Family

Calling all junior Olympians! Show your stuff this Friday at AmCham’s annual Kid Olympics at the International School of Beijing–complete with hula-hooping, dunking, contests and games for prizes. Enjoy the barbecue, cool off with cold drinks, and catch the firework show in the evening.

What: Kid Olympics

When: Friday, July 4, 3pm to 9pm

Where: International School of Beijing

Why: It’s fun!

As a California native, what to do in the event of an earthquake has been engrained into my head since I could remember. But now that I’ve lived out of California for a few years, those safety precautions have been pushed to the back of my mind. The recent earthquake here in Beijing was a good reminder that it doesn’t matter where you are because earthquakes can happen anywhere at anytime. Therefore, brushing up on general rules for safety can never be a bad idea.

Former United Nations Disaster Mitigation expert Doug Copp and current Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of theAmerican Rescue Team International (ARTI) gives these tips for earthquake safety:

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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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I know, I know – this blog is a little early, but if you have a house similar to our house, reminders need to start popping up like daisies NOW. It takes weeks before the pop-up reminders are even noticed, so here’s hoping this blog strikes even one wakeful dad on the noggin.

If you’re from Spain, Belarus or the UK, you’ve had your turn. Stand back and make way for the rest of us. Mothers from Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malawi, Netherlands, New Zealand, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Turkey and the United States – unite!

Pounce on the silk frocks, stake your baubles at the jeweller, peg your antique armoire at Panjiayuan. Leave surreptitious notes or luxury ads torn from magazines in easy-to-spot places (through the loops of beer can lids for Dad, in the ice cream section of the freezer for the kids). Flaunt your bare, diamond-less earlobes. Scatter business cards from the best hotels in Beijing, offering the most luscious high teas and overnight packages, and leave the ice bucket conspicuously empty on the kitchen counter. Dream big, girl – BIG!

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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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Hello sunshine!

Well. Sort of. It seems that the warmer days are not necessarily heralding the appearance of a large shiny ball in the sky (remember that thing?). Nonetheless, it is with daily exuberance that I cast open the curtains each morning, living in hope. Sure, more often than not, my heart sinks down to my slippers while the kids tug at my pyjamas, begging to go to the beach.

Hmmm. There is a sandpit full of goodness-know-what at the base of our building… not quite the same. How depressing. And my depression is probably due to my lack of sun-exposure and not the fact that I can no longer fit into my bikini.

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Have you and your family witnessed the incredible while traveling within China? Want to share your vacation experience with others in Beijing? If so, let us know! tbjkids is looking for families who have traveled to amazing places in China to be featured in an upcoming issue.

See pictures of your awesome family vacation in the next tbjkids! Revisit your extraordinary memories on the pages of a magazine! Help out your fellow city-mates and neighbors by passing on useful travel tips to those who want to follow your lead.

If you have been to an amazing city in China and want to suggest it to other readers, e-mail editor@tbjkids.com by May 1 for a chance to be featured.

As summer approaches, many families may be traveling or relocating to other cities or countries. And hard as it may be to leave Beijing behind, even harder still it is to leave beloved pets. Not only can the process for obtaining exit and entry clearance for animals seem complicated and intimidating, but traveling with pets can be difficult for pet owners and equally difficult – if not traumatic – for the animals.

That is why the good people at the International Center for Veterinary Services are offering free information sessions for those with questions about:

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Shopping is a relative concept.

To one person, a good shop can mean getting in and out of Xin Yuan Li wet market in less than 5 minutes with three crates of mangoes and a barrel of almonds for less than US$10. For others, it cannot involve anything less than the short but satisfying slip of a credit card through the cash register at Prada in Shin Kong Place.

For me, as I’m sure for many expats, it’s no more and nothing less than finding what I cannot buy in Beijing. This includes (among many more) – aerosol deodorant, Cadbury Caramelo Koalas (although they have made a miraculous appearance in the PCP basement supermarket – joy!) and more-exotic-than-cornflakes breakfast cereal that doesn’t cost the price of a small car.

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I will never forget the day both my children turned one.

More than any of the precious birthday anniversaries to ensue, there is something about turning one that changes everything. It is a morphing from infanthood to childhood. It is a milestone time of enormous leaps and bounds. It is a time to celebrate an emerging personality and individuality, slowly unfurling and spreading its lanky legs into the world.

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