Tim Sutton and Prue Harman are from New Zealand, but each of their three kids was born in a different country. Max (age 12) was born in Jordan and attends Side by Side’s day program. Tashi (age 7) is from Bhutan and was adopted by the Suttons when they lived there, while Lizzie (age 7) was born in Fiji. Harman works at The British School of Beijing in Sanlitun, where Tashi and Lizzie attend school. Tim is a deputy representative at UNICEF. This multinational family has been living in Beijing for two and a half years.
Favorite Family Restaurant
Cafe Flat White at the Tayuan DRC. Our children are not very good at waiting, so we phone ahead and the food is waiting for us when we arrive! The staff are great and know exactly how our children like various dishes.
Best Place to Play Outdoors
The playground and park at the Tayuan DRC. Max loves playing in the water fountain (even though the guards tell him he shouldn’t!) while the girls rollerblade and ride their bikes.
Favorite Day Trip
Exploring the villages and countryside near Mutianyu
Favorite Weekend Activities
We take family bike rides through the hutongs or go sailing at Aofan Sailing Club at Olympic Rowing Park.
Date Night
The Big Smoke Bistro
Rainy Day Activity
We go ice skating at Le Cool ice rink at China World Trade Center.
Best Place to Play Indoors
Tashi and Lizzie love Fundazzle.
Favorite Places to Shop
For the kids, Decathlon and Uniqlo. For us, Kipanddan in the alley behind Yashow Market for clothes. They have gorgeous materials and designs.
Kids Beg Us to Go
See the acrobats at Chaoyang Theater
Favorite Neighborhood
The hutongs around the Drum and Bell Towers in Gulou
photo by Lova
This article originally appeared on p96 of the beijingkids September 2013 issue.
Check out the PDF version online at Issuu.com
