Living in Changping
So often when we are home in the US, and we tell people we live in Beijing, we are asked about the Great Wall. I mention that we can see it from our kitchen on a clear day, which is normally met with declarations of "So cool!" or similar adjectives. The funny thing is that if we were to use the Great Wall as a landmark to describe where in Beijing we lived to other foreigners in Beijing, they would respond with twisted faces, and something more along the lines of "Ewww." Far from imported food groceries, wineshops, and International communities, Changping is not considered to be a desirable place to live.
I've long since made peace with our living so far outside of the more civilized (Starbucks-filled) areas of Beijing. For me it really has been a peace-making decision, especially since we left a pretty good living situation in Shenzhen. That is, after the first year and a half above the street of ill-repute. Our reward for living in Changping in less-than-desirable environs are trips home to the US and opportunities to travel within China and twice to Europe. I can accept that.
In July's beijing kids, one of the cover features is about families who choose to live outside the usual expat neighborhoods. Two of the featured families are friends of ours in Changping; the Abairs who have enjoyed their two years in Changping, and the Driggars who have positively thrived in my neighborhood.
In the same issue, my column Alternate Routes discusses how Myles found new motivation to learn Chinese this last year.
What is 植物大战僵尸, and how was it able to convince Myles he needed to know more Chinese? Follow the link and find out.
In July's beijing kids, one of the cover features is about families who choose to live outside the usual expat neighborhoods. Two of the featured families are friends of ours in Changping; the Abairs who have enjoyed their two years in Changping, and the Driggars who have positively thrived in my neighborhood.
In the same issue, my column Alternate Routes discusses how Myles found new motivation to learn Chinese this last year.
In the last year, we noticed a change in Myles’ approach to Chinese lessons. I had to nag him less frequently about completing his written homework; instead, he started begging to practice new characters after each session. He was also initiating conversations in Chinese with friends and sometimes even strangers on the subway.
The reason behind this change? Playing 植物大战僵尸 (Zhíwù dàzhàn jiāngshī).
Comments