June, 2007

Alex Novadnieks, 14, hails from the UK and is a student at Dulwich College, Beijing.

I went to TGI Friday’s for my last birthday and I will always remember my first glance at the room: I had entered the twilight zone between Beijing and Texas. I saw Chinese cowboys and cowgirls prancing around, all in Texas gunslinger outfits.

I was welcomed with a huge “birthday Coke” from a waiter called Kevin (last time I checked, Kevin wasn’t a Chinese name). Also I saw Wendy and Chad, which puzzled me, but I was seduced by the large amount of beverage in front of me. The food is always good there, no matter what you order. I would recommend the potato wedges though – those are to die for.

For a wacky, crazy, fun-filled dining experience, head on down to TGI Friday’s. It really is scarier than clowns. 

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Inspiring the Littlest Linguists

Canadian Bobbie Holliday teaches the nursery class at the Children’s House Montessori Kindergarten and spends her days cultivating English language development in children ages 1 to 2.5. This task is made even tougher when you consider that English isn’t always the little ones’ first (or even second!) language.

What brought you to Beijing? How did you end up teaching small children?
I was a second language teacher in Guangzhou for five years and Paula [Zhou, principal of The Children’s House Montessori Kindergarten] was my colleague there. Neither of us were Montessorians, but she came to Beijing and was very impressed [with the Montessori method] and decided to get some extra training in it. The Children’s House was opening this class and she called and offered me the job. I jumped at the chance to move to Beijing.

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Summertime is bubble time!

When I was young, summertime meant bubbles. I made homemade bubble solution and blew giant bubbles in all kinds of crazy shapes, and I used colored bubble solution to make bubble prints on paper that I turned into stationery and envelopes. Summer doesn’t last long and neither do bubbles, so enjoy them both as they float on by. Here’s a recipe for bubble solution, instructions for two cool bubble wands, and everything you need to know to make your own bubble print paper.

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Beijing parents share their brand knowledge with expat moms and dads

When it comes to purchasing items for their kids, foreign parents in Beijing rarely take advantage of low-priced local brands – safety comes first when junior’s concerned, and many parents prefer to spend a little more on imported brands they know they can trust. Of course, Beijing’s expats hail from all over the globe, and different folks are loyal to different labels on the international market. We conducted an informal survey of the city’s families to find out which brands experienced parents seek out, and where they do their shopping. Here’s what we found.

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Everybody complains about summer in the city, but I suspect a fair number of us secretly like it – I know I do. Yes, it’s hot. Yes, it’s sticky and a little grimy. And yes, it would be nice to be at the beach, or cooling off in the mountains somewhere. But cities come alive in the summer. There are outdoor concerts and outdoor dinners, outdoor games of Chinese chess and outdoor kisses. And suddenly, there are people everywhere: diners spilling out of restaurants to eat on the sidewalk, kids splashing together at the pool, revelers toasting one another on rooftops, families roaming the streets, slurping after-dinner popsicles. Put together, it’s one big, sweaty symphony of noise and energy and skin, and it’s exhilarating.

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Building Tibet’s first Montessori school

Over the last Spring Festival, Natasha McKenzie, who’s been teaching in Beijing’s Montessori schools since 2001, traveled to Lhasa to lend a hand setting up Tibet’s first Montessori kindergarten. Located in Nyetang Village, outside of Lhasa city, this combined school and orphanage is a project of the Tharjay Charitable Trust and the Shambhala Foundation. With the help of local teachers Gesan and Drolma, who traveled to Beijing to tour Montessori classrooms and observe Montessori teaching in action, the school will offer a free education to up to 100 children under the age of 8.

During her short eight-day stay in Tibet, Natasha kept a journal of her experiences, recording the thrills of discovering Lhasa, the hard work of building a school curriculum and interior from scratch, and the excitement of being involved in the early stages of such a unique project. The following is an excerpt.

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On the road with two high school bands

Cross Out

Himsheela Bharati (Vocals), 18, from Nepal
Gwen Li (Guitar), 15, from the UK
Chloe Chang (Bass), 15, from the US
Trina Ma (Keyboards), 13, from Malaysia
Ariane Mahon (Drums), 13, from New Zealand

The Shanks

Jacque Wedgewood-Young (Guitar & Vocals), 16, from the UK
Marina Mihalkov (Backing Vocals), 16, from France
Ryo Koblitz (Bass), 16, from the US and Japan
Annie Lee (Keyboards), 17, from Korea
Dylan Mahon (Drums), 15, from New Zealand
Guillaume Dujat des Allimes (Percussion), 13, from France

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Four spots for a summer BBQ

Nothing says summer like an outdoor feast! Check out these four great barbecue spots and get ready for some fresh-air cooking.

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A guide to keeping your cool in Beijing

With the mercury in Beijing’s thermometers set to skyrocket, the chances of a family meltdown are high. But don’t panic just yet! Instead, pry those sticky bodies off the couch and follow the tbjkids guide to the best places and ways to stay cool in the swelter – you might just end up wishing the summer would go on forever ...

The Coolest Valley

As its name suggests, the temperature in nearby Qinglianggu (Cool Valley) is usually 5-6 degrees Celsius lower than it is in the city. Head here to beat the heat and check out the natural pools and the famous Pearl Waterfall. If you want to get even cooler, next to the waterfall you’ll find a cave that’s 230 meters deep and has an average temperature of 18 degrees Celsius. Cool activities in Cool Valley include fishing, bamboo rafting, and badminton.

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Life as a twin in Beijing

This June-July joint issue of tbjkids had us seeing double. Suddenly, we found ourselves feeling curious about all things paired, and we started wondering: What would life be like if you were born with a partner? We sent Michaela Kabat to find out by tracking down some of Beijing’s twins.

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The Orbase clan has been in China for a total of three years now. For the past year, dad, Clayton, mom, Sheryll, and kids Steffanno (7), Cameron (6), and Sam (3) have been tripping around Beijing. Before that, they were living it up in Hubei, and before that, they were back home in the Philippines. Clayton and Sheryll are both teachers, and their two boys are students at the Canadian International School of Beijing. Here are some of the Orbase family favorites.

Midnight Snack
Sam goes to sleep late so sometimes she gets to go with us for a midnight snack. We enjoy dim sum at Jin Ding Xuan. It’s a 24hr Cantonese restaurant – we go to the branch near Tuanjiehu Park. It’s the same kind of Chinese food we can get in the Philippines. The kids love the shaomai.

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New parents: Want to share your new arrival with our readers? Submit a photo (at least 1MB in size) of your little one to amanizhang@tbjkids.com, with his or her name, nationality, birth date, hospital, and parents’ names.

Aiden Rives Xie
American. Born to Caroline Catts and Xie Guo Feng (Ricky) on September 20 at American-Sino OB/GYN Service.

Jaden Alioun Xu
Chinese-American. Born to Sophie M. Xu and CJ Smith on April 12 at Jishuitan Hospital.

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Two soon-to-be graduates on preparing for college and life after Beijing

What comes next for a sixth form leaver or a grade 12 graduate from Beijing? We talk to Ellis Pugh from Harrow and Alex Crossman from WAB to find out.

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Hilton’s Chef de Cuisine, Joshua Goetz, gets a grilling from kids at the British School of Beijing

When he was ten, American Joshua Goetz, Chef de Cuisine at the Beijing Hilton, was cooking crepes alongside his mother. Now he’s in charge of a kitchen with over 80 staff, responsible for delivering huge volumes of top quality food to patrons at one of Beijing’s plushest hotels. Before moving to China ten months ago, Joshua worked in places as far flung as Thailand, Italy and Hawaii. With a specialty in American food, he’s still keen to absorb some of the culinary secrets that China has to offer. This Year 6 class from the British School of Beijing was hungry to meet Joshua and to learn just what it takes to cut the mustard as a top chef.

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How much involvement should your parents have in your school life?

Who organizes your schoolwork schedule – you or your parents?

Ellis: Seeing as I’m in my final year, I’ve been afforded a little more freedom, so I try to manage my own time as best I can. I think it’s equally important that parents in general know what’s going on with their kids’ schoolwork. I try to keep my parents as informed as possible. If they were to totally organize my work schedule, though, I just don’t think I could agree because it goes so strongly against the grain.

Sophie: I’m quite organized so I don’t really need my parents to tell me to do my work. I’ve learned from experience that I can’t leave homework or assignments to the last minute, so it pays to be organized. My parents have never told me, “You have to do this now,” so I’m pretty much free to make up my own schedule as I please.

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Traveling in China’s interior is tough for families

There are countless motivations for traveling, and countless travel methods, but these often seem to fall away once you start a family. When kids arrive on the scene, many people largely abandon the whole “throw yourself into the deep end and see if you can swim” approach. The risks simply feel too heavy – it’s much easier to just hit a beach in Thailand or stick to Hong Kong Disney.

My family has certainly done our share of safe and comfortable travel, but sometimes we like to reach for something more. It’s not just for mom and dad’s sake – we’ve discovered that our kids can also tap into something deep within themselves when forced to stretch their comfort zones. However, on a recent trip to Sichuan’s Wild West, we realized that it’s possible to reach too far, and that there’s a limit to the elasticity of every comfort zone.

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The trials and tribulations of toilet training

As kids, my friends and I talked about horses. In our teens and twenties we graduated to boys. Now, in our thirties, it seems to be all about poo.

It’s a subject that comes up naturally enough when I’m chatting with other mothers out here – our children are roughly the same age and we want to compare notes on their progress in the toilet training arena. But I hadn’t realized how all-pervasive a conversational topic poop had become until I recently phoned my heavily pregnant best friend in the UK. As we were jabbering away about decidedly non-fecal matters, her eldest child interrupted by trotting up to her and proudly offering his latest bowel movement – palm outstretched. (My friend says that if her third child is another boy, she’s giving him to me; I’m beginning to see why.)

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If you’re looking for a low maintenance way to entertain your kids for a few hours, this museum located on the grounds of Chaoyang Park could be the answer. It’s easy on both the legs and the pocket: RMB 20 per child gets you access to three small floors packed full of interactive exhibits designed to let you experience “the excitement, the wonder and the joy of science in action.”

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Sights, surf and plenty of seafood

The Travelers: Jonas Stahlbage, a Swede, and Monica Mak, who hails from Hong Kong but spent half her life in the US, and their son Gustav, age 14 months.

The Destination: Sydney, Australia.

The Plan: Jonas needed to go to Australia for a business trip, and Monica and Gustav jumped on board for a weeklong seaside escape. Self-described “foodies,” Monica and Jonas were excited about the prospect of a week’s worth of quality fish, crab and oysters. “My goal was to eat seafood until I just didn’t want to eat seafood anymore!” smiles Monica. Gustav, though perhaps too young to appreciate a good plate of raw oysters, would get a chance to chase after seagulls and splash in the waves on Sydney’s beaches.

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Beijing’s newest space for kids

Beijing’s newest offering for kids is the brainchild of Sylvia Li and Jason Li (linked creatively but not matrimonially), two Beijing parents who shared daydreams about a fun and pleasant space where busy working parents could bring their children. Unhappy with the thought of their kids parked indoors, draining their afternoons away in front of the TV, the pair decided to get active, and thus, Playground was born.

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Five animated Chinese children’s classics

I still remember how hard I worked to finish my homework before 6.30pm “cartoon time.”Come 6.15, worried that some sports game would interfere, I would physically wrap myself around the TV monitor to hint to my father that cartoon time was nigh. As the clock ticked towards 6.30, I felt impatience like I never have since. And when the hands finally, finally pointed to 6.30, the happiest hour of my day began.

Despite the advancements in animation technology, I still believe the golden era of Chinese cartoons has passed. I’d like to share some of my old favorites with a new generation of viewers. Below are my choices for the top five movies. All the films are in Chinese, of course, and only one (Nezha Conquers the Dragon King) seems to be available with English subtitles. Nevertheless, with a basic understanding of the plot and main characters, I think even non-Chinese speakers will get a kick out of these classic films.

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