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Top Ten Things to Do in November
1 See Bond. James Bond.
Quantum of Solace, the sequel to Casino Royale, hits theaters later this month. In this latest installment, which opens Nov 5 and is as action-packed as ever, Bond (the sleek Daniel Craig) battles a terrorist who intends to take over Bolivia’s water supply. Watch as Bond journeys through Haiti, Austria and South America decked out in high-tech gadgets and with a Russian-Bolivian agent (Olga Kurylenko) by his side. In interviews, Craig says he’s brushed up on his speed boating and stunt driving skills. And what has Bond girl Kurylenko been working on? Indoor skydiving, also known as body flying. Head to theaters around town such as the Megabox Cinema in the basement of the Sanlitun Village or the Wanda International Cinema in Guomao.
2 Fun Run for a Cause
For Better & For Worse
Your dishes may break in a move. Here’s how to ensure your marriage doesn’t.
Jennifer* had just moved to a new city where she knew no one when her husband of four years sprung the news: He was leaving on a three-month assignment to another country. Furious, this Beijing resident and mother of two did the only logical thing she could think of: she locked her husband out of the bedroom.
The couple worked through their problems and stayed together – they’re even expecting their third child early next year. But, recalls Jennifer, it wasn’t easy weathering that three-month separation with neither family nor friends nearby.
Giving Thanks
A new kind of Thanksgiving, far from home
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. What’s not to like? There’s no need to spend weeks in overcrowded malls buying presents for uncles and siblings and kids. Instead of exchanging gifts, we gather around a table piled high with turkey and trimmings. We surround ourselves with loved ones and, after we’ve finished bickering about who forgot to bring the wine last year, after we’ve remembered that it’s never safe to talk politics with relatives, after we’ve told the kids for the thousandth time that no, they may not use the turkey drumsticks as light sabers, we take a moment to give thanks for all that we have.
We’re thankful for our health, of course. We’re thankful for our families. We’re thankful that it’s someone else’s tablecloth about to get covered in gravy.
Going Local
Is total immersion in Chinese schools right for your kid?
When Mareno Rathell came to Beijing from the US in 2005, he had big hopes for his kids’ education. He enrolled his youngest son, 9-year-old Zevi, into a local Chinese school in Haidian district, where Zevi was one of the few foreign students. It seemed like an ideal situation – his children had a chance to learn about Chinese culture and develop fluent Mandarin skills, while benefiting from the strong training in subjects such as math and science that Chinese schools are known for.
“I believe that Chinese kids receive an excellent grade and middle school education,” says Rathell, “and my kid could only benefit from studying with them.”
But the reality was far from ideal. In a completely unfamiliar cultural environment, Zevi encountered far greater difficulties than Rathell had expected.
In the Mind's Eye
Young painters explore at 3i Art Center
Michelangelo, Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso all displayed a passion and talent for art before the age of 10 – a testament to how important the formative years are for young artists. “It’s so important for kids to have a good foundation in art and imagination – it will help them their entire life,” says Ivy Yang, founder of 3i Art Center.
The art center, which has branches in Chaoyang and Haidian, offers classes designed to foster inspiration, innovation and imagination – the three i’s behind the name – in young kids, and lessons often appeal to kids’ love of unusual, fun materials.
Money Talks
Spendthrift or cheapskate?
Whether you have an addiction for designer headbands like Gossip Girl queen bee Blair Waldorf or you save your pennies for rainy days (or mutual funds), what you do with your money says a lot about you. Do teenagers save? What are they buying? And does nationality influence how you spend your cash? Grade 10 and 11 students from the Beijing World Youth Academy sat down with beijingkids to discuss that little thing called money.
What do you spend money on?
Laura: I spend money on lunch, clothes and drinks.
Frank: My parents give me a set amount of money per semester, and I don’t usually save it. Eventually all the money goes to taxi cabs when I go to the CD Center, Wangfujing, places around Wangjing, or for playing football.
Ernest: I don’t get an allowance, but if I have a reason, my parents will give me money. If there’s more left, I usually save it for taxis or buying food.
YeiYoung: I get 100 kuai per month from my parents. About 40 percent of it I give to church, and the rest goes to clothes.
The Xu’s
Originally from Shanghai, Bing Xu, Lisa Li and kids Vivian (10) and Matthew (9) returned to China in 2005 after ten years in Detroit, Michigan. Bing works for Chrysler and Lisa is a relocation consultant for Pricoa. This Chaoyang-based family loves Beijing’s rich culture and blend of the traditional with the ultra modern.
Would you like to share your Beijing Favorites? E-mail editor@beijing-kids.com.
Beijing Snack Food
We really like jiaozi, jianbing and lüdagun, a red bean sauce rolled up in sticky rice dough. It’s cold and sweet.
Place for Weekend Fun
The kids love Chaoyang Park because it has everything they want – outdoor and indoor play, swimming in summer, ice skating in winter and great restaurants nearby for lunch. The park also holds international festivals that are great fun.
Beijing Mamas at Solana
Cecil Song
Where are you from?
South Korea
How long have you lived here?
One year.
Do you have kids?
I have a 1-year-old boy.
What do you do in Beijing?
I don’t work here. I used to be a fashion designer in South Korea.
Where do you like to shop?
In Solana, Pacific Century Place and shopping malls in Wangjing.
Where is your husband from?
He’s Chinese. We met in France. I don’t speak Chinese; we speak French to each other.
Why were you in France?
Learning French and studying fashion at Esmod.
Dancing on Ice
Figure skating for beginners
It’s Tuesday afternoon and a dozen kids are zipping around the Le Cool ice skating rink at Guomao shopping mall. One of them is 10-year-old Wang Zichen, who is practicing a one-and-and-half revolution jump-spin that she just learned a few weeks ago. Her tall, slim body moves to music in a graceful curve – arms spread like wings, feet gliding in rhythm, her purple skirt fluttering in the breeze.
Instructor Hu Xiao’ou is sternly correcting Zichen’s poses, but he can hardly conceal his pride in her. “Zichen was a shy kid when she first came here to learn skating six years ago,” says Hu with a smile, “but now she is an excellent public performer and expresses herself freely through music and movement.”
Not A Native Speaker
Am I Malaysian enough?
Kepada pelawat-pelawat, kami ucapkan selamat datang ke Malaysia. Kepada warga Negara Malaysia, kami ucapkan selamat pulang,” chirped the overhead speakers of the airplane upon landing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“Visitors, welcome to Malaysia. Malaysians, welcome home,” translated the English announcer. Ironically, I, a Malaysian, could not understand the message welcoming me in my own “native” language.
I was on my yearly holiday in my own country. Owing to my father’s work, my family moved to China when I was 3, and since then we’ve taken a two-week-long holiday in Malaysia every year. For my whole life, I have been attending international schools: an American school in Qingdao, a Canadian school in Dalian and finally a British school in Beijing. Therefore, English can be considered my first language. Being ethnic Chinese and living in China, I can also speak Chinese fluently. But what is the point of being bilingual when I can’t speak my native language, Malay?
