Jessica Pan

In this age of technology, it seems that teens navigating hormones and sexual orientation have found a way to avoid those awkward parent-teen conversations by communicating with parents via the internet. Check out this expat teen in Shanghai who used Skype to come out to his mom and shared his coming out experience with the rest of the world on youtube.com.

Homosexuality has only been legal for 11 years in China, and while it's still a taboo topic for most Chinese people, it seems there is growing tolerance for homosexuality in China with the number of homosexuals in China exceeding five million. In 2001, China removed homosexuality from the list of psychiatric disorders. 

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In the U.S., I spent my summer vacations being pretty lazy; I spent June through August going to the pool, catching up with friends, sleeping late, or traveling with my family. For some reason, I imagined children and adolescents all over the world spending these months the exact same way, but I’ve now realized two things: not all countries have the same months for summer vacation and other kids out of school attended summer camp (6 million kids in America each year), try to make extra cash at a summer jobs or study at summer school (yikes).

While in the U.S., most schools allow a summer vacation of about three months, the summer holidays in England usually begin near the end of July and last until the first week of September for approximately 6 weeks of unadulterated bliss. 

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In my household, my father never received an elaborate Father’s Day celebration. We’d usually hunt for the latest gadget to get him, and we often failed. My brothers and I usually ended up giving my father a stunning new tie, but he didn’t seem to really mind. We focused most of our attention on Mother’s Day – showering my mom with flowers and pitching in with household chores. However, ever since my siblings and I left the nest, our gifts to my father have gotten better over the years—but your family doesn’t have to be as uncreative as mine was! tbjkids has compiled a few activities, gift ideas, and imaginative ways to show dads you really care on Sunday, June 15. 

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Did your baby kick a lot during pregnancy? Did you think he or she was going to be the next David Beckham? tbjkids is looking for new mothers who would like to share a bit about their pregnancies and how mothers interpreted the behavior of their babies before labor, such as kicking in the womb, etc. If you’re interested in being part of the next issue, please email jessicapan@tbjkids.com to answer a few quick questions about your pregnancy. So if you’d like to share your experience, let us know by June 14!

If you, the kids, and your friends are searching for a great way to bond during a team sport, get some exercise, socialize with other parents and kids and contribute to a good cause, sign up for the Charity Netball Tournament on Saturday June 7th 10am-2pm hosted by Dulwich College. Don’t let these photos fool you—the tournament will be a mixed gender event with 9 people allowed per team entry. 250RMB per team and proceeds will go to Sichuan Earthquake Disaster Fund and the Guang Ai orphanage.   For more information, please contact Joanne Harris at joanne.harris@dcbejing.cn. 

To brush up on the basics, here are a few sites to visit:

Quick Intro to Netball

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Students from 40 local schools in Beijing have been working on the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” campaign with support from Kimberly-Clark over the past two months. Since we all live in China, and we can tangibly feel how important it is to learn the most we can about protecting the environment and undoing the damage we’ve already inflicted, this is a great way for families and kids to find out about what they can do. The event will also include writing messages of hope and encouragement to those in Sichuan province affected by the earthquake. The event is hosted by Roots and Shoots, a youth program of the Jane Goodall Institute.  

Date: June 1

Time: 9am-12 noon

Location: Beijing City International School

Details: In Chinese

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In wake of the recent earthquake in Sichuan, Beijingers can help victims by donating supplies, money and giving blood. 

Drop off donations (see below list) at the Bookworm Beijing by 4pm on Saturday, May 17th.   The supplies will be sent to The Bookworm Chengdu.

As advised by the Chinese Red Cross, they are collecting emergency donations only of:

TENTS
DRIED FOOD
PRACTICAL CLOTHES
QUILTS
EMERGENCY BLANKETS
MONEY FOR WATER AND MEDICINE

All collected donations will be sent to The Bookworm Chengdu on Saturday 17th May.
For Beijing:
Please drop off all donations by
4pm on SATURDAY 17th MAY
Call Alex or Jenny on 132 6421 746

The Bookworm

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In a U.S. report, Sweden has been rated as "the best place to be a mother in the world.” Although vague, this study sought to find out where mothers fare best and face the greatest hardship. Countries in the top ten included Norway, New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, Finland, Ireland, Germany and France.

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When I first arrived in Beijing, the word hua sheng 花生, or peanut, became the most important word in my vocabulary. I am severely allergic to peanuts, and China is a particularly dangerous place for someone who suffers from a peanut allergy. Not only are peanuts prevalent in most dishes, but waiters just don’t seem to grasp the gravity of the situation.  

When I order food I say, “I don’t eat peanuts,” or “I am allergic to peanuts,” but invariably, the dish will still have peanuts lurking inside, although considerably fewer peanuts than usual. I’ve taken to saying in Chinese, “If I eat peanuts, I will die,” and this request, although extreme, seems to get the point across. 

It makes sense that Chinese people are often baffled by my peanut allergy. It’s estimated that three million people in the United States are allergic to peanuts, yet China has virtually no peanut allergy. 

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A week's worth of food for the average Chinese family.

I’ve found that since moving to China, one of the things I miss the most about home (the United States, for me) is the food. My best friend is Bulgarian, and she longs for dishes with grape leaves, goat cheese, fresh salads and certain Bulgarian spices. My American male friends crave, among other things, good Mexican food, steaks, cold cuts for making sandwiches, food from Wendy’s and Taco Bell, while my friend from India misses authentic sambar, puri and chaat. Most foreigners in Beijing can find some kind of semblance to their favorite foods from home, but somehow, it just doesn’t taste the same. 

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