Before we moved to Beijing, I set writing goals for myself. One of those goals was to write at least one article for beijngkids, now Jingkids International.
See, in the months and years leading up to the move, my husband’s company had given us copies of the magazine for research. Most of my thick relocation binder consisted of pages I’d torn out of their Home and Relocation Guide or School Choice Guide. Reading the issues on healthy eating and new trends in arts education prepared me for a much fuller, more vibrant family life in Beijing than any tourism website ever could’ve provided.
I saw alternatives to dairy yogurt, important for a family with various dietary needs. I found photos of green spaces surrounded by old murals or families playing sports, a sharp contrast to the more familiar skyscrapers often seen in travel brochures. The pages of the magazine and website reflected the kind of exciting life we wanted for our kids, where they would be challenged to learn a new language and find their way through another culture’s customs. We saw families from all over the world, living and working and learning and playing in the city we would soon call our own.
I got to know the different schools by feverishly studying the School Choice Guide, eliminating some schools by location, and marking others for future tours. When any question arose on the school process, my first stop was the Jingkids archives.
And when I returned to Beijing in July 2020 after being stranded, I had a story brewing about preparing for quarantine with kids. I looked up Managing Editor Mina Yan’s WeChat, pitched it to her, and within three weeks had a job offer as Deputy Managing Editor. (There were many steps in between, of course, but it felt like a whirlwind to me.)
I’m not sure I can properly describe the hole this job filled in my life, or how it caused my entire self to expand. I’d been working from home for over a decade, with stops and starts as my kids came into the picture and my husband’s job demanded more of his energy: The “Mom Gap,” I’ve heard it called. And here came a job that wasn’t scared of how I’d pieced together a freelance life, but embraced it, wanted it.
And wanted me to write about it.
Me and Mina Yan, Managing Editor and faithful believer in me.
From that moment on, every part of my life in Beijing became a mystery to solve. I thought back to how much I’d depended on Jingkids to steer me in the right direction when it came to events and schools. What aspects of daily life did people like me need help navigating? How could I turn my obsession with WeChat groups into useful, engaging stories that Beijing families would want to read and share? What do I wish I had known before I moved here and after? What aspects of parenting are magnified when you’re an expat, specifically here? Everything around me became a possible article.
And you, dear readers, joined me on this journey. Whether you saw me struggle through school WeChat groups, navigating a rare allergy in a different country, making a school choice checklist, finding new ways to connect with the school community over livestream, searching for the best Beijing birthday party, investigating whether to leave China this summer or celebrating kids who know no gender binaries – all of this has been for you.
My kids even got to be on our March/April 2021 cover and inside spread!
Most writers dread the comments section, and I’ve had my share of those days. But what made any day worth it was the private messages of support, or thanks for tackling a weird topic, or those of you who considered a subject differently because of something I wrote. Even, and especially, everyone who challenged me in some way or pointed out something I missed; everything I write is better thanks to you.
My family’s time in Beijing feels much too short. I still have so many stories and lessons and questions from our time here, and I hope this isn’t goodbye forever. Our family will repatriate this July, which means leaving my job in the capable hands of our new Deputy Managing Editor Vivienne Tseng-Rush. It will be hard to leave but easier knowing how our circle of friends and readers has grown during our time in Beijing.
Of course, there are so many things I didn’t get to do, yet I treasured every single moment here, even if it’s getting kicked off the grass at a park – because I got to share it with you.
KEEP READING: Super Size Me: Moving Abroad Gave Me Body Issues
Images: Uni You, the Grand Mercure Hotel
