It all started in 2016 after I saw a Latin dance competition. It was the beginning of my Latin dancer dream, and that dream would linger for few years to come.

When the competition ended, I started to wish that I would become an award-winning dancer, with medals and trophies of my own. I sank into a daydream, that one day, I too would be wearing a shiny dress, holding lots of medals and trophies that I’d won. But first, I needed training and that dream became my target. But how do I start?

When I asked my mother about it, she laughed and thought that my head was still in the stadium. The whole world seemed to laugh at me, but I didn’t give up. I kept on asking and after about a week she finally realized that I was serious about taking up Latin dancing. She helped me by researching dance studios and finally, we settled on classes at Yulin Latin.

The first time I walked into the dance studio, there was music everywhere and the classrooms were filled with children dancing. Dancing in their fancy dresses like butterflies, I admired and was desperate to be like them. I recognized some of them from the dance competition. They were like swans and angels to me, turning beautifully in the stadium. I met my two teachers – Yulin Li who also happened to be the owner of the studio and Lin, whose job was to correct my mistakes. I didn’t feel like they were teachers. They felt more like friends to me.

The classes were hard but I enjoyed every moment of it. When it came time for my first competition, I was nervous but I knew how important it was to me and I overcame it. When the music came on I danced with all my strength and did everything my teachers had taught me.

But this isn’t a fairy tale story. I didn’t leave the competition with a first place medal. In fact, I got a terrible score that time. Afterwards, I stayed in my room in tears for the rest of the day. My mother comforted me and asked if I still wanted to continue. Fortunately, I didn’t give up. It was a learning experience for me. I trained harder and got better.

By 2019 I had entered my second competition with the encouragement of my friends, family, and teachers. I won 6th place – and places 1 – 6 got trophies. I was ecstatic! Over the next few years I trained even harder and finally I was able to get a first-place trophy.

My time at Yulin Latin gave me freedom and it was like a paradise for me – an unforgettable memory. It taught me life lessons and helped me succeed.

For my peers looking for a new hobby, join me for a dance.

Yulin Latin 北京玉林拉丁学校
Multiple locations in Beijing, Tianjin, and Langfang.
Ph: 158 0105 5020
WeChat ID: 309103315

This article is part of jingkids’ student correspondent program. If you’d like to get involved, please contact editor@beijing-kids.com

KEEP READING: Dance Your Way to A Healthier Pregnancy with ‘Fit Bump’!

Images: Pexels

As the COVID-19 Saga continues to draw out, families and teachers have committed to staying safe and infection-free, much to the detriment of their social and professional lives. Fortunately, Beijing expats are a tough bunch. In this series, we asked folks to share their stories of being stirred, but ultimately not shaken, by current events.

Through the eyes of Charlie L. and her family, Beijing is an old friend. Living in Beijing since 2008, she is an avid sports player, and has grown used to the sights and sounds of the place she calls home. But with COVID-19 now in full flight, she and her family are confined to the walls of their home. Although the development of the Coronavirus has prompted her to remain at home, she longs to be able to socialize with society again.

Charlie L.

Are you a Beijing Oldie or Newbie?

I am a Beijing Oldie. I’m originally from Hong Kong, and I have lived here since 2008.

What do you do in Beijing?

I attend school here in Beijing, I occasionally visit famous sites and landmarks. I kind of just live like a normal citizen in Beijing.

When you first heard about the outbreak, did you take it seriously or did you take it with a grain of salt?

I didn’t really take it seriously at first, but my parents did, since they experienced a similar situation during their childhood, so I was forced to take extra precautions.

Would you say that you have cabin fever? If so, how has it manifested itself?

I do not have cabin fever. The place I feel safest in is my apartment, I don’t mind staying inside my home since I have a lot of things to do in my apartment. E-learning has taken up a lot of time, and during my free time, I write songs among other things.

How has this outbreak changed your school-life daily routine?

Because of e-Learning, all my work and classes are on my computer, school is now attended at home and I no longer need to get dressed in my uniform and wake up two hours before 8am. I just need to wake up and walk to my desk.

What do you most miss about Beijing BC (Before Coronavirus)?

I miss being able to be around other people, I miss playing volleyball or badminton, being able to go to cafes and shops without worrying about being infected. But what I miss most is being able to go out without wearing masks, using hand sanitizer every hour and doing other precautions.

A few scenes from Charlie L.’s life in quarantine

What have you discovered about yourself during this time? Have you discovered new things that bother you or phobias that you never knew you had?

I discovered that I hate having an untidy room, especially my workspace. I have always been fairly organized with my room, but now that I’m constantly in it, I start to notice small details like dust on the floor, random hair ties lying around, and it annoys me so I put it back to where it’s supposed to be. I guess you could say that I have become hyperaware of my surroundings.

Once all this is over, what do you plan on doing? What do you most look forward to going back to?

When this is over, I really look forward to socializing again, whether that’s being in a classroom with classmates and teachers, or going out with friends for lunch, I just want to be around people again.

Gabriel Low is a year 7 student from Yew Chung International School Beijing (YCIS Beijing). Originally from Singapore, he has lived in Beijing since 2015. He enjoys playing football, watching movies, and listening to music. He is currently contributing to beijingkids as a student correspondent. 

Photos: Courtesy of Charlie L., Gabriel Low

After the success of our first Student Takeover issue last September, we are pleased to announce that we will be doing it again in August. We loved reading about the many interesting things Beijing international students are getting involved in, and giving them the perfect platform to express themselves.

The beijingkids Student Takeover is designed to provide journalistic experience to students of various schools to practice writing, seeing their work published in beijingkids magazine and website, and experiencing the value of making a contribution to community and society.

This opportunity will also be giving students real-world experience of the process of pitching a story to editors, developing that story, and helping to shape how this piece will be represented visually when it is time to go to print.

Selected student writers will write one or two articles (600-1,800 words depending on your idea) to be published in the magazine.

Students applying for a slot in the program should be:
– Currently in middle or high school (from age 12 up);
– A proficient English speaker regardless of nationality;
– A student with excellent English writing skills;
– Well-informed about news affecting expat and local communities;

The general direction of the topics must be interesting, positive, and constructive to the healthy development of young people and communities in Beijing. Topics that can be covered are, but not limited to: academics, animal welfare, the arts and creative writing, contests, environmental awareness, food and dining, health and wellness, real-life challenges, science, sports, solutions, and travel.

Schools that are interested in this opportunity should have their prospective student correspondents come up with their ideas, and can connect them with us directly (WeChat: KippWhittaker, danielkippwhittaker@beijing-kids.com). We will also on request set up a separate info session for student correspondents and their guardians, as well as school marketing officers, to talk about the editorial and visual direction of this special magazine issue.

Magazine Sections:
– Living (style, technology, life trends)
– Health (exercise/sports, tips for healthy living)
– Dining (restaurant reviews, recipes, taste tests)
– Student Voice (creative writing, humorous articles about life)
– The Collegiate (prepping for college, testing, career paths)
– Features (Anything dealing with life in Beijing from an international school student’s perspective)

Here are the deadlines for our Student Takeover issue:

– May 14: Submission of article ideas and story pitches
– June 18: A rough draft of your story and photos
– July 2: Final draft

Note that all submissions must be sent to danielkippwhittaker@beijing-kids.com.

Keep in mind that this project requires a certain degree of maturity, along with a genuine interest in writing. We want to create a memorable and authentic journalism experience for these students that choose to get involved.

For more information about our Student Correspondent Program, visit this page. See more recent articles from our previous student correspondents here.

Photo: Dave’s Studio

Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) sent twelve student delegates to Singapore to participate in the annual The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) on November 19-25. This conference brought together more than 1,500 students from major international schools across Asia.

The delegates from the school’s Model United Nations (MUN) Club represented France and India and joined in separate committees as members of the General Assemblies (GAs), the Human Right Council (HRC), and the Security Council at Hwa Chong Institution.

BWYA delegates representing France and India

Seven of the delegates were newcomers, while the returning students performed well in different activities such as drafting resolutions for specific issues or topics and making points of information (POIs) and speeches for or against any resolution whenever possible.

THIMUN 2017 was the first international conference in which Grade 10 students Spring Xia and Amanda Zhang double-entered at the Security Council. “Delegates in the Security Council are more aggressive than those in some of the general assemblies. It was tough,” Zhang said. “Their questions are trickier to answer; they will slam your draft resolution directly if your word choice in your speech is inaccurate. Also, the veto power is powerful yet detrimental.” Nevertheless, the delegates stood firmly to their resolutions and debated over the aspects that could have made their positions less dominant. Eventually, the clauses that they wrote all passed and the two delegates rejoiced over their “victory.”

BWYA delegates Spring Xia (standing, center) and Amanda Zhang (right) debating in Security Council with double delegation of France

BWYA delegates Esther Yang and Wendy Fan as double delegates of India at the Economic and Social Committee

At the second General Assembly (Economic and Financial Committee), which included 150 delegates, Penelope Zhang’s resolution was among the submissions that were thoroughly discussed. Although her resolution was not passed, Zhang said she looked forward to other prospects. “I was honored to see my draft resolution being debated for four hours in total over the course of two days. It tells me that my efforts had been recognized. I am sure that a little discouragement will become my force to become better next time,” she said.

Another BWYA delegate, Selina Zhao, said that the conference helped her improve her English communication skills. Prior to it, she used to sit quietly at her desk whenever debating a sample resolution during club sessions. “My English isn’t  perfect, but after THIMUN, I’m not afraid to speak and let my thoughts be heard. I was able to make POIs to other more experienced delegates and spoke more actively in club sessions.”

BWYA’s MUN directors Sophie Lauratet and Cosmina Lacsu and accompanying teacher Julia Zhu supported and encouraged the students over the week’s stay in Singapore.

Photos: Courtesy of Sophie Lauratet. Featured photo shows BWYA Delegates Brian Han and Tina Han.

This article is written by Cherry Yan and Penelope Zhang from Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA).

Interested in writing for beijingkids? Email us at webeditor@beijing-kids.com or visit our Student Correspondents Program main page for more information.

It can be easy for the busy international student to forget that Beijing has so much to offer beyond what can be found in the bubble of your academic institution. Along with living in a city that features an incredible depth of culture and exciting teen friendly activities, there is also a lot of fun to be had if you can break free from your comfort zone or manage to give yourself enough time in between your school workload to explore.

This being said, we wanted to give teens from around Beijing the opportunity to express themselves and their views on life in this city through the pages of our glorious publication. We were amazed at not only the insightful things that they had to contribute but also the quality of their writing.

This issue tackles everything from exciting things you can do or get involved with in Beijing (p14), a glimpse inside some local teens’ rooms (p20), and even a chat with some exciting skateboarders (p48) who divulged their secrets on where and how to best hit the deck in the capital.

If you or someone you know is interested in contributing to our Student Correspondent Program in the future, shoot me an email (danielkippwhittaker@beijing-kids.com) because we would love to hear from you. It’s a great opportunity not only to get yourself published but to also get feedback on your work from our editorial team.

Meet our Student Correspondents

Soumya Satheesan
Soumya is a sophomore at the University of New Brunswick, and alumna at the International School of Beijing (ISB). When she’s not playing with her younger brother’s fidget spinner or contemplating complex engineering solutions to life obstacles, she is a known contributor to beijingkids.

Tina Sang
Tina Sang is currently a 11th grader at the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB). Born in Michigan, writing has been one of her earliest passions, and her love for it has only grown over the years. She also enjoys literature, speech and debate, and meeting new people.

Penelope Zhang
This student from Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA), when not found on the volleyball court or doing makeup for her school theater productions, is also a journalist in the making. Check out her previous work on the beijingkids website.

Noah and Joseph Killeen
Noah Killeen (age 11) and Joseph Killeen (age 8) were born in Birmingham, UK, and came to Beijing two years ago with their parents. Noah likes history, Joseph loves dancing, and they’re both mad about soccer. They are students at Hyde Academy.

Lydia Qu
Lydia is a year 13 student from Sebastopol, a tiny town in California. Since moving to Beijing three years ago, she has come to love this city. After her transfer to Yew Chung Intenational School of Beijing (YCIS Beijing) a year ago, her love for writing piqued and soon blossomed into an interest in journalism.

Melody Chen
A year 10 student currently attending the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), Chen was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Beijing later with her family. She enjoys painting, writing, and dance.

Thomas Alexander Lindesay
Lindesay is half British and half Chinese and is currently a year 12 student at Beijing No. 55 High School. He has always been very fond of outdoor activities and sports, and no matter where his travels take him around the world, he always tries to get a run in.

Yuka Hayashi
Yuka loves dancing, chatting it up with friends, and taking pictures of the sky when smog permits. She’s also very interested in journalism and exploring the idea of being a bridge between both her Japanese and Chinese heritage. She is currently a rising junior at Beijing No. 55 High School.

China is notorious for food safety scandals, such as the 2008 melamine tainted milk scandal and the 2013 lamb meat scandal. I personally find local Chinese food to be quite questionable, as there are so many unknowns in terms of how it is produced and what exactly it contains.

Over the last year, I’ve fallen into the repeated pattern of buying cheap street food on the regular. The cycle starts when I don’t pack a lunch the night before, so the next day I just use my laziness as an excuse to order street food from the nearby shop down the street. All I have to do is call the number in my phone and within a mere five minutes, my order has arrived to the school’s guard house. My most popular order is jiānbing, known as the Chinese equivalent of a crêpe, made from wheat batter and filled with egg and spices. In fact, I order it so often that I’ve even labeled the number on my phone as ‘Jian Bing Lady.’ I have fallen into this unhealthy routine, one that has snowballed into a guilty pleasure that I barely have control over.

Every time I take a bite into a crisp jiānbing, I feel a pang of guilt. I know the main ingredients of a jiānbing, but I know little about the sanitation of the facilities in which it is cooked. For an extremely long time, I was always on the limbo about it. It was and still is delicious, but eventually I had to come to the truth that I’ve always wanted to ignore.

Jiānbing is saturated in oil, and gets greasier the further you eat into it. It may contain something called ‘gutter oil’, which has been a nation-wide scandal since the Chinese government began to crackdown on laws against selling it in 2010. However, authorities have not been able to eradicate this practice completely because of the significant number of unregulated food carts and shops all around the city.

Firstly, so called ‘slop’ is extracted from underground sewers. The people who collect it then filter out excess fluids, until they are left with an oily substance containing animal parts. This is then processed into what is known as black market oil, which is then purchased by Chinese restaurants at a very low price. Supposedly, one out of every 10 restaurants in China use this hazardous substance in their food.

Not only is it quite gross, but consuming gutter oil is also dangerous. Eating gutter oil causes nausea, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal illnesses. Gutter oil also contains aflatoxin, which is a poisonous carcinogen found in molds of the animal parts. Worst case scenario, overconsumption of this carcinogen can lead to liver cancer.

As you can never really be 100% sure that the oil in street food is safe, there are actions you can take to ensure that what you buy from supermarkets is. It is best to buy oil from reputable stores that sell oil at a decent price. If the price is too low, it could be a clue that it is sourced from an unknown, which gives it a higher potential of being gutter oil. Unusual smells and a turbid appearance could also be taken as a warning.

So as it is okay to indulge in Beijing’s tasty street food every once in a while, it’s important to be mindful of what’s in it. Sometimes, it is better to be safe than sorry.

photos: nymag.com, seriouseats.com, world-flavor.com

We’ve all been there, stuck in a situation where it seems like there is no way out. It’s a state of panic, of complete and utter nervousness that you just can’t escape. My traumatic predicament happened yesterday morning, on my way to my internship at this very magazine. What could’ve ended up in disaster, ended up being a moment that I will treasure for years to come.

Before I leave my apartment for the office, I pack my bag with all the essentials I will need for the day: my laptop, money, and a subway card. At home, we don’t each have our own subway cards. My mom insists that we all ‘share’ them, so the four cards we have just circulate between us on whatever day we happen to need it. Yesterday however, I forgot to ask my mom for one before she left for work in the morning. I happened to find a lonesome card on the top of my dresser, so I instinctively grabbed it and headed towards the door to leave. A thought came to me as I left: Will it have any money on it? I should have taken it as a warning; my subconscious mind trying tell me something that I blatantly ignored.

My apartment isn’t exactly located in the most convenient location. Getting to the subway requires a ten-minute public bus ride, which isn’t the most pleasant thing to do at 9:00 in the morning. It’s rush hour at that time, so the bus is often packed to the brim with what feels like all of humanity.

As the bus pulled up to the stop, I squished on along with many others, all of us equally anxious to get to our desired locations. As the doors closed on the back of my heels, I reached over the many heads around me and swiped my card. To my horror, a message appeared on the screen as soon as I scanned it. Though I couldn’t understand the specific characters that stared back at me, I knew what they meant. My card was out of money.

Of course, I had brought money with me. I had a RMB 50 bill to buy lunch at the 7-11 near the office, but I had no small change for the RMB 2 bus fee. I’ve seen people on the bus sneakily get away without paying, but in that moment, all eyes were on me as I frantically searched through my bag to find smaller money. To my dismay, there was nothing. Since I couldn’t communicate my problem to the driver with my limited Chinese vocabulary, I pulled out my 50 as a cry for help. He angrily hollered back “língqián?” which translates to “small change.” It was obvious to me that I was wasting his time. I shook my head no, and immediately began to ponder how I was going to get out of this dilemma.

When you can’t understand the world around you, it’s not uncommon to assume that the people around you feel likewise towards you. Yesterday I was reassured that this theory of mine often isn’t true. A middle-aged man beside me in that instant stepped up to my rescue. He gave me a quick nudge to get my attention, pulled out two ones, and slipped them into the plastic money slot for me. I took a breath of relief, and thanked him in the best Chinese that I could mutter in that moment: “xièxiè,” meaning “thank you”. He replied dutifully with “méishì，méishì,” which means “no problem.”

I didn’t get to express nearly as much gratitude as I would’ve liked to. In a city where being a foreigner isolates you, to have someone to come to your aid in times of you most need it can seem like an angel from heaven. Though it was a small gesture, I wish I could repay the man for his act of kindness towards me.

Photos:  c1.staticflickr.com

If you haven’t seen the explosion of ‘bike-sharing’ in Beijing over the past year, you might as well have been living under a rock. These public bicycles can be seen scattered along sidewalks, and sometimes even roads, in practically every crevice of the city. The convenience of these cheap bikes has transformed the city over the past year, becoming a very popular mode of transport for both Beijing locals and expats.

These companies have a “park anywhere” policy, which can be a blessing and a curse. While this policy does increase the chances of finding a bike in one’s immediate vicinity, it also allows people to park the bikes in areas of their choosing. Consequently, bikes are sometimes parked in very remote areas, where they are not accessible to the public, which is one of the key features of the whole “bike-sharing” concept. It then just becomes a wasted vehicle.

And that’s when the so called “Bike Hunters” come to the rescue. These workers begin their day by signing into an app specific to the company they work for, whether that be Ofo, Mobike, or one of the many other bike-sharing businesses in Beijing. The app’s job is to detect the locations of bicycles for the company, and provides a GPS feature that directs the bike hunters to the bikes’ exact spot.

While most people associate the bike hunters’ job as just relocating them to more popular locations, they also do a lot more work than we may realize. Because the “park anywhere” policy is so lenient, someone people go to extreme measures in order to ensure that they can always have a public bicycle near them. Specific cases of vandalism include people hiding them in their homes or using their personal locks to stop others from using them. The bike hunters will then pinpoint the locations of these bikes and record the crime. Illegally parked bicycles are considered theft, and is reported to the police.

Another important job of the bike hunters is detecting damaged bikes. Because people are allowed to deposit the bikes anywhere when they are done using them, the bikes become extremely susceptible to damage, especially when these bikes are often just piled on top of each other. The bike hunters will either fix them on their own if the problem is small, or transport them to the company repair center. They also use the opportunity to report frequent malfunctions to the bike company’s design team so they can work to create a more functional model.

As easy as it is to just place the bikes wherever we please, it’s important to be mindful of the ways in which our actions can cause these people more work. Let’s keep this citywide phenomenon alive for as long as possible.

Photos: http://img.caixin.com/, chinamoneynetwork.com

This article is written by Chloe Sandifer-Stech from Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS Beijing).

Interested in writing for beijingkids? Email us at webeditor@beijing-kids.com or visit our Student Correspondents Program main page for more information.

“Where are you from?” The dreaded question. I stutter, and blurt out “America,” hoping it’s not too vague of an answer to satisfy this newfound person standing in front of me.

Two continents, two vastly different countries, four different places, five different moves. I’ve actually never lived in a place longer than five years. Despite these numbers, I’ve never been able to label myself as an international kid. I know kids who have lived all over the world, so a mere two countries don’t sound impressive to me.

I’ve moved to Beijing twice, the first time at age 5 for four years, and two years ago when I was 14, we moved back for a second stint. I don’t remember much from my first time here; I was too young to make decisions for myself. Frankly, at that age, you generally rely on your parents to tell you what to do.

I do however precisely remember what it was like to move to Beijing the second time. I had to pack up a life of familiarity: leaving friends, a school, and a home behind. It wasn’t easy for me. Anyone who isn’t used to the atmosphere of Beijing can find it quite jolting. The massive amounts of people, the traffic, even the toilets require some getting used to.

I do, however, wholeheartedly believe that everything in life is meant to teach you something; and it’d be a fib to say that I haven’t learned a thing or two from living here. As the new school year begins and new expat families come in, I hope this list will be of some value to you as you transition.

Sometimes, You Only Need One Word
I’ve been studying Mandarin daily for about two years, and though I’m nowhere near being fluent, I’d like to think I know enough to get around. I’ve had to resort to saying “这个,” (zhège) which translates to ‘this.’ I’ve come to find that this word is very versatile as whenever I have to communicate a desire to someone else, I point to it and say zhège, and people get the hint.

However, this, of course, is not the way to live your life. Learning a new language can be both difficult and frustrating, but in the end, it will all be worth it. It makes living abroad a whole lot more convenient.

Immerse Yourself in Things You Wouldn’t See Yourself Doing
“Sometimes, all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage, just literally twenty seconds of embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” – Matt Damon, We Bought a Zoo

This quote, from the popular family movie We Bought a Zoo, has earned its title as my favorite quote of all time. Whenever I push myself to try new things, this quote has given me the power I need to complete it.

If you’re in school, joining extra-curricular activities in school is a great way to get involved. They take place immediately after class finishes, so it is highly convenient if you’re like me and have a lot of homework to complete. I try to frequently push myself outside my comfort zone. I am a music student, so I gravitate towards activities falling under that category, like the school orchestra and musicals. This year especially, I tried something new and joined the soccer team for the first time. Sure, my foot-eye coordination is not the best, but being on the team ended up being a very enjoyable experience for me that I would have missed out on if I hadn’t taken the chance.

Explore!
Beijing is a diverse city, featuring a modern twist of the new and old. From the Great Wall to the National Museum of China, you’re bound to find something that interests you. During holidays when I have a lot of free time, I try to check out places that I haven’t been to yet. Adventures await! You never know what you might find.

Meet as Many People as You Can
Over time, you’ll find that many others are in the same situation as you. Lost, confused, and downright dumbfounded by the many wonders this city presents in front of newcomers daily. At my international school especially, people are always coming and going. I was able to find a group of friends who’d had similar experiences to me; people I could relate to and connect with. And it has made all the difference.

Don’t Take Anything Too Seriously
In this crowded and often chaotic city, you’re bound to run into situations that make you think: “What?” It makes you feel alienated like you’re the only one who finds it this one particular thing odd.

Today on my 30-minute journey to the office I came across something strange by the subway station that I get on. It was a man who was calmly perched on the side of the sidewalk, and had a turtle hanging from an elongated stick he was holding. A phrase that my family and I commonly use whenever we see something strange is: “Only in China.” In this situation, I felt like screaming it from the rooftop. I quickly snapped a photo to save the memory. I have a feeling this is a story I will be sharing with my extended family when I return to the States for the summer holidays.

Regardless, the international experience is a unique one that I’m sure you’ll learn to love, as I did. You’ll come to love the complex world that surrounds us, and the many wonders that are just within your grasp. The new, unfamiliar environment around you will create lasting memories that you’ll preserve even as you leave this place.

photo: flickr

This article is written by Chloe Sandifer-Stech from Yew Chung International School of Beijing (YCIS Beijing)

Interested in writing for beijingkids? Email us at webeditor@beijing-kids.com or visit our Student Correspondents Program main page for more information.