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.
I’m Taz, teacher and entrepreneur from South Africa who now calls Beijing home. Time has flown by so quickly and I’ve recently celebrated my 5 year China-versary. I moved to Beijing for better career prospects, found love and started FeedHer with my partner Jamie in 2020. It was started as a way to make expats feel more at home during the initial stages of the pandemic. We won the Kente & Silk Beijing Africa Week startup competition which opened the doors to connect with many creatives in Beijing.
FeedHer has since evolved into much more as we’ve included home items and began to showcase more of my life here as an educator. As I am a firm believer in positive feedback for students, we’ve included that in our products with the recent addition of our customizable teacher stamps which are always in my bag!
Along the way here in Beijing we’ve adopted three cats (crazy, I know) named Lily, Oliver, and Kenji. And our most recent addition to the family is a foster fail from Furry Tails; a puppy named Harrison. Beijing has given me a crazy amount of gifts that I am immensely grateful for.
Speaking of gifts, being a primary school teacher, whose birthday fell at the beginning of the academic year I was gifted this awesome backpack. Coincidentally it was exactly the same as a close friend and colleague’s. So as not to run the risk of being labeled twins, I put off wearing it and I’m so sorry that I waited this long to make good use of it, because it is truly amazing!
There’s enough space to fit the essentials and some. It also has relatively long handles that could be used for carrying when my shoulders have had their fair share. And not to mention the pockets; it aids my need to be organized and have a space for everything. A surprise feature was that it sports a charging port which helps for the days when you’ve forgotten to charge your devices.
Now let’s take a closer look at just how I make use of all of the space. In no particular order, I give you – all things you never knew you needed, or perhaps you did.
* Laptop – I’ve been carting this home from work throughout most of the pandemic because you never know when we’ll need it for online teaching
* Coffee mug – getting my caffeine fill and reducing my carbon footprint with my reusable mug.
* TWS Journal – it gives me clarity and helps me stay organized whilst having a pretty cool layout for busy minds
* Pencil bag – yet another gift filled with my favorite fine liner pens, ballpoint pens, erasers and even some washi tape
* Trusty black pouch – it’s well worn and is my on-the-go pharmacy. Allergy medication, cotton buds, and plasters to name but a few. You need it, I’ve probably got it.
* Mask & tissues – these are must-haves that fill my side pockets.
* Teacher stamps – great for personalized feedback if I happen to take work home for marking
* Snacks – you never know when you’ll need a pick me up. I interchange with whatever is in the pantry but nuts and fruit chews are staples
* AirPod – good vibes & noise cancellation = max focus
* Sunglasses – these are pretty nifty magnetic sunglasses that fit on my prescription frames
Items not pictured, but I’d be lost caught without them: my umbrella because the weather is unpredictable, my Carmex lip balm along with keys & teacher card lanyard.
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!
Images: Courtesy of Tazneem Jakoet
