Safety

With all the devastation surrounding Sichuan’s earthquake, once again people are reminded how fragile and precious life is.

While our families have been fortunate enough to escape this terrible tragedy, there are many who have not been so lucky. The despair and loss families are going through right now is hard to contemplate. Those of us safe in Beijing can certainly mourn, pray and help in whatever way we can, but what we can also do is prepare. Prepare ourselves for the possible event of tragedy in our own lives – in ways that can protect our families and ensure the best possible outcome should we face any kind of devastation – from earthquakes to simple accidents in the home.

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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 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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According to local media, Beijing's Municipal Health Bureau announced (original in Chinese here) that between Jan 1 and May 12 this year, there have been 3,606 cases of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and one case of someone dying from the disease. They stress that the main cause of the fatality is that the child was not taken to a hospital in time to receive medical attention. There was also one other death from HFMD in Beijing, but, because the patient traveled from Hebei to Beijing for treatment, Beijing’s health authorities are not including the death in Beijing’s statistics. Currently Chaoyang, Fengtai and Changping are the three districts with the most cases of the disease.

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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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After three years of searching and four offers that didn’t pan out, I’m happy to announce that we have finally bought a home of our own. Unfortunately, we have purchased this home in presumably the worst time to buy property in Beijing – a time when CBD apartment prices are at an all-time high, and real estate agents are so desperate, they’re hanging out in droves outside of properties trying to hawk homes to just about any one who passes by.

Despite our bad timing, we’re taking consolation in assuming that real estate prices will continue to rise (even after the Olympics) and feel slightly vindicated that we will no longer deal with unpredictable landlords and broken-down furnishings—we can finally assume full control (more or less) of our living environment.

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A damning report – Chinese parents favor foreign-brand toys – has recently revealed that middle-class parents in China are shunning Chinese toys in favour of foreign brand names.

Hot on the heels of the recent lead paint scandal which rocked the Chinese toy industry, the report by the Associated Press showed that parents aren't willing to take chances with Chinese toys.

Indeed, more and more parents are turning away from traditional wooden toys and buying their children Danish Lego blocks, American Barbie dolls and Transformer figures from Japan. It's not something that's happening on a small scale, either- in many of Beijing's mall toy stores, foreign toy labels take up far more shelf space than the home-grown brands.

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