Beijing’s an urban jungle, and in any jungle, we need tools to survive and thrive. As urban jungle dwellers, we’ve managed to blend practicality with style, resulting in the modern bag. Here, form meets function, and what looks stylish and fashionable on the outside contains all our essential survival tools on the inside. Inspired by this, we ask expats each week, “What’s in your bag?” and get insights into which essentials they keep on hand when out and about in the capital city.
My name is Polina Gumbu, I’m 31 years old and have lived in Beijing since 2007. I’m an entrepreneur and a business owner of a Wakanaka skin care brand focusing on natural skin care. I’m a mom to two beautiful daughters, Hannah (6) and Mia (5 months old), and have a small dog – my furry baby.
Life in Beijing is an amazing journey, with so much to discover, learn and experience. As business owners, we travel between Beijing, Qingdao, and other cities in China to attend different events and international expos, so I need to be always ready to have all I need in my bag. That includes random kid’s things showing up in my bag from time to time. Also with so much traveling, I choose to be comfortable so I can easily move around. I usually wear very little make-up and jewelry as well.
I love this particular bag because it is big and can fit so much! The leather is a deep red color and it’s very strong and can survive anything!
I carry my journal with me to write down my thoughts, ideas, and just important information on a daily basis.
I also always have my wallet with me, I have my business cards, passport, and my kids’ passports just in case. Yes, it all fits in there – it’s a super wallet.
I always have a toy for small baby, and coloring book with a few crayons for my oldest in my bag, and probably a few snacks as well.
I always carry Wakanaka hand butter in my bag to prevent dryness on my own hands as well as my children’s. It’s easy to carry and lasts a long time because of the richness of the hand butter, plus lots of benefits from the natural ingredients it’s made of.
And I have my keys with me: this keychain I carry has been with me since the day I arrived in China. It holds keys to seven houses that I lived in during this time. Hopefully, it will be with me for many more years as a great memory of China and the other places I’ve been.
Want to share your Beijing survival tools with us? Shoot us an email at editor@beijing-kids.com, message our official Jingkids WeChat account (ID: beijing-kids), or leave a comment below!
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Images: Courtesy of Polina Gumbu
