I visit Australia once or twice a year, always enjoying the fresh air, the endless catch-ups and the totally drinkable tap water. But on my last trip I just couldn’t shake the feeling of not fitting in. Instead of being grounded and happy, I felt displaced and ill at ... Read More
I find guanxi (关系）completely intriguing, that interconnectedness between humans here in China which passes around us like an invisible river of mercury, swirling around the city in ways we can’t see or understand. I didn’t understand guanxi at all to start with—it seemed like another word ... Read More
Anthropologist David Foote hopes to uncover the real identity of expat families in Shanghai.
Our families and friends are irreplaceable, right? Of course they are. Yet when we arrive in a foreign city we slowly build a group of new friends, colleagues and acquaintances that become our “Shanghai family”—a ... Read More
Doctor and mother of two Fiona Reilly tells us how hiring a yuesao can help new mothers alleviate the workload.
After a Chinese friend gave birth recently, I was intrigued to find she had employed a specialized live-in attendant to help with the baby. Although well known to new Chinese ... Read More
Chinese can be intimidating, but learning the language might be just one step away. Read on to hear about resident City Weekend writer Fiona Rielly's quest to master Hanyu.
Like many foreigners living in China, I have a love-hate relationship with the Chinese language. I want so desperately to ... Read More
Increase your vegetable, fruit and nut intake by giving the raw food diet a try:
Before I met Kimberley Ashton, I had no idea what a raw food diet entailed, except that it sounded kind of crunchy, green and unlikely to appeal to small children.
Ashton, a Shanghai nutrition consultant ... Read More
Being nervous about a new school year is normal. CW parenting expert and mother of two, Fiona Reilly, explains how parents can help kids deal with their anxiety.
School’s back! This is an exciting time for children in Shanghai–seeing old friends again, finding new ones and meeting new ... Read More
One of my biggest complaints about raising kids in Shanghai is its lack of green spaces. With our lease up in a few months, Luca and I are exploring the idea of forsaking downtown apartment living for a suburban house with a garden.
“Garden houses are attractive to many expatriate ... Read More
Round up the kids and take them on a Hunagpu River Cruise. Researchers in the UK have found that merely living near water helps brighten your mood. And, if there is one thing that Shanghai has in spades, it’s water. With The Bund promenade now shipshape, it makes a ... Read More
Make your kid feel über hip and bring out their artistic side at the Apple store’s summer camp for kids. The free three-day workshops teach children, ages 8-12, how to create movies using the in-store computers. Children will learn how to storyboard a movie, shoot footage and edit frames ... Read More
How to host a stress-free party for your baby's first birthday
My mother recently asked me if I had sent out my "Save the Date" reminders for my son's first birthday party. Save the date? It's a birthday party that Tanner won't remember, what's all ... Read More
Rediscovering an adult hangout through a child's eyes
One of the many hats we wear as parents is the "All-Inclusive Court Jester and Constant Entertainer." Now that Tanner is reaching the one-year mark, his "awake times" are a lot longer and he needs more than a whirring, buzzing plastic ... Read More
Finding preschool options in Shanghai
Iwas returning to school when they asked me, "So what school is your son going to?" "Oh he's only 10-months-old," I replied. "Precisely," they said, without blinking an eye. Oh. I thought 3 was the earliest age for school. However, I have now found ... Read More
Exchanging your extra “stuff” online via Freecycle
As I was cleaning out our closets to get ready for the change in seasons (hard to believe, yeah?), I was amazed by the amount of things I have accumulated in one short year. I had no idea that adding one more little ... Read More
Summer's over–it's time to get your kids ready for the big day
It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating with "End of School" parties and excitedly sharing our summer plans, and now here I am writing a "Back to School" column. While I was a teacher ... Read More
Mothers get involved in order to help out the community
The Shanghai mom community is a subculture that is so much more than just a group of moms chit-chatting over lunch. Once you have a child, you become much more sensitive to the plight of children around the world. Something ... Read More
Getting the kids to behave while maintaining your sanity
As any parent who has been to the Bastiaan Bakery & Konditorei knows, the bunnies outside are a great hit with the kids. I was having lunch there the other day and noticed a little boy to my left, screaming to get ... Read More
Finding vacation spots minus the jetlag
When I decided to become a stay-at-home mom, I imagined packing my little family up and jetting off to far away destinations for a quick getaway. However, in reality, my life has become quite the contrary. Now that Tanner's eight months old there ... Read More
Finding just the right gift for Dad this Father's Day
Watching my son rolling around on the floor with my husband just brings a smile to my face, as I see my husband let go of all the stress from work and spend time being a kid again. This ... Read More
Get prepared to avoid the summertime boredom blues
It's hard to believe that it's that time of year again. This lovely spring time weather seemed like it would never come, but it's finally here... which leads me to start thinking about what's coming up--summer! Summer means ... Read More
Balancing the social dynamics of sibling rivalry
A few of my friends have either had their second babies or are about to. Usually after the big "Congrats!" and "You look great!" comments, the next question is, "So how's the older one taking it?" A new baby is a huge ... Read More
Getting kids of all ages to enjoy meal time
Recently, I celebrated one of the most unforgettable moments in parenthood--watching my son take his triumphant first bites of solid food. As he opened his mouth like a little baby bird and gulped down the mushy goodness, I realized a whole ... Read More
Eco-friendly children's consumables come to Shanghai
So it seems like everywhere I turn these days everyone is talking about "green." Let's go green, let's be green-Cit was just St. Patrick's Day and everything was green. Even on the bottom of my husband's emails it says ... Read More
Making sure to keep Dad's place when he's away
I saw a commercial the other day while in the U.S.: A little boy is eating an Oreo cookie. Next you see his dad, also eating an Oreo. While it seems that the father and son are in ... Read More
Where did all these allergies come from?
Before I moved to Shanghai I always felt bad for the people who suffered from springtime hayfever symptoms: runny noses, itchy eyes and non-stop sneezing. However, during my first spring here I noticed that I too was plagued by horrible allergies. This is ... Read More