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April 2017

Here comes Rugby Sevens!

Our guide to the big event

Travelling India

Taj and the Raj with kids

Easter feasters

Best holiday brunch spots in town

Holiday fun

Cool things to do this spring break

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CONTENTs 2

48

Me & my hobby

Welcome to spring.

Big adventures with Harriet Martin.

4 Contributors

50

Life & Style News

Meet the team.

All the latest news for stylish Hong Kongers.

6

Editor’s letter

ISSUE 036

School photos

Educational fun and frolics from across Hong Kong.

54

Life & Style

Rugging up.

8

What’s on

60

Health & Wellness

It’s all about the big events, plus catch up with Mum about Town.

Plus the mindful moments.

64

Food news

14 News

Goings on this month.

16 Giveaways

Loads of free stuff.

18

Debate of the month

Easter make-and-bake.

14

66 Food Best Easter brunches in town.

22

70

Big day out

High Island reservoir.

Teens at Sevens - what are the boundaries?

72 Travel

20

Following the spice trail in northern India.

Book review

Author interviews and new releases.

22

My Hong Kong

Tripping the light fantastic with Sonia Lee Nazzer.

24

The big interview

42

Modern family

Pushing the boundaries.

32 Cover story Everything you need to know about Sevens.

38

School news

New schools and other happenings.

42

Open day

Flailing spouse

Pretty as a picture.

54

Dame Barbara Stocking on gender bias.

28

80

70

Easter camp special.

Scan and visit our website expat-parent.com

72

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editor’s message who’s in charge?

Publisher Tom Hilditch tom@fastmedia.com.hk

Editorial editorial@fastmedia.com.hk Editor-in-Chief Shreena Patel

Editor Carolynne Dear

Senior Staff Writer Eric Ho

Contributing editor Annie Wong

Design cindy@fastmedia.com.hk Design Manager Cindy Suen

T

his month I’ve been pondering the world of work and what it means for our kids. I’ve been told by countless educationalists recently that many traditional jobs will no longer exist by the time my own cherubs finally fly the family nest, and youngsters must have a whole range of new skills under their belts. To be honest I’m not entirely sure what this means in reality, but as I was commuting into work one morning, a story popped up in my news feed about just this issue. It maintained that future working practices will revolve around virtual technology and we will all be able to freelance from wherever we want. The lead image was of a lithe young thing on a beach in a bikini and virtual headgear. Apparently she was in her “office”, but actually sunbathing.

Which of course sounded marvellous.

But in reality I suspect trying to join a virtual office as a parent will be more like poor old Professor Robert Kelly, attempting to discuss “important work issues” while our kids gambole through the spare room. And I think this is exactly what we need more of when discussing future working practices - a good dose of reality. It looks like our own children will be confronting the same work/social/family conundrum that we do today - just as our mothers did before us. I was privileged to be able to interview women’s advocate Dame Barbara Stocking this month, whose research suggests equality in the workplace has stalled and women are still being left to scoop up family demands while men plough ahead in their careers. In a civilised society of course this needs to change. Read more about what she had to say about gender bias from school level upwards on page 26.

On a lighter note, we have heaps of camp ideas to keep littlies busy over the school break, plus two expat mums tell all about their great adventures in Bhutan and Borneo. We’re here to inform and inspire, we hope you enjoy the issue!

Graphic Designer Anna Schulteisz

Sales & Marketing ads@fastmedia.com.hk Sales Director Oliver Simons

Sales and Marketing Executive Maria Jones

Sales and Marketing Executive Egbert Cheung

Sales and Marketing Executive Bonnie Li

Digital Marketing PA to the Publisher charmaine@fastmedia.com.hk amanda@fastmedia.com.hk Digital Marketing Manager Charmaine Mirandilla

Office Security

PA to the Publisher Amanda Chia

Peace Keepers

Cat the dog

Fish & Chips

Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ expatparenthk And on Instagram #expatparenthk Contact us Admin: 3568 3722 | Editorial: 2776 2773 | Advertising: 2776 2772

about the cover Our cover photo this month was shot by photo enthusiast Paul Chen. Paul has two boys currently playing with the Stingrays U11 and U14. Paul enjoys capturing moments of Stingrays kids in action with their smiley faces.

Published by Fast Media Ltd, L1 Kai Wong Commercial Building, 222 Queens Road Central, Hong Kong Printer Apex Print Limited, 11-13 Dai Kwai Street, Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Po, Hong Kong

www.fastmedia.com.hk Expat Parent is published by Fast Media Limited. This magazine is published on the understanding that the publishers, advertisers, contributors and their employees are not responsible for the results of any actions, errors and omissions taken on the basis of information contained in this publication. The publisher, advertisers, contributors and their employees expressly disclaim all and any liability to any person, whether a reader of this publication or not, in respect of any action or omission by this publication. Expat Parent cannot be held responsible for any errors or inaccuracies provided by advertisers or contributors. The views herein are not necessarily shared by the staff or publishers. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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contributors

Adele Brunner

Theresa Briscoe

Kate Farr

...is our fabulous life and style guru. This month Adele met up with rug designer Nayla Ventura, a lady on a mission to line Hong Kong’s homes with gorgeous floor pieces - see page 58.

Adele is a regular design contributor to the South China Morning Post and is a past-editor of Expat Parent. When she’s not writing, she’s a busy mum and unpaid taxi driver to three sport-loving children.

...put together this month’s Travel feature.

Theresa is originally from Sydney and arrived in Hong Kong in 2013 with her husband and three children. She and her family LOVE travel and every trip has to tick the family’s boxes relaxation for her husband and adventure for the kids. And for her? “We always come home with a reminder of our travels - they make great talking pieces and memories at home.”

… really took one for the team this month - she rolled up her sleeves and set to work uncovering the best choccy Easter brunches in town. Find out how she went on page 66. Kate also put together an entirely useful revision guide for all those students heading to the exam hall this spring - see page 42.

She’s a freelance writer and editor and cofounder of editorial agency, Editor’s Ink (www. editorsinkhk.com). Follow her @accidental_tt.

Want to write for Expat Parent Magazine? Contact editorial@fastmedia.com.hk

Where Early Years Matter !"!#$%&'($)&'($ Streams: English and Bilingual Age: 12 months to 6 years

Address: Tower 18 Parkview,

88 Tai Tam Reservoir Road, HK Tel: 2812 6023 Fax: 2812 2938

!"!#$%&'(&&)$

Streams: Bilingual and Trilingual Age: 12 months to 6 years

IB Au t h o r is Wo r ld ed Scho o ls

Address: Podium Level, Kowloon Station

1 Austin Road West, Kowloon.

Tel: 2812 6801

Fax: 2812 6201

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栢基國際幼稚園暨幼兒園 4 expat-parent.com

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expat-parent.com 5

school photos French International School

The French International School celebrates Kindness Week with lots of fun activities

ESF Glenealy School

ESF Glenealy School has taken part in an exciting graffiti art workshop.

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school photos Canadian International School

The CDNIS U20 boys football team, the Timberwolves, have been crowned All Hong Kong Schools Jing Ying Football Champions. Congratulations!

English Schools Foundation

ESF and Real Madrid Foundation joined forces to offer football and basketball camps at King George V School.

expat-parent.com 7

what’s on

Hong Kong’s fabulous public pools are back open this month - cool off and chill out, they’re one of the best value family summer activities out there! From April 1.

UNTIL APR 17

Pastello Draw-Act Join the fun at Harbour City as youngsters are invited to don crayon helmets, shoes and other wacky gear and get creative. Midday-6pm, The Atrium, G/F, Harbour City.

UNTIL MAY 28

Disney Friends Springtime Carnival Hong Kong Disneyland’s first-ever character-themed springtime celebration.

Join the Springtime Processional every afternoon, plus hunt for over 100 Easter eggs scattered throughout the park. www. hongkongdisneyland.com

UNTIL MAY 31 Afternoon tea

The Langham is hosting a Blooming Afternoon Tea in its Palm Court Lobby, featuring floralthemed pastries from executive chef Matthieu Godard. The Langham, Kowloon, $348/person, $598 for two, reservations at 2132 7898.

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APR 1

APR 1

A global event taking place in cities from Brighton to Budapest, Bilbao to Bangalore (and Hong Kong). Don’t forget your pillow.

11-11.30am, Chater Garden, Central, globally organised by The Urban Playground Movement, www.pillowfightday.com.

Isara Deano and Johnny Maverick (of Mavericks restaurant fame) present Hong Kong’s very own Ska and soul band, playing for the first time on Lantau. Following successful gigs at Clockenflap and Beertopia, the band will be taking to the stage at Cafe Isara, Scenic Crest, Mui Wo. 6-11pm, $100, www.ticketflap.com.

Seventh Hong Kong International Pillow Fight Day

APR 1

The Red Stripes - Island Vibes

Flex Teen Open House Calling all teens! Enjoy free classes, gift bags and postural screenings with Dr Gillian Tsang at Flex Studio for one day only. Try yoga, aerial fitness, aerial yoga, aerial arts or pilates. For ages six and up (depending on the activity), info@flexhk.com, Shops 308310, One Island South, 2 Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen, www.flexhk.com

Team fitness at Flex studio, April 1.

tell me more

mum about town

Beach 5s is back, April 1- 2.

APR 1

April Fool’s Day Be prepared for practical jokes and mischievous pranks!

APR 1

Public pools open It’s warming up, so dig out your bathers and head to one of Hong Kong’s many public pools. www.lcsd.gov.hk

APR 1

HKIS World’s Fair The annual Hong Kong International School Worlds Fair is back, celebrating cultural diversity in Hong Kong with international food, shopping and entertainment. This year, to mark the school’s 50th anniversary, the fair will have a “vintage HKIS” theme, transporting visitors to the Hong Kong of yesteryear. Free, 11am-3pm, HKIS High School, 1 Red Hill Road, Tai Tam, www.hkis.edu.hk

APR 1-2

Borrelli Walsh Beach 5s The Beach 5s is back for two days of fun and games. Enjoy men’s, women’s and kid’s rugby, netball and dodgeball, plus new comp the the Neymar Jr’s Five. This five-a-side tournament is inspired by street football, each time you score, the opposition loses a player. Plus live DJ, food, drink and shopping. Free, 9am-6pm, Repulse Bay Beach, www.beach5shk.com.

APR 2

Sai Kung Sunday Market Featuring more than 40 vendors offering artisanal foods, fine wines, locally farmed organic vegetables, handmade clothing, accessories and homeware. Free, 9am-4pm, Hong Kong Academy, 33 Wai Man Road, Sai Kung, www.saikungmarkets.com.

APR 4

Ching Ming Festival Public holiday for the tomb-sweeping festival (see page 12 for details).

APR 6

Pop-up shop A range of local businesses will be show-casing their wares - including bed linens, dresses, gifts and food - at popular restaurant Cena, with coffee and prosecco for all shoppers. 11am-4pm, Cena, 9 Sha Tsui Path, Sai Kung.

Muddy fun at Spartan, April 22.

Bubbles and balls Rugby balls, that is. I have been extremely fortunate this month to have been invited to the Christina Noble Foundation Sevens Long Lunch on April 7. This lively event is held every year on “Sevens Friday” and in-keeping with the rugby theme, invites a host of players along to perform and generally act as official “eye candy”. The lunch is massive fun and the fashions are quite phenomenal. But most importantly it also raises a huge amount of money for under-privileged children across Asia and this year there will be a live pledge to support a water pump project in Vietnam. Charity, champagne and a few sparkles? What more of an incentive does a girl need? CNCF Ladies’ Long Lunch, April 7, 12.30-3.30pm, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Member Stand I, 3/F, Happy Valley Racecourse, tickets $1,800, www.cncf.org.hk.

Bouncing beans Back for a third year, Hard As Nayls - Clearwater Bay’s “toughest running event” - is being held on April 29 & 30. It was set up as a memorial event for popular local runner and resident Andy Naylor, who tragically passed away during an ironman triathlon in 2012. The four and eight km family races take place on Saturday April 29, and the 16 and 42km adult races on Sunday April 30. The course winds its way over the mountain trails, roads and beaches of Clearwater Bay with great views. While I’m not quite up to the 42km challenge, I have signed my littlies up for the family events. We placed quite nicely last year, with a well-positioned jelly bean stop halfway round and beers and BBQ at the finish line. A great community-led event, sign up now at www.hardasnayls.org.

Running fun Continuing with the running theme while the weather is cool enough, Spartan is back - but this time with a kids race. My under 10s are chomping at the bit to get going on the obstacle-laden course on April 22 - they’re hoping for lots of muddy fun with a medal at the end.

Open to kids under 13, the race promises to be a great day out as competitors jump, crawl and run along the courses laid out in Kam Tin Country Park. Parental support is very much encouraged. My husband will be taking part in the adult race, although I suspect the fired up kids may pip him at the post. Race categories include four year olds, five to seven years, eight to ten and 11-13. Sign up at www.spartanrace.hk. expat-parent.com 9

what’s on APR 7-9

Hong Kong Rugby Sevens Rugby madness descends on Hong Kong for three days of tries, tackles and copious amounts of beer. If you’re heading to the South Stand, don’t forget your fancy dress costume.

Hong Kong Stadium, 55 Eastern Hospital Road, So Kon Po, www.hksevens.com

APR 9

Discovery Bay Sunday Market Hosted by Handmade Hong Kong, expect to browse arts, crafts and special goods. Fun day out for all the family with plenty of dining options in Discovery Bay Plaza. Free, 11am6pm, Discovery Bay Plaza, Discovery Bay, www.handmadehongkong.com.

APR 9

Rugby Sevens is back, April 7-9.

APR 14

Good Friday Public holiday (and the start of a four-day weekend!)

Empowerment hike Join mountaineer and domestic worker Liza Avelino for a hike in Lantau, followed by a stretching and cool down session led by yoga wear brand A Day with Fé on Mui Wo’s Silvermine Bay beach. $200/person, all proceeds go to local charity Enrich, tickets from www.enrichhk.org. (pictured below)

APR 16

Easter Sunday Don’t forget the choccy eggs!

APR 17

Easter Monday Another public holiday - check out our brunch options on page 66.

APR 19

Tin Hau Festival One of the most colourful celebrations in Hong Kong, celebrating the birthday of the goddess of the Sea with paper floral towers kung fu troupes and marching bands.

APR 21

King Lear

APR 12-16

2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships The second time in track cycling history that this event has been hosted in Asia. Hong Kong Velodrome, Tsueng Kwan O, New Territories, tickets from www.ticketflap.com.

Faust International Youth Theatre is presenting a fast-paced adaptation of the famous Shakespeare play. A political and personal tragedy about the fallibility of leaders (and they say Shakespeare is no longer relevant!). Y Studio, Youth Square, Chai Wan, $180/person, tickets from Urbtix.

APR 26

Conscious Couture – AWA Charity Fashion Show The American Women’s Association presents a fashion show focused on sustainable couture.

The show hopes to raise $200,000 for local charities. 6:30-10pm, American Club Tai Tam.

On yer bike, April 12-16.

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Tickets are $1,000 each from www.awa.org. hk or call 2527 2961 - see page 50 for more details.

APR 27

The Great Chefs of Hong Kong A dining experience that brings together top chefs from nearly 50 of Hong Kong’s favourite dining destinations. Savour different cuisines, meet the chefs and take part in the Super Lucky Draw and tombola. Tickets from $880/ person, 6-9pm, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, tickets from www.ticketflap.com.

DATE

Sausalito Cafe Market Discover all sorts of handmade goodies at this Indie arts and craft fair, hosted by Handmade Hong Kong. Loads to browse plus live music and DIY workshops, entrance is free.

11am-5pm, 201 Tai Nan Street, Sham Shui Po, www.handmadehongkong.com.

APR 30

Fearless Dragon Charity Run Hong Kong Network for the Promotion of Inclusive Society presents the PFS Fearless Dragon Charity Run 2017. There are 3km, 10km and 15km courses which start at Pak Tam Chung Picnic Garden. Limited places, start time 8.15 and 9am, $290, www.fearlessdragon2017. weebly.com/ (below)

what’s on BOOK NOW MAY 4-7

Geronimo Stilton Live in the Kingdom of Fantasy!

The popular children’s book hero will be live on stage in Hong Kong for the first time. This brand new musical, Geronimo Stilton, Live in the Kingdom of Fantasy! comes direct from Europe, promising a “fab-umouse” adventure

as Geronimo comes face to face with witches, mermaids, dragons, pixies, gnomes, fairies and a giant. Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, www.hkticketing.com.

MAY 11-14

Dr Bunhead’s Blast Off Does your brain boil or get sucked out of your ears if you go to space without a spacesuit?

This and other pressing questions will be answered in Dr Bunhead’s Blast Off, live on stage next month. Featuring the first hamster in space, exploding brains, stunt bananas and loads more, this is one show sure to have the kids on the edge of their seats. Drama Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, www.hkticketing.com.

David Wood OBE, one of the UK’s leading directors of plays and musicals for children.

Following a successful run in London’s West End, the tiger, Sophie and her mummy are travelling east with this delightful family show, packed with magic, sing-a-longs and clumsy chaos. Drama Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, www.hkticketing.com.

JUNE 2-4

The Tiger Who Came To Tea Judith Kerr’s children’s classic hits the stage in Hong Kong thanks to clever adaptation by

expat-parent.com 11

things to know

2 3 4

Ching Ming, or Qingming, is held on the first day of the fifth solar term of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, or the 15th day after the Spring Equinox.

That’s Tuesday April 4 this year, in case you’re struggling with your solar calculations.

Photo by Sgerbic via Wikimedia Commons

1

Ching Ming translates into English as “Tomb Sweeping Day”, or Ancestors Day. It’s a statutory holiday (hooray!) and is a day for visiting columbaria, graves or burial grounds to pray to ancestors.

In Hong Kong, incense sticks, joss sticks and paper offerings (such as paper money and paper clothes) are burnt and chrysanthemums left on graves (note these are funereal flowers - never offer a bunch as a gift).

Chai Wan Cemetery Hong Kong

5

Roast pig, steamed chicken, fruits and wine are often enjoyed after worshipping.

6

Watch out for hill fires from untended offerings!

Things you need to know Ching Ming festival

We’ll all enjoy a day off on April 4, but why?

7

Willow branches are sometimes hung on front doors to ward off evil spirits.

8 9

MTR routes to Tsuen Wan and Diamond Hill can get busy as relatives make their way to cemeteries in the New Territories.

The holiday is significant in Chinese tea culture as green tea leaves picked before the day are given prestigious “preqingming” designation which commands a higher price.

10

12 expat-parent.com

On the mainland, Ching Ming is celebrated with “qingtuan” - green dumplings made of glutinous rice and barley grass.

expat-parent.com 13

news

Disney cruising Hong Kong Disneyland has launched a return ferry service from TST to the Lantaubased theme park. A refurbed “World Star” ferry will depart the Star Ferry Pier in TST at 11am and 5.15pm daily for the resort, with a return service from Disneyland Resort Pier at midday and 6.15pm every day.

A single trip lasts 45 minutes and takes visitors through Victoria Harbour, under the Tsing Ma Bridge, past the container terminals and then to Lantau.

World Star is the city’s first dieselelectric powered eco-ferry and can carry up to 400 passengers.

Three ticket packages are available. A round-trip with a one-day ticket, plus free souvenir and drink on board, costs $705/ adult and $535/child; a round-trip with set lunch or afternoon tea at Walt’s Cafe in the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is $415/person; and a Star Ferry Water Tour only, including a free drink on board, is $180/adult and $160/child.

Tickets are available from the Water Tour ticket counter at TST Star Ferry Pier on the date of departure.

Students from ESF Island School have spoken out against the government’s proposed East Lantau Metropolis (ELM) development.

At a meeting held last month to receive public views on the proposed Hong Kong 2030+ Development Plan, students presented an open letter to the HKSAR highlighting their environmental concerns and the potential consequences if the proposal goes ahead.

Fourteen-year-old Daanyal Ebrahim explained that by building the East Lantau Metropolis the wildlife and ecosystem will not only be lost, but “we will lose green spaces so important for quality of life.”

He continued: “By building the East Lantau Metropolis you may be solving housing problems but the quality of life for people living there will be so low that there will be no point living there.”

The ELM is a government-led proposal to reclaim 1,000 hectares of land around two existing islands on the east coast of Lantau Island. It is envisaged the reclamation will become the city’s third business district and will 14 expat-parent.com

Photo by Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons

Lantau concerns

Costa de la Isla Lantau, Hong Kong

eventually accommodate up to 700,000 people.

Humanities teacher and ESF environmental coordinator Ross Burrough said: “We have talked about the government’s plan as part of our environmental group at school, but it was their (the students’) decision to attend the HKSAR legislative council meeting.”

Project detractors argue whether by 2043,

when the project would be due for completion, the population of Hong Kong will already have peaked and begun to fall. The project would cost an estimated $400billion, or half the city’s fiscal budget reserve. According to official figures, Hong Kong’s population is predicted to peak at 8.2million in 2043, falling to an estimated 7.1million by 2064.

news

Iced up baby Enjoy an in icy adventure at the Kung Fu Panda Adventure Ice World in Macau. Open from now until July, animated characters from the popular Dreamworks production, plus others from movies Madagascar, Shrek, How To Train Your Dragon, The Croods and Trolls, have been cleverly created by master ice sculptors from Harbin in northern China, using a bone-chilling 6,000 blocks of ice. The ice masterpieces are accompanied

16 expat-parent.com

Home comforts by a sound and light show and hands-on activities. It’s all kept from melting with a thermostat permanently set to a cool -8 degrees, so don’t forget closed-toe shoes, hats, gloves and trousers - hooded coats for both adults and children are available to borrow free-of-charge. The event runs 11am8pm daily, Cotai Expo Hall F, The Venetian Macau, $120/person.

Ever fancied having a top quality chef rustle up a dinner party in your own home? New platform mobichef.hk brings gourmet dining to your apartment, which means you don’t have to so much as lift a finger to impress your guests.

Chefs post a profile detailing their experience, menus and price onto the platform and users can search by cuisine, menu and chef availability. Meanwhile, the website handles all payments via a secure gateway. After the booking has been confirmed, the chef takes care of the preparation in your kitchen, plates the food, cleans up and leaves. The platform has been developed by Fanny Suen who previously worked in marketing in the hotel industry.

“Lots of chefs have interesting stories to tell guests, but seldom have the opportunity to share them,” she revealed. She hopes that the platform will bring about a greater intimacy between the caterer and the catered.

For more information, take a look at www.mobichef.hk.

news

Travel plans Luxury travel company Blueflower has launched the Wanderer Club, a “dedicated community for passionate travellers.”

The brainchild of Blueflower founder and chef Andrea Oschetti, members are invited to access the company’s Wong Chuk Hang-based travel salon, a private kitchen filled with books, to mix and mingle with like-minded travel enthusiasts.

A series of travel themed dining events have been planned, whereby members are invited to meet artists, photographers, journalists and filmmakers over a four-course meal. During the event, invited speakers and travel experts will share their insights on a variety of topics, from travelling with kids to taking trips off the beaten track.

This month the group will be addressing environmental travel with “Trips That Make an Impact: Conservation & Wildlife” - which covers how to add meaning to trips as well as a talk by a safari specialist about conservation efforts in Africa.

Membership of the Wanderer Club is

The Wanderer Club in Wong Chuk Hang.

free. Contact lauren@blueflower.la for membership enquiries. The next dining event, “Trips That Make an Impact,” will be

held on April 10, Blueflower Travel Salon, 20D Yally Building, 6 Yip Fat Street, Wong Chuk Hang (MTR exit A2).

Hong Kong

expat-parent.com 17

giveaways WIN HERE! Click the Giveaways tab on our website: www.expat-parent.com

Geronimo Stilton Live

Best-selling children’s book series Geronimo Stilton comes to life next month, as the talking mouse reporter from Mouse Island sets off on a fantastical adventure to save the Queen of the Fairies. To succeed, he has to walk through the seven doors that transport him from kingdom to kingdom, bringing him face to face with witches, mermaids, dragons, pixies, gnomes, fairies and a giant! What an adventure. We have a family set of four tickets to give away.

Butchers

Kowloon Vet Hospital

Deadline: April 14

Deadline: April 28

It’s time for another edition of The Butchers Club’s The Southside Market Long Lunch — an unforgettable day out for friends and families! Expect a lavish buffet, an Easter egg hunt, face painters, a kids’ cinema, and more.

Tickets are $550 per adult and $250 per child over 4, but we have two pairs of adult tickets to give away (including the free-flow add on, worth an extra $250!).

Kowloon Vet Hospital is giving away the ultimate ‘Pamper Your Pet’ prize: you have the chance to win a $1,000 Grooming Gift voucher for your dog, cat or rabbit — lovingly performed by a registered Vet Nurse with International Grooming Qualifications. To keep your pet looking gorgeous you will also receive a $1,000 gift voucher for KVH’s online shop. http://kowloon-vet-hospital.com/shop/

Deadline: April 28

Faust

After Pinocchio in February this year, and The Jungle Book the year prior, Faust International Youth Theatre is bringing us another wonderful stage production this April: King Lear. A tale about a king that becomes drunk with power, William Shakespeare’s play is especially poignant today. We have a family set of tickets (two adults and two children) to give away to their premiere on the 21st.

HKRU

See the fast and furious rugby action up close in one of Asia’s most popular sporting events: the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens! The tournament’s Hong Kong leg is known for the excellent sporting talent it attracts, and it’s a fantastic experience for both rugby novices and experts. We’ve got one pair of three-day tickets for one lucky winner.

Deadline: April 5

Deadline: April 14

Can you imagine spending 30 years like this?

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Oliver spent three decades in a tiny cage – alone and in agony – repeatedly violated for his gall-bladder bile. Today there are still thousands of bears, just like Oliver, who face abuse and suffering every single day. You can stop this cruelty.

Join Team Oliver, our global community of people dedicated to ending the suffering of China’s forgotten bile bears.

Find out more and watch Oliver’s incredible story at: www.animalsasia.org/Oliver Call Animals Asia Hong Kong on: 2791 2225

expat-parent.com 19

debate of the month

Rugby and running amok Policing teens at Sevens, where do you draw your line?

“I told my son how many friends we have in every stand. Eyes everywhere, nice to have so many friends on such a small island. I think he’s too scared to play up after that!”

- Danni, Pok Fu Lam

“My son rang me one year from the 7s saying “Mum don’t get mad! Don’t tell dad! But can you pick me up from the police station?” Aya! Another year I saw two teenage couples pashing in the stands (I know, no-one says pashing these days), and then they switched partners and the girls started pashing! Kids. I’m getting old.”

- Annette, Clearwater Bay

A modesty check on the costume before they walk out the door but otherwise I hope they have a great time and make happy memories. Plus regular check-ins with homebase of course!

- Rose, Mid-levels

I actually have no idea what I’m going to say to her. I’m just hoping she’ll be sensible - and I’m very happy that they check ID at the South Stand!

- Margot, Sha Tin

I check the outfit to make sure she doesn’t look 19. Then I ask for regular check-ins with me and hope she uses good judgement regarding boys and booze!

- Kim, Sai Kung

“I’ve asked my daughter to dress for a sporting event, not a bar crawl, but every time I open my mouth my mother comes out! Maybe don’t talk to strangers - after years of watching mum and dad talk to all and sundry at the stadium?!

I don’t think we’ve really led by example!” - Janet, Ap Lei Chau

“My daughter laughed when I asked her if she will actually be watching any rugby this year. I think most teens go to be “seen”. Unfortunately for her, me and her father will also be there with a huge group of friends and will be “seeing” it all!” - Sally, Cyberport

We want to hear from you! Next month: School usiform - a genius invention, or an expensive pain in the rear end?

Email your views to editorial@fastmedia.com.hk or go to www.expat-parent.com 20 expat-parent.com

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expat-parent.com 21

book review

Out this month Riveting reads for April

OPTION B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy

Sheryl Sandberg & Adam Grant From Facebook COO and New York Times bestselling author of Lean In and bestselling Originals, OPTION B is a powerful, inspiring book about finding resilience and moving forward after life’s inevitable setbacks. The book also features stories of people who have recovered from personal and professional hardships, including illness, injury, divorce, failure, sexual assault and imprisonment. These people did more than bounce back— many of them became stronger.

Available from Bookazine.

The Blade Artist

Irvine Welsh Jim Francis has finally found the perfect life – and is now unrecognisable, even to himself. A successful painter and sculptor, he lives quietly with his wife, Melanie, and their two young daughters, in an affluent beach town in California.

But Francis has a dark past, with another identity and a very different set of values. When he has to go back to his native Scotland, Melanie discovers something gruesome in California which indicates that her husband’s violent past might also be his psychotic present. Available from Bookazine.

The Excellent Lombards

Jane Hamilton Mary Frances Lombard is fiercely in love with her family’s sprawling apple orchard and the tangled web of family members who inhabit it. She desires nothing more than for the rhythm of life to continue undisturbed. But change is inevitable, and threats of urbanization, disinheritance, and college applications shake the foundation of Frankie’s roots. A new classic from the author of Oprah’s Book Club picks A Map of the World and The Book of Ruth. Available from Bookazine.

London Uprising: 50 Fashion Designers, One City

Sarah Mower & Tania Fares Perfect coffee table fodder for fashionistas, London Uprising is a stunning behind-the-scenes peek at the UK capital’s designer fashion over the last 15 years.

Unprecedented and intimate access provides a fascinating documentary of the workspaces of leading designers like Stella McCartney and Alice Temperley, Erdem and Paul Smith. Available from www.bookdepositary.com.

China and change

Canadian author Madeleine Thien recently touched down in Hong Kong. She spoke with Carolynne Dear about her latest novel.

Thien’s most recent novel, the critically acclaimed Do Not Say We Have Nothing, was shortlisted for the for The Man Booker Prize when it was published last year. It traces the story of Marie, a ten-year-old girl living in 1990s Canada, when her mother invites the mysterious Ai-ming into their home.

Ai-ming has fled China in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square riots in 1989. She tells Marie the story of her family, a microcosm of twentieth century Chinese history, covering the ascent of chairman Mao, the Shanghai Conservatory of the 1960s and the events leading to the Beijing demonstrations.

22 expat-parent.com

Thien herself is the daughter of a Chinese Malaysian father and, like Marie, a Hong Kong Chinese mother. Asked whether she drew on personal experience when writing Marie’s story, she admitted that things were different in the 1970s when she was growing up.

“Back then many immigrants hoped to assimilate, so I was raised speaking English.

My parents spoke different Chinese dialects, but English to me.”

She says the novel took five years to research, although the seeds of the story were sown when she was a 14-year-old watching the events in Tiananmen unfold.

“Over the five years, I spent a lot of time in China and particularly in Shanghai.”

The novel revolves around The Shanghai Conservatory of Music, which was established in 1927 and was the first music institution of higher education in China, and three musicians studying and working there in the 1960s, one of whom is Marie’s father.

“I read a lot, engaged myself in Chinese literature, listened to music and made friendships. It was very much a multi-faceted process,” she says.

book review Her two previous novels, Certainty and Dogs At The Perimeter also tackle tumultuous periods of history - second world war Malaysia in Certainty and the Khmer Rouge in Dogs At The Perimeter. “I don’t think I consciously picked these events because they were dramatic - in Certainty it was more a desire to focus on the political structures in place in Malaysia at the time my parents left.

“Dogs At The Perimeter was a very difficult book to write. I had spent a lot of time in Cambodia and it had left me with many unresolved questions about the revolution.”

Thien notes that the events of Tiananmen Square are the most sensitive in Chinese history and believes it is important that they remain in the collective memory. “Political change in China is a continuous movement, events that take place influence the series of directions it could take, and China is grappling with this right now.”

Of Hong Kong, she recognises this is a complex time for the territory. “It’s changing much faster that I would have imagined,” she says. “Hong Kong is an important place in that China’s relations with the territory are a

Author Madeleine Thien.

microcosm of how it relates with the rest of the world. It’s a conversation that needs to be had.”

Thien is currently working on a fourth novel, watch this space.

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien is available from Bookazine stores across Hong Kong.

expat-parent.com 23

PEOPLE

My Hong Kong the dancer

Sonia Lee Nazzer and family relaxing in their Sai Kung home.

Sonia Lee Nazzer has shimmied her way around the world but now calls Hong Kong home. She tells Expat Parent why.

I’ve always had an impulsive streak. When I was 21 I saw a news feature on TV about street kids in Colombia, sold my car and moved to Bogota. And instead of going to university, I decided to join a dance tour of New Zealand.

Hong Kong was a little less spontaneous in that I had actually visited it first - I spent time here on holiday during Chinese New Year in 2005. At that time I was a newly-wed of 25 with a six month old baby in tow. On returning to New Zealand, myself and my husband decided we wanted to go back to Hong Kong. We studied for 18 months, 24 expat-parent.com

training in cross-cultural programmes, and finally landed back at Chek Lap Kok in late 2006 with a two-year old toddler and a seven-month old baby.

We were swept up by the possibilities of this city and the vibrant culture and energy that had first entranced us on our initial visit.

These days, our family has grown to include five-year-old Christmas, three-yearold Finn, and the toddler and baby, Caleb and Elijah, who are now 12 and 11. We also have our handsome rescue mutt Pickles, and Oreo and Fluffy our rescue rabbits.

After many run-ins with the “fun police”, we now live in Sai Keng village, Sai Kung.

I’m comfortable in a village house - I value space and room for the kids to be creative above the convenience of a residence. When I lived in Bogota I was held up at gunpoint and faced some pretty intense safety situations. For me, Hong Kong is a little bubble of security.

Dancing, singing and acting have been my life. I started tap lessons at five and then ballet. I remember loving every second of my first dance competition. I had a tendency

PEOPLE to wink at the judges, which didn’t go down too well in ballet circles. Fortunately I discovered jazz dance and musicals which suited my flamboyant showgirl tendencies.

At 13 I was recruited by a modelling agency and received great training in makeup and catwalk. At 16 I gained the highest grades in New Zealand in my grade 8 speech and drama exams. I completed my professional dance qualification at 17 and joined a Christian Performing Arts School. It was unusual in that it gave equal attention to character development and nurturing a conscious artist ethic as it did to dance, and I developed a passion for working with underprivileged communities. This led me to Bogota where I taught first and second grade to Colombian children and discovered my passion for teaching.

I returned to New Zealand and taught under Corinne Yee, founder and choreographer of Asia Pacific Dance Association, in a prestigious dance academy. Yee has been my mentor for the past 15 years and with her encouragement I opened the Academy of Jazz in 2007 in Ma On Shan. I’m also honoured to be the first person to bring the JazzAddict, Urban Ignition Hip Hop and Lucidity Contemporary Dance syllabi to Hong Kong.

I love dance because it requires as much mental focus as it does physical, and it gives back to you in euphoric joy when you finally master a move or routine. Technically, dance results in improved muscle tone and balance and a calmness and focus - it takes

With students (above and below) at Academy of Jazz.

full brain concentration - while developing body awareness and pride. The huge grins on my students’ faces when they land the turn they’ve been working on bring me to tears. Dance is a language as well as an artform. Everyone can dance.

Setting up a business in Hong Kong is easy - if you have the right ideas, the experience and the resilience. However, I do think more focus is needed to support small-to-medium sized businesses. I have been creatively copied more times than I can count, photos from my own classes used in advertising by other studios, and costumes and shows replicated. So I’d say while opening a business here is easy, maintaining it is a different story.

As an entrepreneur, Hong Kong has a bit of a “wild west” feel about it. It’s a city where I feel I can fail, and get back up again and give things another go. Hong Kong is as diverse as it is populated and has a unique energy. There are amazing groups working with refugees right alongside multi-billionaire executives.

I love the hikes and and the beaches and nature right on our doorstep, and I also love that I can still go shopping at 9pm for last-minute school items my kids only remembered to tell me about at 8pm!

My favourite place in Hong Kong is Lamma.As a family we prefer bonfires on

the beach with friends to fancy restaurants. I love seeing my kids barefoot, climbing rocks and running free. I also love my home town Sai Kung, its great cafes and locally run restaurants.

Free time is spent making artwork with the kids, we’re a family of creatives so I just let them just go for it. I’d love to go home to New Zealand a bit more often, but with a big family it becomes more of a challenge.

Academy of Jazz is having a blessed year of the rooster. We have new classes just started in Sai Kung, where we’re also excited to be opening cheerleading and Theatre Kidz classes, as well as the regular ballet, jazz and hip hop. I’m also working on a stage show for December about a brother and sister who spend a wifi-free weekend at Granny’s house - expect some crazy costumes and funky routines as classic games like Twister and Cluedo come to life on stage.

Nazzer runs classes in Mei Foo, Ma On Shan and Sai Kung. If you’d like to join a class, contact Academy of Jazz at www.academyofjazz.com.

Nazzer (right) performing on stage.

expat-parent.com 25

THE big interview

Girls and glass ceilings Will our daughters achieve the impossible? Maybe, says Dame Barbara Stocking, academic and passionate advocator for women’s issues, but it’s going to take a lot of change. Carolynne Dear caught up with her on a recent visit to Hong Kong.

“

So there’s a man in a car with his son and they’re in an accident. The father is dead on arrival at the nearest hospital. The surgeon claims inability to operate on the boy as it turns out the young lad is the surgeon’s son. How can this be?”

I’m chatting with UK-based academic and women’s issues advocate Dame Barbara Stocking DBE, who is on a flying visit to Hong Kong to talk about her latest research paper, Collaborating With Men. My mind is racing, an answer is obviously expected, but I can’t quite figure out what it is.

“Well the surgeon is the boy’s mother,” she concludes.

Of course, the surgeon is a woman. But I’m left groaning, consoled only by the fact that women far greater than I have apparently also been caught out.

Subconscious gender bias, it turns out, can happen to anyone.

Dame Stocking is a graduate of the allwomen’s Cambridge University college she now presides over, today known as Murray Edwards College but originally New Hall founded over 60 years ago to address the issue that Cambridge University once had the lowest proportion of women undergraduates of any university in the UK. She was the first in her family to go to university, and as a student she remembers being overwhelmed by the “young men from public (fee-paying) schools, where they had received much better teaching and were pretty confident about it.” She says at the time she expected New Hall to eventually become mixed, but now, 40 years on, realises a single-sex environment is still needed.

“All the research points to girls doing better when they are separated, we’re talking in the teenage years. Not only do they take up a wider range of subjects, particularly sciences and maths, they also have the opportunity to develop their own thinking and opinions. Boys take up a lot of air time. Girls tend to only speak up if they know the answer, they don’t like to risk getting things wrong.

Generally, boys don’t seem to mind as much.

Dame Barbara Stocking, president of Cambridge University’s Murray Edwards College.

“All the research points to girls learning better when they’re separated from boys” she says.

26 expat-parent.com

Photo courtesy of Martin Bond Photography.

THE big interview

Cambridge University’s Murray Edwards College, originally New Hall, is a female-only college.

And when you move into the workplace, the same occurs. In meetings women pipe up for just a third of the time.”

She says that although Murray Edwards is all-women, most of the working day is spent with men as students go about their practical assignments. It’s when they come together for tutorials that the college is able to tailor for an all-female class.

“And when we spoke to teachers at school level, there was a belief that the optimum environment would be a co-ed school with single-sex streaming. We had a conference about this a couple of years ago, and we found that while girls in private single-sex schools were taking a wide range of subjects, in half of all UK state schools not one girl was studying physics.”

Stocking herself graduated with a degree in pharmacology - “I was “good” at science, and girls who are “good” at science are told to pursue it, as if there’s no room for anyone else to get better at a subject” - and began her career at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC. In 1979 she moved to the World Health Organisation in West Africa, and then back to the UK, becoming a regional director for the UK’s National Health Service and responsible for the overall management of healthcare for 8.5 million people. She was

awarded a CBE for her achievements in 2000.

In 2001 she took over at Oxfam GB as chief executive officer and during her 12-year tenure revenues rose from £187million to £385 million.

In 2008 she was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). In 2013 she was elected as the fifth president of Murray Edwards College.

With regard parental leave, businesses have become more flexible, but flexible in that it’s still women picking up the slack.

So why aren’t more girls taking up STEM subjects today? “There’s a lot of reasons, I think the way these subjects are being sold to students has a lot to do with it. Engineering, for example, is often typecast as being all about mucky rags and messing around with oil and

engines. But in fact that is just one small part of it. Most engineering involves graphic design and computer simulation - something that girls enjoy and are good at. But they’re just not being shown this. The whole thing needs revamping.”

Despite taking science at university, Stocking says her biggest driver is international development. It was her work for Oxfam that also furthered her passion for women’s issues.

Here she says she encountered massive gender imbalances in the developing world. “From women in countries such as Afghanistan and The Yemen where they have absolutely no control over their own bodies, to women in conflict zones where rape is rampant, and in Africa where despite women doing all of the farming, the extension services and subsidies are handed out to men. And then moving into the developed world where we’ve laid the groundwork and the legislation, but everything has stalled. There are all these women at university, but you have to ask, how are they actually going to fare in the world of work?

Women are still not hitting those top positions.”

The stumbling block of course is often the arrival of children and the sharing of parental responsibilities. Stocking’s own husband, a doctor, initially took time out when her own children were born. expat-parent.com 27

Photo courtesy of Oxfam.

THE big interview

Dame Stocking in Cambodia as CEO of Oxfam GB.

“Of course we both wanted to raise our children, to be with them. This role is a shared role, both parents should be equally responsible,” she says. “In a civilised society we know that we want children, and we want those children to be properly raised. Shared parental leave is so important. It’s been proved that if fathers play an integral role in raising their children from an early age, they will take more responsibility for them throughout their development. But although men are doing more these days, it’s still seen as the woman’s responsibility to pick up the slack - if the child is ill and needs a day off school, or needs taking to the doctor and so forth. Businesses have become more flexible, but flexible in that it’s always the woman bending over backwards.

There is no reason both men and women can’t take this time off.”

“Interestingly when we were researching the Collaborating With Men paper - and we were by no means dealing with misogynists - none of the men could see why women were feeling uncomfortable in the workplace. From subtle put-downs in meetings, to constantly being interrupted, being sidelined from networking 28 expat-parent.com

opportunities or having a “male spin” put on their ideas, they couldn’t see how women were being worn-down by a lack of understanding about these behaviours. And this was ultimately affecting their ability to deliver.”

The researchers received a variety of revealing comments from male employees when asked if they recognised gender problems at work. “I have seen women in meetings make comments or suggestions in meetings and them being glossed over until a man says exactly the same thing and then everyone says “oh yes, good idea”,” admitted one respondent.

“Men get away with being angry,” said another. “Like, the boss had a right go today because someone wasn’t performing. If a woman does that people say she’s having a hissy fit or it’s her time of the month.”

“There is so much for us still to work on,” says Stocking. “Every generation thinks they’re going to crack that glass ceiling, but so far nobody has.”

An interesting concept introduced by Collaborating With Men is reverse mentoring, where young women mentor older, more

senior, men. Stocking admits it tends to be the youngest women in the workplace who are more willing to take on this role - “they haven’t had the put-downs that older women have, they’re still fresh and ready to take on the world” - although it does take strength of character to sit down and show senior level staff where they are going wrong.

“It’s revealing when we say to men, right, you’ve had a look at the research, you’ve listened to the talk, now where exactly are you going to make the changes? There’s a bit of bluster. But with strong leadership, culture change can happen. Interestingly daughters are making a big impact - that light-bulb moment when you realise the child you have helped raise is going to fall victim to these biases.”

The report, Collaborating With Men, can be downloaded from www.murrayedwards.cam. ac.uk/news/collaborating-with-men-reporttalks-about-changing-workplace-culture More information about Murray Edwards College can be found at www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk

expat-parent.com 29

Modern family

We did it!

Need a motivating spring in your step? Two expat mums explain how they rose to the challenge.

Britt Joynson ran a marathon in Bhutan My reality check came at Chek Lap Kok airport last month as my husband and children were waving me off. “I don’t want to go!” I suddenly blurted out at the check-in desk.

I was terrified about a flight on an airline I’d never heard of before and of landing at the most technically challenging airport in the world - there are only eight pilots globally who are qualified to land at Bhutan’s tiny Paro airport. Not only that, I am a former asthma sufferer and I was about to tackle a marathon at altitude in a country with limited medical facilities. And as if that weren’t enough, I also had to negotiate plane changes in both Bangkok and Calcutta.

Luckily for me, I got a grip of myself and, dreaded flight over (yes, that landing was every bit as nail biting as I’d been led to believe), ended up spending a week in one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been to and coming away with memories I can only describe as “epic”.

My adventure started when a neighbour in Hong Kong asked if I would like to take part in the Sister Marathon, a peace initiative that was being held in Bhutan this year. I’m a keen cyclist and runner and leapt at the opportunity.

It was a steep entry fee of $35,000 but all the money, every single penny, is ploughed into Bhutanese communities. I signed up at Christmas, which gave me a couple of months to get match fit.

I had just competed in a trail run in New Zealand so I felt I was physically able to rise to the challenge, although the altitude did have me concerned.

I flew Cathay to Bangkok and then took a flight in the small hours of the following morning with Bhutan Airlines.

Flying into Paro airport is an experience I will never forget. We flew past Everest, which was amazing, and then approached Paro’s short runway along an incredibly narrow valley “corridor” flanked by mountains. The wind was buffeting the plane quite considerably - a manual landing is the only way to go. To be honest I had to shut the window blind, I just couldn’t watch. And I wasn’t the only one.

For the first couple of nights we stayed 30 expat-parent.com

Culture vulture. Britt Joynson on top of the world in Bhutan.

at a hotel in Paro. There were just 100 of us competing in the event and on the first day we took part in a training run with trail

The race was a real challenge. I couldn’t breathe. It was really frightening.

running legend Scott Jurek, who had flown in from the States with his wife and baby daughter. Paro is at 2,100m above sea level and the challenge to breathe when running was enormous - it felt as if somebody had shoved a great big pillow over my face. And I was also struggling with the smoke. I had

expected crystal clear air but at this cooler time of year the Bhutanese use wood fires to keep warm and the smoke drifts everywhere.

On the second day we were transported to the base of the stunning Tiger’s Nest monastery, perched on a two-mile high mountain. The base is also at 2,100m, and it took two hours to clamber up the vertiginous slopes and along the narrow walkways. But we made it to the top and ran down.

modern family On our return, a beautiful hot buffet had been laid out in a field. A typical Bhutanese meal will include dhal, white rice, always a vegetable soup, chilli and potatoes. The diet is very starch-based and because the country is Buddhist, any meat is brought in frozen from India as nothing can be slaughtered on Bhutanese soil.

These initial forays into the Bhutanese countryside were intended to acclimatise us. On day three we were driven four hours through the capital, Thimphu, and on to Punakha which was the start point for the marathon. We checked into an incredible hotel owned by the Queen of Bhutan, and the next day it was the King’s brother, the Prince of Bhutan, who started the race - he then proceeded to cycle the course on his mountain bike, followed by his bodyguards. We’d dined with him the night before and had been allowed the chance to take “selfies” with him.

The Bhutanese people are so kind - during the race they’d set up amazing checkpoints every five kilometres, serving beautiful fruit and snacks and drinks.

For me, the actual race was a real challenge. It was a stunning course but there was wood smoke everywhere and I couldn’t breathe. It was very frightening. At the 21km point I had to pull up and sit down and work out what was going on - was it the smoke, was my asthma returning, or was it altitude sickness? Could I go on?

But I’d come all this way and I couldn’t throw in the towel now. I continued, but unfortunately I was then hit with “Bhutan belly” and the second 21km was even worse than the first. After numerous off-piste toilet stops, I finally crossed the finish line in Punakha Dzong, dizzy with relief but needing to head straight to the canvas “official” toilet. I’d come 21st overall with a respectable four hour 45 minute finish time which, considering what I’d had to deal with, I was pretty proud of.

Now I’m back home I can’t believe I did it. It really was the adventure of a lifetime.

I’d had dinner with the Prince of Bhutan, run alongside the legend that is Scott Jurek, met world famous photographer Luis Escobar and completed one of the world’s most amazing (and challenging) marathons. I would recommend the experience to anyone.

Sign up for next year’s challenge in Iran organised by Sister Marathon Peace Initiative at sistermarathons.org.

Louise Duncan climbed Mount Kinabalu We’d expected a tough climb, but we hadn’t bargained for the rain. I stood on the peak of

Mums on the mountain. Louise Duncan (right) summiting Mount Kinabalu.

Mount Kinabalu in tropical Borneo sporting thermal underwear, two hats, leggings, hiking trousers, a fleece and a heavy-duty raincoat - but I felt euphoric. Despite appalling weather conditions, 48 hours with no sleep

After lunch on the first day the rain arrived.

And it poured!

and altitude sickness, we’d done it.

The project had been put together by some friends who wanted a challenge. There were eight of us all together and we agreed to the trip in mid-October last year, booking it for this February.

We’re all reasonably fit, we all enjoy hiking as well as taking part in local boot camps, swimming and dragon boat teams, but we decided to schedule one day a week for a specific hike in preparation for the trip.

We walked for about four or five hours each time, using routes on the MacLehose

and the Wilson trials. But after Christmas we upped the anti with weekly 15km hikes. This took up an entire day, although we did have to time them around school drop offs and school pick ups. We were all also following our individual keep fit programmes and by this stage I personally was averaging around five hikes a week.

We were confident we’d nailed the fitness part, but the concern was altitude, so we did vote on a group route organiser to look at the elevation on our routes. Mount Kinabalu stands at 4,095m above sea level so we needed to reach a decent height - our last attempt was Lantau Peak. This took us six hours to complete.

Duncan hits the trail.

expat-parent.com 31

Modern family

Smiles for the camera before the deluge began.

In terms of research, I read heaps of articles online, from trip advisor to personal blogs. We booked the adventure through Amazing Borneo (www.amazingborneo.com), as we needed passes for the Kinabalu Park (it’s a world heritage site and hiking numbers are strictly capped each day), plus guides, porters, accommodation at the base of the climb and an overnight stay in a mountain hut mid-way to the summit.

We packed hiking poles, lots of layers, rain jackets, boots, a day pack and a larger overnight bag for the porters. We were attempting the climb on the cusp of wet and dry season and we knew it was going to be very cold on the peak - what we didn’t bank on was the torrential rain.

We flew out from Hong Kong nervous but excited. Adrenalin was running high and I’m not sure about everybody else, but I didn’t sleep much either the night before we flew or on our first night in the mountain lodge at the base of the climb. We were woken at 6am for breakfast and to organise our day-packs with snacks, water, rain jackets and a small first aid kit. Our main packs were being hauled up to the mid-way hut by the porters and contained extra layers and a change of clothes.

We walked from 9am to 2pm, with a stop at 11am for lunch. The hiking was no more challenging than the hikes we’d been doing in Hong Kong - I think we were really lucky with Hong Kong’s topography, other nationalities said they’d had to resort to gym 32 expat-parent.com

equipment to train uphill.

It was after lunch on the first day that the rain arrived. And it poured! By the time we hit the trail again, it was like fighting our way through a stream. We were pretty depressed arriving at the overnight hut at the three quarters point - the water was icy cold so we couldn’t shower, and the bunks were very military and quite claustrophobic. There was no way of drying our clothes, so I went to bed to another uncomfortable, sleepless night. I wished we’d booked earlier and managed to secure a more comfortable hut. On the positive side, a hot Asian-style buffet dinner had been prepared for us which lifted spirits.

On the second day we had to be up at 1am to start hiking at 2.45. It was still raining which was disheartening and at the final check-point we nearly got turned back from our summit attempt as the weather had started to close in. The last section is hard.

I think plodding is the best way to describe our progress, as it was incredibly difficult at this altitude to take a deep breath. There were ropes so we could pull ourselves up and our progress was slow.

Eventually we reached the summit. I was ecstatic, so proud of myself. It was freezing cold and the view wasn’t brilliant due to the low cloud, but we spent an hour up there, taking photos and congratulating ourselves.

We then had to descend back to our overnight hut to pack our bags - it was very slippery by now and hard going. We had

something to eat at the hut and then it took a further five hours to get back down to base camp. I arrived wet, cold and tired, but completely elated.

We’d treated ourselves to a resort hotel that night and I must admit we did look a bit of a sight checking in with the perfectly manicured and coiffed hotel staff.

In retrospect I think we should have booked a minimum two nights of luxury to recover - we desperately wanted to celebrate, but after three consecutive nights of nerves, high adrenalin and no sleep - plus the two-day trek - we were literally falling asleep into our barely touched champagne glasses. And then the following day we were back on the plane home. Actually, I think I could have done with a week to recover!

Our return flight was delayed so by the time I’d arrived home and excitedly told my family all about my adventures, it was another late night. A friend and yoga instructor had kindly arranged a stretch session for the morning after, and following that I went home and collapsed. It was a brilliant experience, but I don’t think I could do it again!

Duncan’s next adventure will be a sixday walk along the Great Wall of China in September in aid of leukaemia. If you would like to show your support, donations can be made at www.doitforcharity.com/Louise_ Duncan-China_Trek. If you would like to take part in the walk, the event has been arranged by www.skylineoverseas.co.uk.

expat-parent.com 33

C ST OV O ER RY

Rugby roars into town Hong Kong Rugby Sevens is one of the biggest events on the sporting and social calendar. Here’s our guide to all the action.

34 expat-parent.com

R VE Y O R C TO S

N

ow in its 41st year, the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is showing no signs of slowing down in middle age. Indeed it’s still very much alive and kicking with this year’s on-the-pitch action running from April 7-9 at good old Hong Kong Stadium in Causeway Bay. A total of 16 teams will be battling it out for the top spot, not to mention the women’s action on April 6-7, numerous youth teams joining in the fun on Friday and Saturday morning, and the Sevens Series Qualifier Tournament which runs concurrently at the stadium.

But this year there’s almost as much fun to be had at a heap of events being held across town. Read on for the best of the action…

In the stadium Short and sweet, all matches last seven minutes each way, with a two-minute interval.

Doors open 10am-9.15pm (Friday); 7am8pm (Saturday); and 7am-7.30pm (Sunday).

The World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series Qualifier will be held April 6-7 at So Kon Po, with the semis and final played at Hong Kong Stadium as part of the Hong Kong Sevens.

Arrive early to bag a seat, especially if you’re hitting the infamous South Stand for the day.

Who’s taking part?

In the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2016/17: Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand,

Russia, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, United States, Wales (with a special invitation by World Rugby to South Korea to fill the 16th spot.

In the World Rugby Sevens Series Qualifier Tournament 2017 (plays concurrently with the Sevens competition): Uganda, Namibia (Africa); Guyana, Jamaica (Americas North); Hong Kong, Sri Lanka (Asia);

Spain, Germany (Europe); Papua New Guinea, Tonga (Oceania); Chile Uruguay (Americas South).

Uganda is making its debut appearance in Hong Kong and will become the 60th international union to participate in the Hong Kong Sevens.

Kick-off concert certainly looking forward to a house of fun (gedit?!).

April 6, HSBC Sevens Village, Indian Recreation Club, 63 Caroline Hill Road, So Kon Po, Causeway Bay. Tickets from www.ticketflap.com/hksevenskickoff2017 from $388.

Photo by Jesús Gorriti via Wikimedia Commons

The boot is firmly on the foot of British pop band Madness (below) to get the Sevens party started, as they swing into town to headline the HKSEVENS launch concert.

Supported by bassist Bruce Foxton and guitarist/vocalist Russell Hastings of mod gods The Jam, Madness will get the party moving with a string of 80s hits. We’re

expat-parent.com 35

C ST OV O ER RY

Garden party Bringing Sevens to the city is HKSEVENS Central Party. Following a hugely successful launch last year, the event is back in Chater Garden, this time with a full week’s worth of activities.

Bring the family as Chater Garden is transformed into a mini Hong Kong Stadium with a purpose-built rugby pitch, where youngsters will be able to enjoy rugby clinics, games, competitions and merchandise booths. There will be autograph sessions with participating teams ahead of kick-off and rugby stars from past and present.

Keep on top of events in the stadium via giant screens broadcasting live match action.

And there’ll be plenty of food and drink courtesy of pop-up restaurants from Marriott International Hotels, Mercato, Chino and Good Barbecue. Not only that, there will also be celebrity chef pop-ups and private dining opportunities.

From 6pm the party kicks on with live music performances and Q&A sessions with rugby professionals.

Stay on top of the action by visiting www.hksevens.com as more info is released over the next week.

HKSEVENS Central Party, April 4-9, 10am-4pm, & 6-9.30pm, Chater Garden, Central, entrance is free.

Walk of fans Lee Gardens shopping centre will be hosting a Hong Kong Sevens FanWalk, transforming the space into a “rugby-themed party wonderland”.

The event will include non-stop entertainment, live performances including can can dancers, breakdancers, Samoan

Hong Kong Rugby Union ambassador David Campese teaching youngsters a trick or two.

dancers, music from African drums, juggling, unicycling, stilt-walking and balloon twisting. There will also food and drink stalls highlighting the culture and heritage of various nation teams. Surrounding streets will also be decorated and there will be live rugby action direct from the stadium on the big screen.

Kids will also have a chance to meet with rugby greats such as David Campese, Ben Gollings and Gareth Thomas.

FanWalk, April 7-9, Lee Garden One, 33 Hysan Avenue, East Point, Causeway Bay, entrance is free, www.hksevens.com.

Download and tuck in Over 100 local restaurants throughout Hong Kong will be offering discounts and deals as part of the Hong Kong Sevens Bars & Restaurants Club which runs from now until April 9.

Take advantage of the promotion by downloading the HKSEVENS mobile app (available for iOS and Android), which has all the details of participating venues and the latest deals and offers.

There will be additional discounts for visitors to town who can show a valid Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon boarding pass or pay using an HSBC bank or credit card.

Not only that, the app also includes news and info about the teams, live score updates and shareable images and videos.

Village affair Couldn’t get tickets? The HSBC Sevens Village opposite the stadium will be streaming matches live onto giant screens, plus there Hong Kong mums dressed up and ready to party in the South Stand.

36 expat-parent.com

will be heaps of activities for kids, including rugby, golf and tennis zones, arts workshops and face painting.

HSBC Sevens Village, Indian Recreation Centre, 63 Caroline Hill Road, Causeway Bay, entrance is free.

Party on a bit more Get into the swing of Sevens with the official Hong Kong Sevens Rugby After Party.

Organised by the Hong Kong Rugby Union and the Lan Kwai Fong Association, it’s been extended this year to run a full seven days.

Enjoy booth games, official photo opps, beer and street food. The whole of LKF will be dressed up with artificial grass and a marching band.

Hong Kong Sevens Official Rugby After Party, 9.30pm-late, April 3-9, Lan Kwai Fong, Central, entrance is free.

Hong Kong 10s and after party Hosted by Hong Kong Football Club, this 16-team tournament including former internationals and other top pro players runs in the lead up to Sevens, whetting your appetite for the weekend ahead. The teams compete for the Bill Burgess Cup and the event includes an after party with live music and free-flow wine and beer on April 6 for teams, club members, spectators and the general public.

GFI HKFC 10s, April 5-6, Hong Kong Football Club, 3 Sports Road, Happy Valley, tickets from www.ticketflap.com, $100/day.

expat-parent.com 37

C ST OV O ER RY

Kids with dreams of rugby stardom?

Hong Kong Seven’s men’s captain Max Woodward and women’s captain Christy Cheng Ka Chi reveal how they made it to the top.

What age did you get into rugby, Christy?

The first time was age 16, in secondary school. I was just playing tag rugby at that time, my first full contact rugby experience was at 20.

How did you get into rugby?

There was a tv drama series I used to watch and the main character played rugby. That’s how I first noticed it. Then I had a couple of schoolmates who wanted to have a taste so we all went to a training centre for some beginners classes.

What team did you start out with?

My first club was Tai Po Dragon.

What got you hooked?

I enjoy the challenge, both mentally and physically. It’s also a team sport that brings me a lot of friends.

What position do you play?

Hooker and prop.

When did you first get picked for the Hong Kong side?

national trial. By that time I hadn’t really played a proper game. I’m very grateful to the coach back then who gave me the opportunity. Since then I’ve learnt a lot and remained in the squad.

When was your first Sevens?

In 2009 - I missed last year so this will be my eighth year.

What’s your training schedule?

Usually we have two blocks of training per day - these can include gym-work, skills, a field session or mental skills training. And we finish the day with recovery, like an ice or contrast bath, stretching, a swim or a sports massage.

Any teams you’re looking forward to playing?

Argentina. The last two times when we played them we had a very close game. So I can’t wait to have another battle with them.

What advice do you have for any young players out there?

Work hard and don’t cut corners! Be brave.

Believe you have the potential.

Rugby captain Christy Cheng Ka Chi at the official Rugby Sevens launch.

Any lucky rituals before you play?

Not really, but I like to put my hands on my hips, keeping my chin up, and take a big, deep breathe before I run out on the field.

That calms me and with that I know I am ready for the game.

I was about 20 or 21 when I had my first

How did you get into rugby?

Is this year your first 7s?

The Leeds Rhinos rugby team used to do camps every summer which were good fun.

Hopefully my third! My first time at Sevens was in 2014.

Which team did you start out with in Hong Kong?

What position do you play?

I began playing with the Hong Kong Football Club, then moved to play for Valley Fort when I was 17.

In the forwards in sevens, usually hooker.

What got you hooked?

I enjoyed the physical challenge of rugby when I was younger, that’s what kept me interested.

How did you end up playing for Hong Kong?

I was selected after I came back from university in the UK and played in the club Sevens tournament at Kings Park. After that I went on tour with the Hong Kong side for the Asian Sevens series.

38 expat-parent.com

How much training do you do?

We train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with a recovery day on Wednesday. Usually we train in the morning and have a gym or conditioning session after lunch.

Any teams you’re especially looking forward to playing in this tournament?

Playing anyone in the Hong Kong Stadium is a great experience. I’m looking forward to playing against Chile in our group as they are looking good at the moment and will be a great test for us.

Any advice for young players out there?

Never settle for what you do at training, always be aware of what your weaknesses are and get out and work on them!

Do you have any lucky rituals before a match?

Nope. At the end of the day it’s the same game on the same field every time you play.

Don’t make excuses!

expat-parent.com 39

schools

School news

Shrewsbury open for business

Officiating at the launch were Sir David Lees, founding princial Ben Keeling and director of schools Stephen Holroyd.

British newby Shrewsbury International has announced it will be accepting applications from April 24.

The co-educational school is currently under construction at a site in Tsueng Kwan O, New Territories, and is on schedule for an August 2018 opening.

The purpose-built facility will cater to primary-aged students from three to 11 years following a programme of study based on the English National Curriculum.

Campus facilities have been specifically designed for younger children, highlights include an indoor running track, swimming pool, recital hall, design and technology rooms, science labs and rooftop football pitch.

At a recent launch to media, founding 40 expat-parent.com

principal Ben Keeling said much as the new school would be drawing on the rich history of Shrewsbury UK to “ensure a warm and insightful” education, Shrewsbury Hong Kong would also be firmly committed to its host city and would be embracing its local environment.

“Just four (MTR) stops from Hong Kong Island, Shrewsbury International School Hong Kong will be readily accessible to parents all over the city, while students will benefit from the easy access to the great outdoors, so valued by our wider community,” he commented.

Shrewsbury will be enrolling around 120 children per year group within classes of approximately 20 students, following a successful application and interview process.

The school’s open houses on April 21 and 22 are now fully booked, in response the Shrewsbury team has announced six more open houses on May 9 and 11, during which parents will be able to meet with Keeling and other school representatives.

Registrations should be made at www.shrewsbury.hk.

For a full interview with founding principal Ben Keeling, see the March issue of Expat Parent at www.expat-parent.com.

schools

British uni campus launch

The official opening of University of Sunderland in Hong Kong.

The University of Sunderland, northern England, officially opened its first campus in Asia last month, in Hong Kong’s Central district.

The facility will offer 1,000 students both graduate and postgraduate programmes with a “career ready” approach. It aims to arm students with the right balance of academic knowledge, work relevant skills and real-world experience.

Top-up degrees and postgraduate programmes will also be available to Hong Kong-based working professionals for

evening and weekend study.

This is the third campus to be opened by the university - two further facilities exist in London and Sunderland. Students based in Hong Kong will be able to opt to study a semester or two at both of the UK campuses.

The University has been recognised by the Hong Kong Education Bureau and will be starting intake for its new BA (Hons) Business and Management three and four year degree programmes this coming October. www.sunderland.edu.hk.

All change at French International School The French International School (FIS) has announced a number of changes to its leadership team for the academic year 2017/18.

David Tran, currently head of the Lycee Pasteur in Sao Paolo, Brazil, will take over as new headmaster of FIS. His professional background includes placements in Turkey, Spain and the USA. He speaks seven languages and has studied in both Tokyo and Lyon, France.

Christelle Riom will step in as deputy headmaster, secondary - French stream.

Riom is currently deputy head of Lycee de Moulins in L’Allier, central France. She has worked in both the UK and Hong Kong and this will be her first leadership position overseas.

And Ross Armitage, currently head of the International Primary School at Tenby School, Malaysia, will take on head of primary, international stream.

Armitage is an accreditor for the Council for International Schools and holds the UK national professional qualification for headship.

Diary dates April 11 & 22

April 24

Mount Kelly School will he holding an information sessions, both run from 10.30am to midday. admissions@mountkelly.com.hk or www.mountkely.com.hk

Malvern College Pre-School Kindergartens Festival. Noon - 4pm, JW Marriot Hong Kong, Admiralty. For more details and to register, visit www.malvernpreschool.hkchec

April 22 Yew Chung International School is hosting an Earth day event with games and activities.

11am-3:30pm, 3 To Fuk Road, Kowloon Tong.

April 26 Secondary preparation information session, Stamford American School. Aimed at families with children entering grade three and above.

Level 40, Two Exchange Square, 8 Connauht

Place Central, admissions@sais.edu.hk, www.sais.edu.hk

April 26, 27 & 29 Stamford American School open house.

Level 40, Two Exchange Square, 8 Connaught Place Central, admissions@sais.edu.hk, www.sais.edu.hk

expat-parent.com 41

schools

Burning the midnight oil Major exams are looming on the spring term timetable. Kate Farr notes down some top tips for getting revision right.

W

ith exam season fast approaching, now is the perfect time to get ahead of the game and plan that revision timetable.

Founder and director of ITS Education Asia, Danny Harrington, has a heap of top tips and study advice. ITS is Hong Kong’s only independent exam centre accredited by British education assessment service Pearson for IGCSE and A-level, and provides a huge range of support and tutoring for students across the territory. And his top tip?

“Don’t revise the stuff you already know!”

This might sound obvious, but as Harrington explain, “So many students demotivate themselves by going over the same old stuff.

Then they start skimming indiscriminately, meaning they feel bored by the things they know, but fail to recognise and learn the bits they don’t know.”

He recommends “studying smart” in order to get the best out of your revision time.

“Understand what you know and what you don’t, then focus on your weak areas.” He adds, “Get regular, shorter study periods in your diary - and tell people what you are doing so they can encourage you.”

Cheryl Raper, director of Sylvan Learning, who recently launched “Booster Classes” across key subjects for IGCSE, A-level and IB exam prep, also endorses studying strategically. “Ask yourself, is there a “dropoff” point at which you tend to lose focus? This tends to be after around 30-40 minutes for most people, so be realistic about how long you can study without a break. Aim for a five to ten minute break every 30 to 40 minutes, followed by a longer break after, say, two hours of continual study,” she says.

Raper also suggests being realistic about distractions. “Find an area that is conducive for work. Your local coffee shop probably isn’t the best option, for example - you need to be paper-watching, not people-watching.”

And what about the biggest time-suck of all, screen time? “Turn off your phone, or at least your data. You can switch it back on for a short break every hour or so.”

All that time spent chained to a desk can wreak havoc with developing bodies, so how can teens protect their posture? “As most teens still have some growing to do, the 42 expat-parent.com

Regular, short study periods are the order of the day.

most important aspect of a desk and chair is adaptability to the growing body,” says chiropractor Dr Michelle Zhou or UP!health.

“As moveable desks are not always available, it’s crucial for chairs to be as adjustable as possible. Most chairs are actually designed for adults, so if the seat is too deep, look for removable back supports to reduce this, allowing the teen’s back to be well supported.”

And when it comes to comfort, angles aren’t just a topic for maths revision. “Elbows should be at a neutral angle of around 90 degrees when resting over the keyboard. If you’re feet aren’t flat on the floor in this position, then add a footstool. Knees should bend naturally in line with, or slightly below, the height of the hips.”

If in doubt, there are lots of YouTube videos that can help with setting up a workspace, or consult a chiropractor, physiotherapist or occupational therapist.

Keeping stress levels in check is also vital. Counsellor and coach Lucy Graham of Mindquest Group understands that exam revision can be a difficult time for pressurised teens. “When it comes to managing stress, look out for tiredness, poor nutrition, long days with heavy workloads and simply juggling too many things at once,” she says.

“Overwhelming emotions are much like a massive thunderstorm. It may get worse before it’s over, but it will always pass.”

Graham recommends using the acronym BOLD to break down a stressful situation into manageable chunks. “BOLD comes from Acceptance Commitment Therapy and refers to - Breathe; Observe; Listen to your values; Decide on actions and Do them. I would urge anyone feeling overwhelmed to reach out to a trusted adult, friend or a professional therapist.”

schools Mum knows best Shanta Stevens is a mum-of-three and is in the

down and no subject would be off limits. For a

Chan eschewed cramming during his

middle of exam stress with her two boys.

few hours there were no deadlines, no rushing

revision process.

“This year my second son will be

home for homework and no stress about

“I think staying engaged during class and

sitting his final High School Certificate

preparing for the next day. It was wonderful to

taking good notes makes the entire process

(Australian Year 12 qualifications) exams for

see the children relaxed and laughing.

much easier. It’s a lot harder to catch up than

university entrance. My eldest finished his

“Taking a break is really important, to play

it is to pick up content at a steady pace.”

He admits to a reasonably relaxed

last November” (he is now studying at a top

sport or even just to walk the dog. And we

British university) “so for the last four years we

have been so fortunate to have had teachers

approach to his revision timetable. “I didn’t

haven’t really taken a family vacation as the

who have given up holiday-time and evenings

really have a set schedule but allocated a

boys work towards their futures.

to Skype with the boys - it seems a good

couple of days to go over the content of

teacher is always willing to go the extra mile

each subject before attempting any practice

with students who ask.

questions.” When it comes to past papers,

“They both have dedicated workstations in their rooms, with desks big enough to house books, laptop and odds and ends. In these

“So good luck, remember it will soon be

he cautions, “I would recommend refraining

final two years of school they have needed

over - and don’t forget to say thank you to

until you are confident with the content.

encouragement, support and unwavering

your parents, it’s nice to hear, trust me!”

Past papers are a finite resource that are

empathy. I’ve bought food to help them relax (both healthy and junk unfortunately!), trawled

The old hand

more effective when used to test your exam technique than your knowledge.”

And he emphasises that life must continue

shops for that “special” pen that works better for essay writing, warmed heat packs for

Bryan Chan of ESF South Island School

as normal. “Do whatever you can to get excited

cricked necks and tired eyes, and given up

received a “perfect” score of 45 points in

about the process. Don’t get burnt out - keep on

Saturday nights out with my husband. This

the 2016 IB Diploma, with an additional full

doing the things you love doing.”

became a non-negotiable night for family

score in Further Mathematics. Now studying

dinners, we would book a restaurant, stroll

economics at London School of Economics,

expat-parent.com 43

schools

Busy bunnies

Hop along for an Easter camp and let the fun times roll.

Crazy bunny sock puppet fun with Rumple & Friends.

Rumple & Friends

Anglo Academy Camp

Fun and frolics with Rumple & Friends there’s a signature Circus & Magic course in week one, after which kids get to take home their own magic kit. And in week two there’s a “play in a week” camp - a brand new course to encourage budding actors, puppeteers and adventurers to produce an awesome play in a week.

Dates: April 3-6 & 10-13; E: info@rumpleandfriends.com; W: www.rumpleandfriends.com

Riding on the success of last summer, Harrow International School will again be hosting this residential camp. Suitable for kids aged seven to 13, the Monday to Friday camp offers an insight into a British boarding experience in Asia. A dynamic programme that covers areas such as business and innovation, sports and arts.

Dates: April 10-14; T: 6549 5071; E: info@anglo-academy.com, W: www.anglo-academy.com Happy days at Harrow.

44 expat-parent.com

schools imagination at a variety of locations across Hong Kong. A great opportunity to polish up their language skills.

Dates: April 10-13; W: www.esf.org.hk/camps

Learning is fun in the holidays.

Fun and games at Harrow.

Maggie & Rose

Colour My World

Oodles of Easter fun for littlies down at Repulse Bay, these camps run for three hours each day and include lunch or tea, snacks and drinks. They can try their hand at art, music, baking - think yummy hot cross buns, rice krispy egg nests and carrot bread - plus Easter crafts like bunny sock puppets and Faberge style eggs. It sounds almost too good for just the kids!

Dates: 10am-1pm & 2-5pm, April 3-7 & 10-14; T: 2638 7191; E: info@maggieandrose.com.hk; W: www.hk.maggieandrose.com.

A “wild arrangement” of Easter art and drama workshops for four to 14 year olds. The arts are inspired by the Art Nouveau movement, with surreal sprouting gardens of imaginary plants, delicate floral canvases with surprise effects and crops of complementary collages.

Drama classes include tribal-inspired song, dance and movement.

Dates: 10am-12.45pm daily, April 11-13 & 18-20; T: 2580 5028; E: info@colour-my-world.com; W: www.facebook.com/colourmyworldhk.

Lego Education Lots of workshops to keep those pesky Danish bricks firmly out of your shagpile. Drop them off for a “playful” learning experience aimed at nurturing creativity. The workshops are packed with fun challenges and are sensibly divided by age group into 3 & 4s; 5 6s, 7-8s and 9-10s and if you enroll via Cityline you can enjoy a $100 discount.

Dates: April 11-17 T: 2804 6883 W:www.leas.com.hk

ESF Sports Join ESF for its Sports Spring Camp over one or two weeks of multi sports camp or a specialist sports clinic. The multi sports camp enables children to enjoy a range of sporting activities while the specialist clinics are a great way for kids to develop their swimming, football, tennis or gymnastic skills.

Dates: April 3-13; W: www.esf.org.hk/camps

Treasure Island Kayaking, biking, hiking and gorging are the exciting activities on offer on South Lantau this Easter. The Spring Adventure Camp is based on Pui O beach with supervised drop off and pick up at Central Ferry Pier. Included is one night overnight stay, a healthy lunch each day plus snacks. Eight to 13 years.

Dates: 8.30am-4.30pm, April 3-21, T:2546 3543 E: inquiries@treasureislanhk.com W: www.treasureislandhk.com

Southside Mandarin Come and find out all about Easter in Putonghua through games, Putonghua art, Chinese music, Wushu and Chinese dance.

Non-stop action and fun-filled activities for children aged three to ten years at the camp’s One Island South venue, Wong Chuk Hang.

Dates: 9.15-11.45am & 2.30-5pm, Apr 10-21; T: 3427 9619; E: info@southsidemandarin.com; W: www.southsidemandarin.com.

Elephant Community Press Creative workshops for kids aged four to 14 that will spark imaginations and guide students through the entire writing process, from brainstorming and drafting, to revising, editing and publishing their stories. All the action takes place on Pottinger Street in Central. And just for Easter, Elephant Press has launched King of Hong Kong, a fun workshop for kids aged nine-12 that combines board games and writing, in collaboration with Press Start Hong Kong.

Dates: April 5-8, 10-13 & 18-21; T: 3487 3153; E: info@elephantcommunitypress.com; W: www.elephantcommunitypress.com

HK Art Tutoring

On the run with ESF Sports.

ESF Language & Learning A chance for kindergarten and upper primary students to build confidence in speaking and writing English. Children will engage in role play and drama to unleash their creativity and

It’s great to create these holidays, with challenging art workshops looking at the natural artistic design cycle using a variety of techniques including drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and mixed-media in two and three-dimensional forms. Suitable for crafty kids aged nine and up and hosted in the HK Art Tutoring studios in North Point.

Dates: 9.30-11am & 11.15am-12.45pm, April 3-7 & 10-13; T: 9722 8353; E: info@hkarttutoring.com; W: www.hkarttutoring.com expat-parent.com 45

schools

Mindful Wing Chun

Anastassia’s Art House

Mindful Wing Chun is a martial arts practice which maximises the body’s power through relaxation and promotes self awareness.

These one-and-a-half hour classes at the Central-based studio pass on Wing Chun principles through game-based activities, with partner pad work, relays and meditation for older age groups.

Dates: 10-11.30am (3-5 yrs), 12-1.30pm (6-9 yrs); April 14, 15 & 17; T: 6620 7050; E: tom@mindfulwingchun.com.hk; W: www.mindfulwingchun.com.hk

An exciting offering of festive spring workshops for children aged from three to five years and from six years plus. Students will get stuck into painting, drawing, collage, craft making and work in mixed-media. Studios are located throughout Hong Kong including Happy Valley, Repulse Bay and Sai Kung.

Dates: April 3-13; E: happyvalley@arthousehk.com, repulsebay@arthouse-hk.com, saikung@arthouse-hk.com; W: www.arthouse-hk.com

Banana Art Club The Easter camps are being run in Causeway Bay, Discovery College and Kennedy School and offer children aged three to 15 the chance to explore drawing, canvas painting, cartoons, manga, mixed media, crafts and clay making.

This is a one-stop art school that leaves all the clearing up for someone else to do.

Dates: 9.30am-12.30pm, April 5-8; T: 6020 5476; E: bananaartclub@gmail.com; W: www.banaaartclub.com.

Faust For 18 years Faust International has brought the wonderful world of theatre and performing arts to Hong Kong’s young people. This Easter the theme is woodland adventures, exploring children’s classics such as The Gruffalo, Robin Hood and more. will see fun holiday classes in both theatre and creative writing. They run morning and afternoon and are suitable for ages four to 12 and take place at the Faust studio in Sheung Wan. Dates: 10.30am-12.30pm & 2-4.30pm T: 2547 9114; E: info@faustworld.com; W: www.faustworld.com 46 expat-parent.com

Creative writing at a Faust International camp.

expat-parent.com 47

schools

Fun and games with Ark Eden on Lantau.

Ark Eden Ark Eden runs forest play and hands-on environmental outdoor camps over the holidays. The camp is located in a secluded valley in Mui Wo, South Lantau, and offers single-day and overnight camps. The camps are suitable for children aged five to 11 years with the aim of reconnecting to nature.

Dates: April 3-10 E: jasmine@arkedenonlantau.com; W: www.arkedenonlantau.com.

HK Kidz HK Kidz is running a selection of fun and activity-packed camps in English, French, German, Spanish and Mandarin. Each workshop is jam-packed with songs, drama, storytelling, role-play and games.

Programmes include language and arts, drama and music, science and discovery and language and cooking. Pick one, or mix and match. Available in Central, Wong Chuk Hang and Sai Kung.

Dates: 1.5 hour, half-day or full-day, April 3-21; T: 2877 6160; E: infokidz@hklanguages.com; W: www.hkkidz.com

Hong Kong Ballet Hong Kong Ballet’s Easter Theatre Camp will be taking Fairy Fantasy as its theme (we can just imagine all those sparkly tutus) 48 expat-parent.com

and is a fun three-day event whereby young balletomanes can learn all about theatrical ballet production. There’ll be hands-on workshops and the chance to act and dance the roles of enchanted characters.

Dates: April 14-16; W: www.hkballet.com/ballet_camp

Art Loop Pop art workshops are sure to hit the spot at this One Island South-based studio, including art history lessons, story time and creative skills development. The two workshops are Egg-cellent Pastels, where with Andy Warhol as your inspiration, you’ll learn acrylic pattern making to create gorgeous eggs, or Pop! Bounce Bunny teaches the art of acrylic print-making. There is also a two-day family ceramic art workshop (one adult, one child).

Suitable for children aged three and up, dependent on workshop.

Dates: 10.30am-12pm & 2-3.30pm, April 5-21; T: 5238 8186; W: www.artloop.hk

YWCA Choose from over 100 camps this spring at YWCA’s International Kids Club. Courses include Kids Can Cook for three to six year olds, science camps for six to nine year olds, a trampoline and gymnastics day camp and a parent and kid climbing fun day. There will also be a four-day camp covering music,

Cake decorating at Complete Deelite.

movement, props and costume making, culminating in an Easter Parade.

Dates: April 3-21 W: www.clle.ywca.org.hk.

Complete Deelite “Egg-citing” classes for budding bakers and aspiring cake decorators. Two hours of fun will all supplies provided for class use. Students also get to bring home their edible treats (packaging for transporting the masterpieces is included). Suitable for children aged eight years and up.

Dates: April 5-12; T: 3167 7022; E: classes@completedeelite.com; www.completedeelite.com.

Mini-sport Get them up and running with a mini-sport camp. West Island School is laying on football, basketball, athletics, team building games and more at its Pok Fu Lam campus these holidays. Age groups include three to four years, five to six and seven to ten.

Dates: 9.30am-12.30pm, April 3-7 & 10-13; W: www.sportsforkidshk.com

Brainchild Explore robotics, 3D printing, beginning programming and science in a fun and creative way. Camps include DIY Bluetooth Speaker, DIY Solar Night Light, Star Wars Make-a-thon, 3D Printing, Coding for Kids

Sponsored Column

Make leadership your future

By Danny Harrington, Founder and Director of ITS Education Asia

Not so long ago, people stayed in one company for their entire working life but times have changed. U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics shows millennials stay in a job for an average of 4.4 years and many expect to change jobs every three years. This is due to the state of the employment situation in many developed economies, a change in the way companies engage employees, and partly due to younger people having the confidence to try different industries and job roles before settling into something long term.

A great uncertainty is that we can’t even conceive the type of jobs that may exist in the future. So what are young people to do when they have to begin thinking of the next educational or career step? Students feel they can’t afford to learn for the sake of learning in the modern competitive world and every stage of their education must be seen to have a long term purpose. A study by global firm PWC in 2011 showed 72% made a trade-off in what they wanted to do just to get employment and only 18% expected to stay in their position longterm. The same study found that a large majority were “uncomfortable with rigid

corporate structures” and expected “rapid progression, a varied and interesting career, and constant feedback”. How do we match what employers want and expect and what new entrants to the workplace can offer and demand?

Part of the answer perhaps lies in the way we educate during the transition from school to work. In most modern economies there is very little school-to-work direct transition anymore. Education and/or training is the bridge between the two but part of the problem is finding the intersections to determine what kind of education will be useful and successful.

In the future, an importance will be placed on social skills and generating collective intelligence. To satisfy both sides – give employers confidence in new hires and make job seekers be equipped for the demands – school leavers could do a lot worse than learn how to lead, develop selfawareness, communication and collaboration skills and gain an understanding of group dynamics.

ITS Education Asia has teamed up with Tai Poutini Polytechnic [TPP] from

New Zealand to bring the Certificate of Experiential Learning [CEL] to Hong Kong.

An adaptation of an outdoor education programme TPP uses a combination of outdoor and classroom learning to equip today’s youngsters for the future. The programme lasts one academic year and results in both the TPP Certificate in Experiential Learning or equivalent to the first year of a degree. The CEL allows graduates to enter the adventure or ecotourism industry or follow a number of degree pathways. The programme aims to set you up for the next step, giving you space to find what you want to do while gaining a qualification. It can be treated as a structured gap year, a foundation year or the first year of your higher education.

ITS Education Asia provides an education consulting service that works with families and employers to find the right schools for individual children in Hong Kong, from nursery to secondary schools. ITS also offers research, policy and advisory services for corporations. For more details, contact es@ itseducation.asia, 3188 3940 or www.itseducation.asia.

and Techie Junior. Perfect for inquisitive kids aged from five and up (age dependent on specific camp).

Dates: April 3-21; T: 2528 6862; W: brainchildltd.com

Baking cookies with Complete Deelite.

Canadian International School The Aberdeen-based school will be opening its doors to all with over 21 different camps running over the spring break. Classes include gymnastics, swimming, netball and football.

All activities cater for multiple age groups and skill tiers.

Dates: April 10-13; E: activities@cdnis.edu.hk; W: www.cdnis.edu.hk

In the swim at Canadian International School.

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schools

Going for gold Fourteen-year-old Harriet Martin is running an adventure race this Easter to support Cambodian children. She tells Expat Parent how she got involved.

Introduce yourself to us…

My name is Harriet Martin, I’m a secondary student and I’m from Clearwater Bay.

So how did the Adventure Race come about?

At school I’m working towards my Duke of Edinburgh bronze award. It’s an optional course which has three stages, bronze, silver and gold. It’s also known as AYP, or the Hong Kong Award for Young People. It teaches you new skills and and an important component is getting involved with charity or community work. Other sections include completing a skill and a physical challenge.

It really helps build your independence, personal organisation and teamwork skills.

Each stage culminates with an expedition.

Harriet Martin enjoying a prectice camping trip with dog Ginny.

Where are you up to right now?

I’m currently working towards my bronze.

I’ve finished the physical section, for which I took tennis lessons for an hour every week over three months. For my skill I am learning to play the piano for an hour plus practice each week. I will sit my grade 5 theory exam at the end of May. I’ve also been doing some volunteering work for about six weeks so far.

I have chosen Feeding Dreams Cambodia as my charity. Everything I’ve done has been logged online.

Tell us more about your charity work…

Feeding Dreams Cambodia is a voluntary organisation that provides support, meals and education to over 800 families living in the slums of Siem Reap. I really enjoy the volunteering aspect of the award and I went out and visited the Feeding Dreams team in Cambodia last Easter. It was great playing and interacting with the children and helping them learn. The charity really has changed so many people’s lives.

So tell us more about the Adventure Race...

Yes, this month I will be running my volunteering event and I aim to raise around 50 expat-parent.com

$6,000. I’m hoping this money will sponsor a week’s worth of meals, or help with some of the projects they’re developing. My event is an Adventure Race around Clearwater Bay called the Dream Team Challenge. I’m hoping to involve around 30 local children, with parents helping to run the event. It will involve activities like hiking, swimming, paddling and beach games, which I hope everyone will enjoy.

What do you enjoy most about the award?

I enjoy it all - my main sport is tennis and I do love playing the piano. Also the thought that I’m helping Feeding Dreams is great. I really hope I reach my $6,000 goal.

And what have been the tough bits?

The hardest part so far has been organising the volunteering section. I had to think of ideas to raise money and contact people to participate in my event. I also have to put together a PowerPoint presentation about how I organised it all. The generosity of people has been great. Blue Sky Sports Club in Sai Kung is donating stand up paddle boards, and another donor some trophies.

I’m hoping to have my bronze award by the end of the school year.

What’s next?

I might move on to my silver and gold awards - it’s a great thing to have on your resume for university!

How can other kids get involved?

You can sign up through your school if they offer the programme, or through any other organisation that offers it - often girl guide and scouting groups run a programme. I would say you need to choose activities you enjoy and that you can participate in year round.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I enjoy playing tennis outside of my award commitments, as well as hanging out with my friends and going swimming. I also enjoy water skiing, ice skating and going to the movies. I love trying new activities.

If you want to find out more about the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme in Hong Kong, see www.ayp.org.hk. For more information about Feeding Dreams, see www.feedingdreamscambodia.org.

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life & style

Life & style news Kidswear goes active

Hey bella!

Meet Miguel Mendez, below, a Panama hat maker from Cuenca, Ecuador, who is currently busy shaping the new season’s hat collection for Hong Kong milliner Bella Blu. The hand-woven head pieces arrive in the territory this month, just in time for summer.

The hats come in a range of styles and colours and can be expertly fitted by founder Jo Dixon.

This year Dixon has added a clever hat case to the range, so your headgear will arrive at its summer holiday destination in perfect shape.

Bella Blu will be popping up at fairs and private sales all over Hong Kong from now until the summer break, stay in-the-know with diary dates and new launches by following the brand at www.facebook.com/BellaBluDesign.

A stylish short to medium brim Panama hat and case!

Click the Giveaways tab on our website: www.expat-parent.com.

WIN

Designer Christine Koelnberger and kids sporting the new range.

Clever mum Christine Koelnberger is on the verge of launching her latest venture, Little Borne, a range of comfy clothing for active kids. A fashion designer by trade, Koelnberger switched from womenswear to kidswear after the birth of her second son, Leo, in 2011.

“As a child in Germany, I remember my mum often dressing me in tracksuit pants and tops and I just loved the freedom that came with that,” she recalls. With this in mind, she came up with a range of easywear, easy-care, sweat/jog garments that wouldn’t hold kids back.

The unisex Little Borne range comes with a double elasticated waste-band in the pants “so they never, ever fall down,” a relaxed “Mediterranean” style, labels on the outside to “reduce itch”, double elbow and 52 expat-parent.com

knee patches, and extra big pockets and a cute tag on the tops so children can keep precious toys by their side. All garments are made from 100% cotton and are produced in a family-run factory in Portugal.

The tops and pants come in five colours and four sizes from three to ten years.

To launch the range, Koelnberger has started a Kickstarter campaign, which runs until April 6. Orders taken before that date receive a discount, with products shipped a few weeks afterwards. Should the campaign not reach its target, money is reimbursed.

“Backing a Kickstarter project is more than just pledging funds to the creator,” says Koelnberger. “It’s pledging your support to a creative idea that you want to see exist in the world.” Her target figure is $145,000. www.littleborne.com.

Dippy eggs with style Luxury French tableware brand Christofle has launched a super cute Oeuf Baby Egg set, perfect for the Easter breakfast table.

The set includes a baby cup, egg cup, napkin ring, spinning toy and can be engraved with your little one’s name or birth date.

Check out the new collection at Shop 117, Prince’s Building, Central.

life & style

Blossoming bumps Maternity-wear specialist Mayarya has launched its Spring Summer collection for 2017 with a colourful mix of fresh and functional pieces for pregnancy and beyond.

The range has been created using breathable bamboo cottons and super soft stretch jersey to elegantly drape and adapt to growing bumps. 60% of the pieces incorporate easy nursing access, a godsend for mothers attempting to breastfeed on the move.

“The pieces are versatile and take you

from pregnancy to nursing without skipping a beat,” commented one new mum.

All prints are exclusively created by British designer Victoria Leigh, which this season include vibrant colour pops, sugary pastels, stripes, florals and palm prints.

With plenty of vacation-friendly pieces, the collection is sure to transport you through summer stylishly, but perhaps more importantly, comfortably. www.mayarya.com.

Sail through summer with Mayarya's new maternity collection.

Bright and breezy kitchen vibes Spring has sprung and so has a coffee offer from Nespresso. We’re loving the orange pop of colour the Inissia machine brings to the kitchen, in a vibrant, limited edition orange.

It’s currently on offer at the special price of $1,088 (originally $1,388). And not only that, if you prefer your caffeine shot on the milky side, the Aeroccino 3 milk frother can be snapped up for just $500 when bought alongside any Nespresso coffee machine.

Nespresso will be hosting milk coffee recipe workshops in its Hong Kong boutiques throughout April, pop in to find out how to get the most out of your brews.

To find a venue near you, see www.nespresso.com.

With our girl in the know, Elaine Yeoh Precious, priceless memories! Parents, you are going to love Printastic, an app that helps you turn all your thousands of mobile phone snaps into a vivid photo book.

From photos of your baby’s first year and first birthday, through to his first school year and even photos of a wedding, anniversary or fantastic holiday, pictures are instantly transformed into a high quality hard or soft cover photo book or wall calendar.

Take your time making the perfect book by saving the edits and adding to them till you are happy with the final result. From square, landscape, portrait, giant (24 to 200 pages), choose from 10 page layouts and 14 cover designs.

Photos can be added from your camera roll, Dropbox or Facebook and Instagram accounts. Prices start at US$12.50 for calendars and US$24.99 for photo books.

Delivery to Hong Kong takes 16 days, with a tracker to see your order through from payment to delivery.

Designed a real masterpiece? Go ahead and sell it to friends and family via a dedicated sales page!

See www.getprintastic.com and download the app from Apple App Store or Google Play for your phone or tablet.

Yeoh will be reviewing a new app every month. Contact her at simplyfabulicious.wordpress.com or facebook.com/SimplyFabulicious.

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life & style

Pure couture with an ethical twist

The AWA kicks off its spring programme with a Conscious Couture Fashion Show this month. Event organiser Augusta Nichols-Even reveals all.

T

his month the American Women’s Association (AWA) is hosting a Conscious Couture Spring Fashion show in the ritzy environs of the American Club Tai Tam’s ballroom.

Open to all (not just AWA members), the event has been organised by the enthusiastic gala committee, led by Augusta NicholsEven. New to Hong Kong but with event organisation experience under her belt, Nichols-Even wanted to put an ecological spin on the biennial event (the fashion show switches with an art event on alternate years).

“We had a meeting to think about themes and the word “ecology” popped up a lot. I wanted to take this concept a stage further, looking not just at the environmental side, but taking a broader conscious approach, covering social issues such as new skill sets for women, gender neutral fashion and provision of living wages for manufacturers.

“We decided we wanted to include local designers, local manufacturers, regional and upcycled/recycled materials, historical artistic techniques and garments that honoured local heritage.”

Nichols-Even says the group then did a lot of research into designers who might meet one or some of these criteria and then met with them and went through the designs.

The show has been broken into three segments, including casual resort wear, daywear and couture, and finishing with a rather intriguing sounding stand-out gown made of banana and pineapple leaves. “It sounds mad, doesn’t it?” enthuses Nichols-Even. “Apparently the leaves produce a silk-like material.”

She says the team has enjoyed interacting with the designers and discovering some really innovative approaches to fashion.

“For example, one designer has been creating exciting accessories from upcycled kimonos from the 1950s. They use every scrap of material and of course it’s a great way of preserving the ancient art of kimono textile making.” Kimono fabrics were often hand-made and -decorated, using techniques such as “yuzen” dye resist and stencils to apply decorations and patterns.

They were traditionally made from fabrics 54 expat-parent.com

Members of the gala committee, which includes Kathleen Hennessy, Margaret Goeden, Augusta Nichols-Even, Karen Bacci, Marcy LaRont, Heidi Rockowitz, Cathy Furlong, Rachel Bourke, Barbora Mayer.

such as hemp, linen, silk, silk brocades, silk crepes and satin waves.

“We’ve tried to made the show as accessible to designers as possible,

The show finishes with a gown made of banana and pineapple leaves. I know, it sounds mad! embracing both the more experienced and those that are new to the trade. In terms of models, we reached out to the AWA membership, it’s a brave thing for people to offer to do but it does mean we have “real” women on the catwalk. Hair and makeup is also being provided by local businesses.”

The team is asking guests to come in cocktail dresses (the event is being held at

cocktail hour, after all), and will incorporate the fashion show, an auction with lots of contributions from the designers themselves, a charitable donation and then a chance to meet the designers and mix with the crowd over cocktails and canapes. There will also be a shopping opportunity.

“We’ve got a proper, raised runway and lots of front row seats available, not to mention amazing goodie bags worth over $1,000.” enthuses Nichols-Even. “We’re looking forward to a fabulous night.”

The show takes place on April 26, 6.3010pm, tickets cost $1,000 and the event is open to all. Tickets are on sale now via the AWA website www.awa.org.hk/activities/ local-activities/conscious-couture-awaspring-fashion-show/ Follow the designers and information about the show on Facebook events page www.facebook.com/ events/673930676120678/

ers desiggne! e h t t a ou Chechke following p t on

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life & style

The designers Sera By Raashi

Coy Collection

At its Wong Chuk Hang workshop, Sera by Raashi is made locally using only natural fibers and lined with 100% silk. Sera by Raashi is consciously reviving the art of original handcrafted embroidery in each unique design, creating elegance that is accessible while simultaneously preserving local artistry. www.serabyraashi.com www.facebook.com/serabyraashi/ Raashi Chatrath rashi@serabyrashi.com

The playfully designed scarves of Coy Collection are manufactured using ecofriendly digital printing techniques which consciously eliminate harsh chemicals, produce almost no water waste, and eliminate production line waste making it possible to affordably create limited edition designs. www.coycollection.com/ www.facebook.com/coycollection Janice Chung coy@collection.com

La French Cut Designed and handmade in Hong Kong, La French Cut’s custom-made shoes naturally avoid waste and consciously source recycled materials for refined one-of-akind and limited run shoes. www.lafrenchcut.com www.facebook.com/ groups/lafrenchcut. news Alice Sachot info@ lafrenchcut.com

French Allure Infused with the artistic soul of Paris and the innovative heart of Hong Kong, French Allure seeks to provide women with access to high quality fashion at an accessible price point. The ethos of the brand is to consciously give back on every sale, through NGO, to protect women and children of Asia. www.frenchallure.com www.facebook.com/frenchallure/ Mei Ling meiling@frenchallure.com

Classics Anew 100% Hong Kong in make and style, Classics Anew up-cycles collected fabrics to incorporate into unique fashion designs that celebrate and preserve the finest traditional local Chinese arts and handicrafts through timeless fashion designs www.classicsanew. com www.facebook.com/ ClassicsAnew/ Janko Lam jankolam@ classicsanew.com 56 expat-parent.com

Emi & Eve Emi & Eve jewelry is carefully hand crafted of pure brass from bombshells by Cambodian artisans, consciously providing sustainable livelihoods, reclaiming land from landmines, and in so doing contributing to freedom from fear. www.emiandeve.com/ www.facebook.com/EmiandEve/ Cassandra Postema hello@emiandeve.com

Heritage ReFashioned New life is breathed into these sustainable fashion clutches made from forsaken, forgotten and rejected vintage Japanese kimono textiles. Made in Hong Kong, Heritage ReFashioned consciously provides a living wage to the women who expertly use every scrap of vintage fabric that would otherwise become waste. www.refashion.hk/ www.facebook.com/HeritageReFashioned/ Vincci Ching vincci@refashion.hk

for the e s r u p print mer ! sum Bon Voyage Hong Kong Balinese inspired Bon Voyage resort wear sources sustainable fabrics from the region, and uses limited production runs to consciously create environmentally friendly designs. Rigorous fair trade standards ensure workers earn a living wage. www. bonvoyagehongkong.com www.facebook.com/BeachBeau/ Victoria Atherton-Devries bonvoyagevictoria@gmail.com

Modement Socially conscious Modement by Aries Sin focuses on unisex wear, taking the best of men’s and women’s tailoring to design clothes that are modern and edgy. Minimal cutting creates great silhouettes that suit people of all shapes and sizes effortlessly. www.modement.hk/ www.facebook.com/MODEMENT.hk/

Rania Hatoum Bridal & Occasions Fibers extracted from the heart of 100% recycled pineapple and banana leaves are used to produce Pina or abaca silk for this distinctive line. Hatoum is not only environmentally conscious, but socially as well, providing women in the Philippines a way to make a living and have a voice in a male-dominated society. www.raniahatoum.com www.facebook.com/raniahatoumbridal/ Rania Hatoum rania@raniahatoum.com

Ranee_k Called the future classics of contemporary Oriental style, ranee_k Qipao designs consciously honor the past in refreshingly modern Eastern cutting and patterns to serve today’s woman. www.raneek.wixsite.com/raneek www.facebook.com/RaneekOfficial-665539780280922/ Ranee Kwok raneekshop@gmail.com

Grace Fashion Company Top quality textiles are sourced from Italy, Japan and India, handpicked to bring baroque style into contemporary fashion in Grace Fashion Company’s Hong Kong studio.

Mostly handcrafted in India, handmade techniques are incorporated to elevate quality and artistry. GFC consciously employs only women to help support local women economically and improve their lives. www.facebook.com/tiphanieyan/ Tiphanie Yan tiphanieyan@gmail.com

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life & style

Get knotted

Rug Your Life's founder Nayla Ventura.

Would you put a work of art on the floor? Nayla Ventura’s company Rug Your Life does exactly that to stunning effect, writes Adele Brunner.

What’s the concept behind Rug Your Life?

Rug Your Life gives you the chance to design and make a unique rug. You can essentially have whatever you want. You find or create an image that you would like to have made into a rug and I take it from there. Turning a child’s drawing into a rug is very popular particularly with my Hong Kong clients - but I also work with artists and people who want something plainer, abstract or incorporating different shades to fit in with their existing decor. We can even modify or moderate colours, for example, kids’ drawings are often very bright so sometimes need to tone them down.

I’m always happy to advise on size, shape, materials and colours. I take carpet samples to my Hong Kong clients’ homes 58 expat-parent.com

as it is always easier if you can see what something looks like in the room itself. I always show clients renderings of their design before it is sent to the weavers.

How did it all start?

I was living in Germany and pregnant with my daughter. As she was due in winter, I wanted to create a really soft and cosy nursery for her. I found a drawing, filled it with lovely colours, that my husband had made when he was a little boy. I decided I wanted that picture on a rug.

It was incredibly difficult to find someone to do it. Companies either wouldn’t take my order as it was a one-off piece or the price to do it was insanely high. Luckily, a guy from a big carpet supplier liked the sound of my project and decided to do it for

fun. I received it about two days before my daughter was born and I will never forget the incredibly feeling of complete joy when I saw it. I enjoyed the whole process so much that I set up a business. This was in 2010.

What are the rugs made out of?

Most are 100% New Zealand or Tibetan wool but there are also Chinese silk or silk/ wool combinations, and whatever pile you want - shaggy, short, or a mix of textures.

You can have rugs made out of nettle yarn (literally spun from stinging nettles and more ecological than cotton), bamboo silk or viscose, and we even have rugs made out of recycled plastic bottles which are very hard wearing and perfect for under dining room tables, kitchens and outdoors. Most

life & style

Turning a child's drawing into a floor piece is a popular choice of design.

rugs are hand knotted, while others are flat woven (like dhurries - a traditional Indian floor covering - or kilims, a textile traditional to North Africa and the Middle East) or hand tufted using something that looks a bit like an ear-piercing gun which shoots the yarn through the pattern.

I’ve also just started working with new felt ball effect rugs, which are made with unspun wool, rolled up and dyed. They give a very cool and modern effect.

the weavers… I wouldn’t feel right charging ridiculous amounts.

Are there any restrictions on design?

I work with very small suppliers, mostly in Nepal and India. The felt ball rugs are made by a women’s community in Kathmandu, and this little business gives them financial independence.

Not really but some images might need a bit of adapting. Clean, solid colours work well and reproduce almost identically. If you want to reproduce a watercolour painting, for example, certain shades might not be exactly the same as the original. Something that is too intricate might also not work as well as a clearer or simpler image.

I wouldn’t copy a design without the designer’s permission and wouldn’t feel comfortable doing this even with the go ahead - the whole idea is that your rug is unique and personal to you.

when their rug arrives or receiving an email from happy clients overseas that makes everything worthwhile for me.

How long do the rugs take to make?

What aspect of your business do you most enjoy?

Any advice for people wanting to rug their life?

It all depends on size, the number of colours used, the intricacy of the design and the technique. On average, a felt ball rug takes about three weeks to make, kilims a month and hand-tufted rugs about three months. But hand-knotted rugs can take up to five months.

I get excited seeing everyone’s ideas but it is seeing my clients’ faces

Don’t try too hard to find that perfect picture.

Go with your gut and pick something that for whatever reason resonates with you. It could be your child’s first attempts at writing, a picture of a shell that reminds you of a wonderful day at the beach, anything. It’s all about creating something meaningful that you will treasure forever - a beautiful bespoke piece that you will love having in your home and will also work with your lifestyle and decor.

Where are they made?

Can you give us an idea of price?

It depends on the type of weave you’re going for, design complexity and size. As a rule of thumb, per square foot, a felt ball rug costs $126, hand-tufted pieces are $185 and a hand-knotted carpet is $300. I try and keep my costs reasonable especially as I don’t have a showroom. It’s just me in Hong Kong and

Contact Ventura at nayla.ventura@rugyourlife.com or visit www.rugyourlife.com. expat-parent.com 59

HEALTH & wellness

Health & wellness news

Skin deep

All the gear

Sevens fever Don’t miss out on this limited edition 7s Gilbert rugby ball, available this month from Escapade. The balls have been designed with the Hong Kong skyline, Bauhinia flower and HKG motif. There are only 100 balls in all, so tackle your way into a store now. Balls cost $180 and can be pre-ordered online at www.escapade.com.hk.

Escapade is also exclusively stocking the official Kukri Hong Kong Rugby 7s kit. Choose from tees, hooded tops, caps and hats.

Escapade stores are located in Causeway Bay, Central, Repulse Bay and Clearwater Bay, www.escapade.com.hk.

Check out Hong Kong’s “White List” for skin-friendly products.

Baby skincare company Cherub Rubs has found itself on Hong Kong’s recently released baby product safety report, the “white list”, according to a statement released by the company.

The list is the first of its kind for baby products in Hong Kong and has been introduced following a survey by The Consumer Council earlier this year that discovered over half of all body lotion products on the market contains fragrance allergens that can increase the chance of triggering allergic reactions and irritations, including eczema.

The World Green Organisation has now introduced the list into Hong Kong, and it contains information about babycare products that have undergone chemical analysis, an international ingredient check and biological testing.

According to a spokesperson for Cherub Rubs, “the rule of thumb with skincare is “less is more”.” Its skincare products are made from organic substances with no chemical petrochemicals, no chemicals, no artificial colours or fragrances, no chemical preservatives, no chemical foaming agent and no synthetic moisturisers.

The range is available from outlets Hong Kong-wide, including Mannings, Mothercare, Watsons, Sogo and Wing On. For more information about the white list, see www.wgo.org.hk.

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New sportwear from 2xu.

Spring into summer with sportswear brand 2xu’s recently launched Spring/Summer collection.

The Perform range comprises mid rise body firming and supportive compression tights for men and women. The tights use high breathability fabrics and offer graduated compression to major leg muscles to alleviate soreness, fatigue and long term overuse injuries.

The Accelerate Compression pieces aim to boost performance across most activities and are engineered to support adductor, glute, quad, hamstring and calf muscles. The compression aspect helps reduce muscle vibration and protect against damage and fatigue. They’re made of light, breathable fabrics and can be worn as a base layer or alone.

The colourful X-Vent long and short-sleeved tops have Hong Kong’s summer heat in mind, with breathable high performance fabrics for minimal cling and chafe. The X-Vent shorts are also made in breathable fabrics, contain mesh side panels to maximise airflow and have a handy rear zip pocket. www.2xu.com.

Green dreams Kiwiberries are the latest superfruit to hit Hong Kong. Straight from the orchards of New Zealand’s sun-drenched Bay of Plenty, these little green grape-sized fruits certainly pack a punch. Each berry contains more vitamin C than two oranges, plus vitamin E, potassium and antioxidants. Grab a box from your local supermarket while you can, as by they enjoy a very short season.

Check out #munchnkiwiberryhk or www.munchn.co.nz for recipe ideas.

HEALTH & wellness

Mindful moments How to sleep when your mind is racing?

Asks mindfulness expert Elena Maria Foucher.

Have you ever had this happen? Right when your head hits the pillow, just when you want everything to slow down, a million thoughts come racing through.

It can be seriously frustrating. At this point - or when we sit to meditate - we want calm. And we get agitation. We can end up tossing and turning all night thinking we’ll never get to sleep or giving up on our meditation practice thinking we’ll never achieve calm.

In his book, Restful Sleep, physician Deepak Chopra explains this frustrating phenomenon. He writes that throughout our day, we’re constantly taking in and processing information. We often get interrupted in the middle of thoughts and

don’t get to finish them. Later, when we have some down time, our brains take that time to complete whatever is in the queue.

So how do we deal with this? First, give yourself some downtime before you want to sleep or meditate. Put aside ten minutes where you aren’t absorbing information so your mind can empty.

Sit quietly, wash the dishes, or do some exercise - don’t go online, watch tv, or read. View this as an important part of your day, as you would brushing your teeth or removing your make-up.

If you find your mind won’t let up thinking about something, put a notebook by your bed or meditation seat and write down your thoughts. This will help you remember the details that you wanted to

hold onto and gives you a platform for expressing all that you want to say. If you find yourself writing a lot, feel good that you’re letting it all out rather than tossing and turning all night. Sleep well!

Elena Maria Foucher is the creator of Mindfulness Made Easy. For weekly guided meditations, private sessions and six-week courses contact Elena@ ElenaMariaFoucher.com, or see www.ElenaMariaFoucher.com.

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HEALTH & wellness

Storm in a sippy cup Speech therapist Stephanie Eber gets to the bottom of the sippy cup debate.

A

s parents, we’re continually questioning and debating the pros and cons of pretty much everything related to how we raise our children.

Are we doing this right? Are we doing that right? Am I over/under stimulating my child?

Am I feeding too much/too little? Is what I am doing/not doing going to give my child ADHD/ asthma/allergies/diabetes/speech delays/ (insert disorder here)? Often you seek out others in the same boat to compare notes.

Love them or hate them, mothers’ groups can validate what you are doing, or they can cause greater stress, which is what I witnessed last year in what I call the “grand sippy cup debacle”.

I’ve been a mum for a mere 11 months, but I’ve been a practising speech therapist for over 10 years and I have worked with children for 95% of that time. And yes, some behaviours can cause speech sound issues.

For example, dummy and thumb sucking can cause problems if it goes on for too long, as this action can change the shape of a baby/toddlers’ jaw and promote immature, tongue-thrust, sucking patterns. Changing the shape of a child’s jaw can also potentially displace where the teeth would commonly grow which can mean the child is unable to produce some sounds as clearly as they would be able to do otherwise.

Studies have also shown that using a dummy can reduce the amount of babbling and speech imitation as babies’ mouths are occupied for long periods of time. Sounds produced could even be a little distorted if produced while there is a dummy in the child’s mouth. Short-term use is fine and they will not likely cause any issues. Most children naturally stop thumb or dummy sucking between three and six years, although I would step in at four years if they haven’t stopped already. My son is a thumb-sucker (even while in utero which was pretty cute) and even if I wanted him to stop, at this point I doubt that it would be possible. Sucking is comforting and calming for babies, and personally, I find it rather endearing at the moment. Most children grow out of thumb and dummy sucking without any parental intervention 62 expat-parent.com

being required, and without leaving any negative repercussions, so I say let babies suck to their little hearts’ content.

Sippy cups came up as a topic in my mum’s group text conversation when the babies were around eight months, and it caused quite a stir. Who knew something as innocent as sippy cups would stir so many different opinions? Some people said they love their sippys, some purchased several until they found one that their child liked, some went straight to an open cup, and some went a little half way with using a 360 ̊ cup (i.e. an adult cup with a silicon lid/valve that makes it spill-proof).

Who knew something as innocent as a sippy cup could cause such a stir?

I did a bit of everything- I purchased a few sippys and funnily enough, my son preferred the novelty Sriracha sauce sippy that my husband bought from a hipster baby store in NYC. I tried a 360 ̊ cup but it was a little tricky for my son to learn to drink from. In the end, we stuck with the Sriracha cup until he hit about 10 months then progressed to an open cup while at home and then a straw-cup while

??

Eber with her baby son.

out and about.

So back to the controversial chat. As mentioned, thumb and dummy sucking can cause speech issues, but sippy cups? Yes, this was brought up by a mum who was apparently told not to use sippy cups for drinking water because they will “cause speech impairments”.

Studies show that, similar to dummies and thumb sucking, if children just drink from sippy cups (and only sippy cups) for too long then yes, they can promote immature sucking patterns which could potentially lead to weaker muscles of the mouth. However, if sippy cups are used as they are intended, as transition cups (i.e. to help transition the baby or toddler from a bottle to an open-cup) and phased out in favour of regular cups or straw cups at around 12 months (or whenever the toddler is ready) then long-term repercussions are extremely unlikely.

So sip those sippys, babies, and all will be ok! Parents, you got this!

Eber has been working as a speech and language therapist for over 10 years.

She is the senior speech therapist at an international school in Hong Kong while running Beyond Words Speech Therapy.

Visit facebook.com/BeyondWordsHK to find out more about upcoming workshops.

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food

Chicky choccy Easter fun Grab an apron (and mum or dad) and get baking. Those clever chefs at Maggie & Rose have shared this yummy recipe exclusively with Expat Parent for a choctastic Easter!

Rocky Road Easter Egg Nests

INGREDIENTS: 300g granola or crushed ginger nut biscuits 450g milk chocolate 60g mini marshmallows 60g (2oz) glace cherries 54 Cadbury’s mini eggs (or three for each cake) How do I make them?

1. Line two, 12-hole muffin trays with 18 cases.

2. Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of water. Make sure the water isn’t touching the base of the bowl.

Break the chocolate into the bowl and gently warm the water on a very low heat until the chocolate melts.

3. With your hands, break the granola into a bowl, don’t crush them fully - you just want to separate the clusters. If you’re using ginger nut biscuits, break them in a bag with a rolling pin and add to the bowl.

Add the marshmallows and cherries and mix together.

4. Once the chocolate has melted, let it cool (a tiny bit) and then pour over the granola or ginger nuts/marshmallow/cherry mixture and stir until everything is covered. Spoon into the prepared muffin cases, top with three mini-eggs and place in the fridge for at least an hour.

5. Serve on a sunny spring day, or even a wet spring day!

And don’t forget to share a photo of you and your chocolate creations with us! Email images to editorial@fastmedia.com.hk for a chance to see yourself in the May issue (images should be emailed unedited and at “actual size”).

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Maggie & Rose will be serving up more great baking ideas at their Easter camps this month.

Turn to page 44 To find out more.

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food

Easter

feasters

Treat the family to an Easter brunch. Rachel Read & Kate Farr tuck into six seasonal spreads.

When: Saturday 15 & Sunday

Bunny bonanza Ensure your Easter is filled with joie de vivre thanks to Seasons by Olivier E. This Michelinstarred French restaurant’s belt-busting brunch includes a starter, seafood and salad buffet (featuring Seasons’ signatures lobster and avocado jelly, grilled tuna belly and beef carpaccio on tap), your choice of eggs, a main course (options include duck confit and roast of the day) and a “bunnies wonderland” dessert buffet where you can grab freshlymade Hong Kong-style egglettes.

In addition to feasting on brunch galore 66 expat-parent.com

and receiving a complimentary balloon, kids can head to the “Easter Eggstravaganza” corner for an egg colouring activity. Keep your fingers crossed for blue skies – Seasons’ outdoor terrace is perfect for giving little ones room to roam whilst you soak up the sun, seafood and champers!

Shop 308, 3/F, Lee Gardens Two, 28 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, 2505 6228 www.seasonsbyolivier.com

16 April

$ How much: $498 per person (plus 10% service charge)

Free-flow:

$190 per person for free-flow champagne, $128 for beer and house wine

For the kids: $348 for children aged 3-12 years old, under 3s eat for free High chairs:

Yes

food

Langham Luxe A sophisticated choice that’s surprisingly family-friendly, The Food Gallery at The Langham Hong Kong is offering an Easter brunch with a truly five-star flavour. Savoury highlights include a New Zealand lamb rack, beef Bourguignon and garlic parmesan-crusted scallops, while those in search of a seasonal sugar rush will fall for the adorable selection of Easter-themed desserts, including coconut and egg cupcakes, strawberry shortcake trifle

and every little bunny’s favourite – a classic carrot cake.

The entire buffet will be decorated with an Easter theme, and kids can snap up cute cookies and chocolate eggs to their heart’s desire. Easter-themed colouring activities will ensure that brunch runs smoothly for the entire family.

8 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2132 7898

When: Saturday 15 - Monday 17 April

$ How much: $348 per person (plus 10% service charge)

Free-flow: No For the kids: Kids buffet costs $208 per child

High chairs:

Yes

expat-parent.com 67

food When: Friday 14-Sunday 16 April $ How much: $395 per person (plus 10% service charge)

Free-flow: $195 per person for two hours of free-flow Veuve Clicquot champagne, Indonesian Bloody Marys, mimosas, sangria, house wine or soft drinks For the kids: Dishes on the kids’ menu cost $60 each High chairs:

Yes

Keep Kaum and carry on If you’re all egged out, Kaum at Potato Head’s Indonesian brunch will spice up your Easter weekend with authentic Asian flavours. Brunch includes one small plate and one dessert per person, plus as many large plates as you can eat – with mouth-watering choices including babi guling (roasted baby pig marinated in Balinese spices), nasi goreng udang (prawn fried rice with specialty Bangka

shrimp paste) and an Easter special of gulai telor dengan roti jala (soft boiled egg and eggplant in a coconut milk curry sauce).

There’s a dedicated menu for mini foodies (which conveniently doubles up as a colouring sheet), featuring options like satay, noodles and dumplings. The spacious venue makes light work of stroller parking, whilst little ones can unleash their creativity on Sunday with

Hola amigos Say olé to brunch with a Spanish flavour at Wan Chai eatery The Optimist. This greatvalue brunch includes a cold buffet of cured meats, cheese and salad; hot sharing starters for the table, including Optimist signature “broken eggs” (featuring Iberian ham, chorizo, potato and eggs, with a truffle and mushroom veggie version also available); one main course per person (our top picks are the seafood rice and chateaubriand Spanish beef), and a chef’s

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dessert selection to finish things off.

Warm friendly service ensures the whole family feels at home here; kids get their own menu, which includes a semi-buffet selection, choice of spaghetti Bolognese or burger, dessert and orange juice – plus Easter-themed colouring to keep them busy in-between bites.

239 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, 2433 3324 www.theoptimist.hk

an Easter-themed hat-making workshop; paper artist Linus & The Feel Good Factory will be helping them craft cute bunny and chick headgear.

100 Third Street, Sai Ying Pun, 2858 6066 www.kaum.com

When: Friday 14-Monday 17 April $ How much: $348 per person Free-flow: $180 per person for free-flow prosecco, wine, sangria or beer

For the kids: Kids menu costs $98 per child

High chairs:

Yes

food Les Frites, so chic Frites is a perennial favourite with Hong Kong parents looking for an easy space for a familyfriendly meal. While this established Belgian restaurant may not have a specific Easter brunch offering, their à la carte menu – with its signature half or full-kilo mussel pots, hearty grills and extensive selection of vegetarian dishes – is always a sure-fire crowd-pleaser.

Parents will also appreciate its wide range of draft and bottled Belgian beers, alongside a well-curated wine list.

But it’s the youngest members of the party that really strike gold over the long weekend. Frites’ annual Easter party takes place simultaneously across all its branches on Saturday 15 April, with egg hunts, DIY basket crafting sessions and magic shows. This year, Frites are adding additional egg hunts and crafting sessions across all locations on Friday and Sunday too, effectively extending the festivities across the entire Easter weekend.

1/F The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central, 2217 6671 Shop 6, 1/F, Causeway Centre, 28 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, 2877 2422 Shop 1, G/F Park Haven, 38 Haven Street, Causeway Bay, 2142 5233 G/F Oxford House, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, 2250 5188 www.frites.hk

When: Friday 14-Sunday 16 April from 12pm; Easter party Saturday 15 April from 12pm.

$ How much: Mains from $175-$395 (plus 10% service charge)

Free-flow: No For the kids: Kids’ dishes range from $75-$95

High chairs:

Yes

When: Friday 14-Monday 17 April $ How much: $458 per adult Friday, Saturday and Monday; $828 per adult Sunday (plus 10% service charge)

Free-flow: Sunday brunch pricing includes free-flow champagne, wine and beer For the kids: $One child under 12 eats for free per paying adult on Friday, Saturday and Monday, with additional children charged at $229.

Kids’ Sunday brunch costs $$414, including free-flow soft drinks.

What's cooking in the kitchen?

For an Easter weekend brunch with a truly unbeatable view, head to W Hong Kong’s renowned buffet restaurant, KITCHEN. Tuck into a spectacular festive feast across a range of international cuisines, with a particular emphasis on jet-fresh seafood (like Boston lobster, scallops and oysters), but save plenty of space for afters as you’ll find sweet treats aplenty, including multi-layered rainbow cake, adorable rabbit macarons and coconut mousse.

Aside from the delectable dessert buffet, little ones will love the seasonal mango cream eggs and chocolate rabbits; however, the biggest draw for parents has to be W’s Easter promotional pricing – kids eat free at KITCHEN throughout April (Sunday brunch excluded), making this an Easter extravagance everyone can enjoy.

1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, 3717 2299 www.w-hongkong.com

High chairs:

Yes

expat-parent.com 69

big day out

Spring hiking While it’s still cool enough to hit the trails, we check out a cultural walk around High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung.

Overview This is a fantastic hike around Hong Kong’s biggest reservoir. Its turquoise waters is truly a sight to behold, especially on a sunny day. The walk begins with a short detour to Sheung Yiu Folk Museum, an old Hakka village once known for its production of lime.

It joins the first stage of the MacLehose Trail to High Island Reservoir’s East Dam and the famous hexagonal rock columns and sea cave, now part of the Geopark.

The route is mainly flat and paved and suitable for all fitness levels. In a couple of places extra care must be taken where the road runs close to steep drops.

How to get there Take a taxi, minibus 7 or 9 from Sai Kung Pier 70 expat-parent.com

Minibus Terminus or bus 94 from Sai Kung Pier to Pak Tam Chung.

On the trail Alight at Pak Tam Chung and pass through the country park gates. Walk along Tai Mong Tsai Road for about 300 metres, passing the playground and barbecue area, and take the first turning on the right, across Fuk Hing bridge. Follow the Pak Tam Chung Nature Trail along the riverside. This area was once an ancient village path to the walled Hakka village, Sheung Yiu. Along the way, look out for plants such as bamboo groves, sandpaper vines, longan and incense trees, which were cultivated by the villagers.

Before you reach the museum, there is a lime kiln - a stone construction with a

hole in the top - on the riverbank, where the villagers turned local shells and coral into building materials. By 1965 the village had been completely abandoned, and was later converted into a folk museum furnished with typical Hakka furniture and artefacts (open 10am-5pm, or 6pm in summer; closed Tuesdays). Opposite, a stone pier offers views of the mangroves, river and mudflats.

Continue down the trail until you reach an information board. Walk up the steps, past the public toilets and then turn right onto Sheung Yiu Country Trail (not to be confused with Sheung Yiu Family Walk to the left). Despite the popularity of the reservoir, the trail is surprisingly quiet as most visitors opt for the quicker MacLehose trail, but in doing so miss out on some spectacular views of Tai Tau

big day out

Serene High Island Reservoir, New Territories.

Chau and Kau Sai Chau.

After about 550m, the trail skirts a steep drop on the right, clearly marked with a black sign (“Steep stone, no climbing”). Small children may require assistance past this brief section of the route.

Continue over a couple of small streams and past shallow pools - doggy heaven.

Before long, the West Dam comes into sight and the trail joins Sai Kung Man Yee Road.

Turn right towards the pavilion. Other than taxis ferrying passengers to the Geopark at the East Dam, there is little traffic and there’s a pavement for most of its length. The rest of the hike follows the road, with only an occasional slope.

Emerging from the trees, you get your first glimpse of the incredible blue reservoir water,

which is even more stunning on a blue-sky day. High Island Reservoir was built to tackle the water shortages of the 1950s and 60s by pumping out the seawater. A couple of villages were drowned in the process and their inhabitants relocated.

For a better view, walk out onto the helipad. From here you can see the bellmouth spillway, a giant concrete “hole” that allows the water to overflow safely when the reservoir is at capacity.

On the other side of the West Dam, looking back towards Sai Kung, you can look down onto the cofferdam, built to keep seawater out during the dam’s construction.

Now a strip of land and a lake, it was once the site of the High Island Detention Centre, a controversial refugee camp for some of the

more than 200,000 Vietnamese boat people who arrived in Hong Kong in the 1970s and 80s, seeking asylum from the country’s communist leadership. Today the space houses the Chong Hing Water Sports Centre and the Space Museum’s Astropark, with stargazing facilities.

Cross the dam and follow the road for five kilometres around the reservoir. On clear days, you can see the unmistakable profile of Sharp Peak in the distance. The road ends at East Dam, the largest of the two dams, with its massive concrete dolosses protecting it from the South China Sea. Wander down to the cofferdam to see spectacular examples of hexagonal rock columns and an impressive sea cave. Formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago, the columns have been warped and twisted into amazing shapes. Curiosity satisfied, call a cab and head home.

This trail is one of twelve New Territories hikes published in brand new book The Sai Kung & Clearwater Bay Hiking Guide by Eric Ho. For a free copy, email editorial@fastmedia.com.hk.

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travel

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travel

Spice it up From Mid-levels to Moguls - the Briscoe family enjoyed the holiday of a lifetime in northern India.

Mum Theresa shares her travel notes.

expat-parent.com 73

travel

T

o be honest, India had never been on our bucket list. But friends had visited and raved about it, they’d loved the culture and the food, the diversity and the craziness, and so we were intrigued.

Plus, our eldest son Ethan had it at the top of his personal to-do list! We thought it would be unlike anywhere else we had ever visited and decided to give it a shot. We weren’t disappointed.

We were complete novices when it came to organising the trip, but decided to concentrate on Rajasthan and the northern part of the country as this is where friends had been and it definitely piqued our interest. We booked for late March/early April. Friends helped with recommendations and I also used sample itineraries from the Oberoi Group and Taj Hotels.

In terms of what we wanted to get out of the trip, we were hoping to tick off as many of our “must see” destinations as possible, as well as having some time to relax.

Our children, Ethan 13, Luke, 11 and Imogen, 9, really enjoyed it, but they were at a good age to soak it all up. I would say younger families might struggle a bit with the heat, over-stimulation and long days. After a lot of research, our final itinerary ended up with us flying into New Delhi, then hopping on a Jet Airways flight to Udaipur, Spice Jet from Udaipur to Jaipur and then back to Delhi.

From Jaipur we accessed Agra, location of our absolute holiday highlight, the Taj Mahal. It takes your breath away - I’ve only had this happen once or twice before, the first time when I saw Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. It’s a truly emotional experience.

In Delhi we enjoyed an Old Delhi Rickshaw Tour and we visited Jama Masjid, one of the oldest mosque’s in India. The Khari Baoli Spice market (Asia’s oldest) was good fun although

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Mum Theresa with Im en, Ethan, Luke and husbandogHa yden we needed a wet tissue to cover our mouths - beware inhaling the spices! We also enjoyed exploring the narrow lanes, or “Galis”.

In New Delhi highlights included walking along Rajpath from India Gate to the official residence of the president of India and visiting the Indian parliament; Humayun’s tomb (built

by Emperor Humayun’s grieving widow and precursor to the Taj Mahal;) and Qutb Minar (the world’s tallest rubble masonry minaret and is surrounded by several historically significant monuments).

In Udaipur we enjoyed a private boat tour around Lake Pichola and toured the City Palace and several Hindu temples, including Jagadish and Eklingji.

Jaipur is renowned for its jewellery, and as capital of Rajasthan it used to supply the royal court. India as a whole is trying to maintain its cottage industries to keep crafts such as rug weaving,

carving and marble inlay very much alive. Each region usually specialises in a specific craft and to encourage customers and make sure future generations follow in the family business, the government offers free shipping worldwide on any items purchased from small family-led businesses.

I think we were lucky in that we didn’t have any difficult days. We flew between destinations to reduce our time on Indian roads - the road from Jaipur to Agra was a freeway the whole way. And in terms of medical issues I admit to being stung by a bee at Jagadish Temple in Udaipur, so nothing too dramatic!

I think the toughest part of India is seeing the poverty. We had warned our children before we arrived about what they might see, but it was

Jama Masjid, Old Delhi

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travel

Lake Pichola, U

Taj Rambagh Palace, Jaipur heartbreaking when a tiny child or children approached us begging for money or food.

We were told not to give them anything as it encourages begging, often through organised rings, but one day we saw a mother and baby and my husband did cave - the mother was missing an arm.

We used guides in all cities and for all our sightseeing activities. Private guides were arranged through our hotels, including transportation by private car or van. The Old Delhi Rickshaw Tour (www.wheninindia.com) was particularly good, our guide Ritu was fantastic - there was just so much to see we didn’t know where to look first.

All of our guides were lovely and full of knowledge and pride about their home towns.

They tailored the tours to our needs, often cutting them short so we could return to the cool of our hotel as it would get very hot towards the afternoon.

Of course the food and smell of all those spices is one of the best bits of any trip to India. Our foodie highlight was a little local place we visited on our tour of Old Delhi - it was described as “local street style” food and we tried delicious Jalebi (golden rings of deep fried flour batter soaked in sugar syrup), samosas stuffed with potatoes, peas, coriander and lentils and parantha (unleavened bread stuffed with potato and cauliflower and shallow fried). Indian breakfasts are amazing - although by the end of the tour my husband had surrendered and reverted to a milder “western” menu as his stomach couldn’t quite handle it!

In terms of accommodation, we stayed in Oberoi hotels in Delhi (The Oberoi), Udaipur (Oberoi Udaivilas and probably our favourite) and Agra (Oberoi Amarvilas). All were roomy and luxurious and the staff looked after us really well. They had great restaurants which we used most evenings.

Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi

daipur

In Jaipur we stayed at the Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel which came out as the family’s favourite overall. It was an a former palace and oozed old world charm - we could just imagine the days when the Maharaja lived there.

I think we pretty much covered everything on the itineraries, although I would love to do more shopping in Jaipur - I might save that for a girls trip another time. It would also have been nice to see a cricket match.

I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending India as a destination. I think we all got an appreciation of how other people live and it taught us to realise how lucky we are. It was also a great education in a different culture.

Top tips What to pack It gets hot, so shorts and tee-shirts are the order of the day. Knees and shoulder must be covered when visiting mosques, but “skirts” for men and women are usually provided.

Otherwise, cool, flowy dresses for the girls and long pants for the boys in the evening.

Dress codes can be strict in restaurants, we were unable to visit one restaurant as the boys weren’t wearing trousers. Some even require a collar and tie for men.

When to go December to March is the coolest time of year.

We went in March/April and found we could only go out in the morning and then back to the hotel for a late lunch. It was too hot and tiring to be out all day.

What to read I scoured lots of travel websites before we went. We received children’s books from our tour guides which explained some of the history and religion and were great background information. Another good read to get you in the mood is Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, the story of an armed robber who escapes to India from an Australian prison in the 1980s and lives in a Bombay slum, establishing a health care clinic and joining the local mafia.

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marketplace

marketplace

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To advertise, email ads@fastmedia.com.hk or call 2776 2772.

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To advertise, email ads@fastmedia.com.hk or call 2776 2772.

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flailing spouse

up the garden path Picture perfect moments are few and far between, says our mum.

I

t’s a beautiful Sunday morning, a perfect day to get out and do something wholesome.

Every weekend my Facebook account is besieged with picture perfect, #imsoblessed moments as my friends and their children gambole their way around Hong Kong’s backyard. From “Surfing at Big Wave Bay, can’t get them out of the water!”, to “Hiked 12km to this stunningly remote beach!”, and “Wow, hang gliding in Sai Kung is such fun!”, they’re all uniformly populated with happy, smiley, bouncy children in the foreground.

“Come on children!” I cry, “Let’s hit the trails! It’s not too hot and it’s a lovely day!” I realise I have only a small window of opportunity for the #imsoblessed status updates, as soon the weather will change and it will either be too wet, or too hot, or too humid, or too typhoony for outdoor activities. Fortunately at that point in the year most people revert back to more normal behaviour, like cramming unfeasible numbers of people onto a junk, or sinking copious amounts of champagne in heavily air conditioned brunch venues across town.

Anyway, I’m determined to board the bandwagon before it’s too late, so I venture into the darkened cave that is the Teen Child’s room.

She is still comatose in bed. There is a small grunt as I tap her sleeping form. “Oh my god, mum, what? No, I’ve got a science assignment to finish.” I have no idea if she has homework to complete or not, but I wisely decide she’s probably best left at home, just in case. I don’t need any more letters home from the school.

I retreat and try the Tween Child. She’s also in bed, but at least awake. “I have maths homework,” she grunts from under the duvet.

But I am determined not to let a second child escape. “Don’t be ridiculous, I’m sure you can finish it off tonight!” I trill brightly. “What a shame to miss such a gorgeous day,” I say, whipping the duvet away. The Tween Child emits a sort of anguished yelp, but at least gets up and heads for the shower.

Anyway, forty minutes and lots of futile moaning and groaning later, and we’re all standing in assorted active wear at the bottom of a rather long and steep set of steps. The Tween Child looks mutinous and the Blonde

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Our columnist is a long suffering expat wife, and mother to several energetic, third culture children.

She lives in Hong Kong.

Child has actually started to cry.

“Right,” I say brightly in an effort to get them moving, “I have a friend who lives in the village on the other side of this mountain - I mean tall hill - and she’s invited us all for drinks and biscuits!” This is a half-lie, I do have a friend in the next village, but the invitation to drinks might be a bit made up - whoever said bribery doesn’t work is a fool. “Fizzy drinks?” counters the Blonde Child, beginning to perk up a bit. “Oh yes,” I say. “And chocolate biscuits!”

There’s a general grunt of approval and a “yay” from the Boy Child and they all start to move up the steps. I surreptitiously WhatsApp my friend.

“Sorry!” she WhatsApps back. “Would have loved to have seen you all but we’re heading into town for a champagne brunch!” Rats, I think, but never mind. The point is we have made it to a trail and we are actually hiking.

Thirty minutes later, the Tween Child has disappeared back down the steps clutching an Octopus card and muttering darkly about maths homework and “annoying parents”, the Blonde Child is still in tears (“I have growing pains in my legs!”), the Boy Child is shoeless having fallen into a stream, and I still haven’t got my shot.

“Look, why don’t we all smile nicely at the camera under this lovely tree?” I plead. The Blonde Child starts wailing even louder. “Ok, why don’t I just take a picture of you (I grab the hobbling Boy Child) and you (my longsuffering husband) with that lovely view in the background?” The Boy Child starts limping in the opposite direction. “I recognise this path!” he suddenly cries. “It’s the way back to the steps!” And like greyhounds scenting a rabbit, he and the Blonde Child are off down the slope, the aroma of the family Volvo parked at the bottom of the mountain firmly in their nostrils.

I eventually manage to sneak a picture of both children standing in a ditch next to the car - the Volvo is only just in shot and I’m sure I can crop it out later. I arrive home exhausted but victorious. The children rush over the road to the local 7Eleven to claim their soft drinks and chocolate (there was no way I was getting out of that one) and I set to work with the editing function on my phone. I have soon created a reasonably wholesome photo of what is essentially two mutinous-looking children in a car park. “What a wonderful morning, fab hike with my lovely children!” I tap merrily into the status box. “Love my life!” I add for good measure.

And then I have a bit of a scroll through Facebook to see how my update’s measuring up. And wouldn’t you just believe it - not a single outdoorsy shot can I find. Not a hike, not a surf, not even a swim. “Gotta love a HK brunch!” chirps one, “Nothing says Sunday like free-flow!” says another. And a third is an uncaptioned picture of a four of my friends grinning like Cheshire cats in front of an unfeasibly large plate of fresh prawns and a magnum of champagne. I don’t believe it.

As the Teen Child so often reminds me, “sometimes mum, you can be a bit of a loser!” #imofftothepub.

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