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.
Hola, I am Ola. I have been living in Beijing for almost six years. By now it is my home away from home. It’s been an exciting journey with the people I’ve met, the relationships I’ve built and the children I adopted… four-legged children…
Along with my partner and two superwomen, we are trying to grow awareness for unfortunate animals. And some lucky ones we help find loving homes.
The bag I’ve chosen or rather the bag that chose me… is old but there is no other bag I’d be cruising through Beijing with. If a stranger would ever open my bag, the door to Narnia would be discovered… sometimes I lose myself in there.
Things I carry with me are as follows. My glasses, for better vision. Several lip balms because I always forget that I already have one. Dental floss. Allergy tablets since I’m allergic to everything under the sun. Reusable coffee cup. Zero waste bag for those unexpected panic shopping sessions. Instant noodles 1xpack (really looking forward to chow down on it). Subway card with pictures of my boys to remind me of my unit waiting back home and many more things that would help my survival on a deserted island.
All jokes aside this bag has been with me through thick and thin – from sleeping on a bus stop in a foreign country to visiting my family after long separation. It’s my trusty travel companion. Who knows what will be added to the contents of the bag, but I am excited to find out what else can fit in there.
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 Ola
