By accident! I had just qualified as a Montessori teacher. I was living in Japan at the time and was ready to move on. When the teaching job in Beijing came up, it just seemed right. Because I had traveled a lot in China, it was an easy decision to make.

 

 I read about The Children’s House on the website and was very interested. When I had my telephone interview it felt comfortable and I knew that working at The Children’s House was the right thing to do.

 

Yoga, cycling, meeting friends, reading, listening to music.

 

  

 A simple studio apartment with a lovely big window looking out over Beijing. You can even see the mountains on a clear day!

 

Working with the staff and children.

Where do you travel during the holidays?

Recently I have spent most of my holidays in Scotland and Europe.

  

China is developing rapidly and it is a very exciting time to be living in Beijing. Like most large cities, Beijing has its days of pollution. Apart from this, living here is comfortable and whatever you like to do, you can usually find it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Great recommendations of the city from close friends. I knew it was somewhere I'd love to live.

 

 Why did you choose to work at The Children's House?

 I was looking for a school which held and taught by similar values to those I think are important in education. I found the Children's House to be full of dedicated and passionate people who love their roles and work hard to really do all they can for the children of the school.

 

 Shop, swing dance, study, eat lots and lots of great Chinese and international food.

 

 

 The apartment building I live in is great. I love it. It has all the amenities needed; a grocery shop, gym, pool, tennis court etc. The complex always makes a real effort to celebrate the holidays and it is decorated very beautifully at Christmas and CNY with lights, lanterns, tinsel. My apartment is more than adequate for my needs and has all mod cons, with the exception of an oven (they are not very common in China). My kitchen does have a hob and microwave, but I find it is so cheap to eat out that I rarely cook. The internet is generally reliable and pretty fast.

 

The children who come to the school are from diverse backgrounds, which really appeals to me. Many are from homes which speak 2, 3 or even 4 different languages and have lived in various parts of the world. It's great to have such a relevant opportunity to teach and discuss different countries and people. The kids are all so different and it's fun to get to know them and their parents. Also, the teachers and staff are fabulously talented and lovely people. They also come from around the world and bring unique experience and qualities to each classroom.

 

 

 The markets -Ya Shaw, Silk Market. Once you've been here for a few weeks you get a good idea of what everything is worth and can get some brilliant bargains if you bargain hard!

  

No, I thought I would have to learn, but it has turned out that I have had little need or opportunity to learn/speak Chinese. I know enough to get around. I would say that everything essential is easy to pick up within the first couple of weeks.

 

 

 

 I chose to move to China because of my husband's career.

 

I chose The Children's House after I saw three other schools. I liked the environment, the methodology and the location.

 

I find life in Beijing very interesting. I love Beijing because you can not only travel through lanes enjoying old Beijing's cultural flavors (wonderful temples, gardens and parks) and listen to Peking Operas, but also chat with friends in western-style bars. The combination of eastern and western cultures makes the city very charming. The lovely and friendly people of Beijing make it even more wonderful place to live.

The traffic and pollution is a bit of a concern. Now that I have my son, I have started to worry a little bit more about pollution, before he was born I did not notice it so much.

What do you do in your spare time?

In my spare time I like to read, cook, shop and go out with my family and friends.

 

 

I live in a 2bdr. Apartment, 130sqm. The middle standard for foreigner requirements.  

 

The things that I enjoy most about working at the Children's House are:

Usually, we go home but we like to travel around China and South East Asia.

 

Sanlitun, Wan Fu Jing, Silk Alley, The Lady's Street, Hong Qiao Market.

Food - Carrefour, Jenny Lous.

 

Basic oral.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I have been visiting China since 1998 and lived in Hebei Province from 2000 to 2001.

After finishing my MA in Asian Studies, returning to China was a natural step for me.  I love living in Beijing and I believe it is one of the most fascinating cities in the world.

 

 The warmth and kindness of the staff, especially Head of School, Paula Zhou.

 

 

How do you find life in Beijing?

I am in love with the city and all it has to offer.  It can be tough at first but once you have made friends and know your way around, the city just opens up to you.

 

 Go out to eat with friends, visit new places in the city

 

 

 

 What is your accommodation like?

 I live in a very nice International apartment complex.  Very modern and comfortable.

 

The children of course!  I love working with a bunch of intelligent, multi-lingual and international little ones everyday!

 

 All over the country!

 

All over the place, if you have time to go and explore, the shopping here is never ending

Yes, I studied Chinese in Graduate school so I probably have about a mid-level fluency.  I love the language and it makes living in Beijing even more fun.

 

 

 

 

 

China had been to me a distant land full of mystery and beauty. English has been a life long passion, so when the opportunity came to teach English as a second language in Guangzhou Primary Schools, I tucked my degree and TESOL certificate under my arm and boarded the plane.

Some five years later, I was invited to Beijing to help inaugurate a Nursery class in a Montessori Kindergarten. To say I jumped at the chance to see language development in children exposed to multiple languages would hugely underestimate my enthusiasm.

 

Beijing is indeed an international city. There are frequent cultural performances from all over the world as well as from here. There is no shortage of whatever cuisine you prefer. It is easy and relatively cheap to get around and there are many expat magazines that aid you.

 

The traffic can be daunting and pedestrians are just beginning to gain some power. The air pollution can be bad. However, huge leaps are being taken to improve this.

 

I attend the Beijing International Christian Fellowship and help out in the Sunday School. There are many opportunities for recreation. In our apartment complex there is a gym and Olympic sized swimming pool. There are biking lanes and multiple parks. There are many spas and hot springs to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

Why did you choose to move to China? Beijing?
I came to China looking for a change, a new experience and a little adventure. China was especially appealing to me because of my cultural heritage. I knew that moving here would help me get in better touch with my roots and that it would cultivate within me a love for Chinese people and all things Chinese - a part of my identity that I had almost completely rejected before. Beijing worked out logistically: I knew it was English teaching heaven, it is one of the few places in China where my church has a branch, and I conveniently had a boyfriend here at the time to help me get set up. :)      


Why did you choose to work at The Children's House?
While I enjoyed teaching English immensely, I'd found the industry (especially here in Beijing) to be rather soulless. I was looking for a change when, through my best friend Jessamyn (a teacher at the China World campus), was introduced to the opportunity to work at The Children's House. I love teaching and children and the combination of the two integrated with the Montessori method (which appeals to my background in psychology) made it the right place for me to be.  

How do you find life in Beijing? (Include both positive and negative but remember that this will be published on our website.)
When asked "How do you like living in Beijing?" people are always surprised by my enthusiastic answer: "I love it!" Having moved here from Hawaii (otherwise known as paradise) there are lots of things that I could complain about and do on occasion like the weather, the pollution etc. However, I have made Beijing home for now and do thoroughly enjoy my life here. A big part of it is due to my love for the city. I love that it's bustling, alive and filled with people (though I find myself wishing this was more of a 24-hour city). There are days when I crave wide open spaces, mountains and the ocean, but I do genuinely enjoy tall buildings, public transportation, the crowds and the anonymity only a city has to offer. Having grown up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I feel much less inclined to complain about bad traffic - I believe Beijing might be an improvement in that sense.

Perhaps even larger than my love for the city is my love of being International. I enjoy being able to define my own culture while living here, being too Chinese to be completely foreign and too foreign to be Chinese. There is a strange sense belonging within the international community for people like me who don't have a strong sense of "home". Living in Beijing as a foreigner, I also get the best of both worlds financially: the comforts of home with the option of living cheap. On top of that, Beijing is an exciting place to be right now. With the Olympics coming up in 2008 and with the growing worldwide interest in China's economy, there are many others who are drawn to this place. People are constantly coming and going and I find that I meet so many interesting people here. China is kind of a social filter for me. Everyone that has chosen to come here automatically has something in common with me and they always have an interesting story to tell. It's a great place to build a network of friends from all over the world who are going places.


What do you do in your spare time?
Swing dance! Half a year ago I started taking classes for the Lindy Hop, a partner dance done to swing jazz music that originated in the 1920s. I absolutely love it and dance at every opportunity I get - which is every Monday evening and on the occasional Friday or Saturday. Talk to me if you'd like to come sometime. :-)

Church and swing dancing keep me pretty busy socially but when I have alone time to spare, I love to spend it at home on my computer (with my cats on my lap) doing geeky things like blogging (I spend a great deal of time writing posts: I love to write), tweaking my website, solving crossword puzzles and reading articles on Wikipedia. 


What are your average living expenses?
I am less careful with money than I would like to be though these are very generous estimates.

· Food - Living alone, it makes very little sense to cook so I always eat out. I can spend anywhere from ¥3 to ¥150 on a meal, depending on the company (I almost never spend more than ¥15 for a meal on my own). I budget about ¥1500 a month for food and that covers eating at nicer places with more affluent friends, occasionally treating friends to dinner and buying junk food / fruits / drinks to stock my house with.

· Rent - Less than ¥3000 a month including utilities (internet, phone, water, gas, electricity), cleaning supplies and the occasional Ayi.

· Transportation - ¥ 1000 a month (wasted mostly on cab rides when I'm running late or too lazy to subway or take the bus)

· Entertainment - Most of my social activity revolves around meals so it's mostly covered in my budget for transportation and food. However, there is the occasional party to throw, bowling, karaoke, or dancing to do, which never exceeds ¥500 a month, if that.

· Other - ¥150 a month on my cellphone and ¥150 a month for cat food and kitty litter for 3 cats.


What is your accommodation like?
I live in a newly renovated two-bedroom residential flat. There are no elevators, and I live at the top floor: this means I have to climb 7 flights of stairs (on a dark, narrow stairwell) to return home every day. The building itself isn't very well maintained and the other apartments aren't as comfortable as mine but I love my brief interaction with "real China" before returning to my little haven. I pay more for my apartment because it has been recently remodeled and because of its location. Living in the CBD with 2 bus stops and subway stops nearby (one of them being an interchange station) this is easily one of the most convenient locations transportation wise.


What do you enjoy most about work at The Children's House?
Hands down, the people: both the children and the staff. They make it a very happy place to be. There is a very personal touch to this place; you can sense the genuine love and concern everyone has for each other. The teachers care so much for the children both within their classroom and without and are personally invested in their progress. Working with children in and of itself is enough to make this job fulfilling and rewarding (they have so much love and smiles to share!) but being able to share the joy the children bring with the people that I work with makes it that much more special.


Where do you travel during the holidays?
Regretfully,  because of time and financial constraints, I haven't traveled very much at all. I return home to Malaysia every Christmas to spend my holiday with them and I go to PingQuan, a small town 5 hours north east of Beijing in the HeBei province that I now consider my "hometown" in China to teach English or visit the children when I can. I'm hoping to travel a little bit more this summer.

Where do you go shopping?
I've found that I don't enjoy shopping here very much because I dislike bargaining and always feel ripped off at the end of the day.. However, if I need clothes or shoes, I will usually go to the Silk Market because it's just across the street from my house. As far as I'm concerned the cheaper the better. I seek out wholesale markets that Chinese people shop at and love to buy things off vendors on the street and my cheapest clothes were bought from the street corner across the street from China World (on the way to JianWai Soho). For example, the coat I wore all winter only cost me RMB50.


Do you speak Chinese?
I speak, read and write about 3rd grade level Chinese (I think). Growing up in Malaysia, I had the opportunity to attend a Chinese elementary school where everything was taught in Chinese. Till today I still do multiplication in Chinese. Being exposed to it from an early age, I learned it as a first language and don't struggle with grammar or pronunciation like other second-language Chinese speakers might. However, because I only ever used my Chinese in school and stopped after turning 12, I'd forgotten most of the Chinese I'd learned until I came to China and was forced to re-learn/recall what I needed to use here. Needless to say, I have a very limited vocabulary and often struggle to express myself clearly outside of ordering food or giving directions to the taxi driver but I can actually read and understand the menu, understand almost all of what cab drivers say to me and can pass off as southern Chinese if I don't say too much – and as long as that means that I get quoted the local price when shopping, that's fine by me!