal/self-doubt/depression according to State.gov. Craig Storti, author of the famous book, The Art of Coming Home, uses these terms which can be summarized as follows:

Criticality – At the depths of reverse culture shock, you may notice yourself making a lot of critical judgments about home. Your renewed unfamiliarity with the home culture and your unfamiliarity with the routines can lead to unpleasant and frustrating experiences. Furthermore, this frustration can be displaced, often onto others. It becomes easy to be impatient with others and hard to be objective — even when the problems are actually insignificant. You may remember all of the wonderful things about your foreign post, and compare them against the least pleasant aspects of being home. Understand that it is normal to critically assess and compare your experience abroad with your experience at home.

Marginality – Your overseas experience has significantly impacted your identity. As you immersed yourself in a new culture, you broadened your perspective and opened your mind to new ideas. Once you return home, you realize that tensions exist between your new identity and mainstream society. You no longer feel like you fit in. Many families and individuals in the foreign affairs community make a life for themselves when “back home,” are able to function in and adapt to multiple settings, but do not feel completely comfortable.

Overexertion/Exhaustion – Because many of the routines, patterns and customs of your passport culture are now new to you, you must consciously pay attention to performing basic functions. Add to that the stress of the logistical tasks of your return, and you may begin to feel overwhelmed by this experience. Exhaustion is a commonly reported effect of reverse culture shock.

Resistance/Withdrawal/Self-Doubt/Depression – As you become discontented with your home culture, a common reaction is to resist adapting to it. Many returnees withdraw or escape, dwelling on fantastical thoughts of the foreign culture and avoiding contact with people from the home culture. With all of the frustrations and disillusionment of “home,” it can be easy to question and doubt yourself. Not surprisingly, then, reverse culture shock is often accompanied by a dose of depression.

Sourced from state.gov