Teen Dating
Teens chew the fat about dating during high school
Teen dating is always a hot topic among high schoolers, so this month, Debate Club sat down with three International School of Beijing students to see what they had to say on the matter.
How do your parents feel about high school dating?
Lily Ann: My parents are really laid-back about dating in high school. As long as I don’t do anything over-the-top they [won’t] mind. I haven’t dated anyone in high school yet so I’m not sure what they would say, but that’s the way it was with my sister.
Merrie: My mom is very relaxed about it and I just don’t tell my dad. [Since I’m] the youngest of three, it’s harder for him to hear that I am in a relationship.
Before the Beginning
Prepping for Uni
If being a university student means sleeping until midday, watching loads of films and developing a taste for alcohol, then I’ve already made the transition to higher education! Granted, I’ve not got a university to go to yet, nor received my A-level results. Still, embracing the student lifestyle has been a doddle so far.
I finished Harrow International School Beijing on the 29th of June this year, leaving me with a three-month break before university would start in the UK. You could call that ample time to prepare for my first year at uni, but, like most people my age, I leave things to the last minute. Point in case: getting my student loan and bank accounts sorted.
Corr Values
Sophie Corr on teaching tiny tots
Sophie Corr hails from the UK, but China has been home for the last five years. After two years of training with Eton School, Sophie received her Montessori teaching qualifications and now serves as a nursery lead teacher at the Global Trade Mansion Eton campus. She’s also head of the nursery at home, where she has two “Beijing babies” – a 3-year-old daughter and brand-new baby boy (who you can check out on p21 in our New Arrivals section!).
What brought you to Beijing?
My husband was interested in doing TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) since we’d been traveling around Asia for a while. When we got back to London we spoke to someone who suggested that we really should try China. So we came over and lived for a year in a rural area, but then returned to London. But before long, my husband had applied for another job over here and we found ourselves back in China. We really love it here.
Double Trouble
Two birthdays, one day
In one of those strange quirks of life, Elsa and I happen to share the same birthday. I remember looking up at the hospital clock just under two years ago: It was a few minutes after 11pm on the 19th of August, and I was ten hours into labour and less than an hour short of turning 35. I dimly recall wondering if it was better just to get things over with, or if having come this far I should hold out a little longer for a double birthday celebration. As if it were me who was in control of the process (how we kid ourselves!). Elsa was finally born by emergency Caesarean section in the early morning hours of the 20th – my first birthday present of the year.
Saying Goodbye ... and Hello
Transient expat life can be hard on kids
Eli and Jacob first met Hugo Ohlsson while his family and our family were visiting Thailand from Beijing. Playing on the beach, Hugo asked my boys if they could be friends forever.
“Sorry, no,” Jacob replied, acting as the spokesman.
“We actually live in New Jersey and we’re just in China for three years.”
“Oh,” Hugo replied. “Can we be friends for three years then?”
“Sure.”
Hugo smiled; three years is forever to a 5-year-old.
