Expat Parent May 2017

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May 2017

Junk-it Lazy days are here again The school with one student Re-thinking education Tea-time Treat mum, she’s worth it!

Racing the dragon

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CONTENTs

ISSUE 037

2

Editor’s letter

46

Welcome to the May issue.

Parkview International Pre School takes the hot seat.

4 Contributors

Open Day

52

Principal’s office

Catching up with Mary Scarborough.

Yoga, art and shopping are in the diary this month.

54

Life & style news

12

Things you need to know

56

All about Buddha’s Birthday.

Clearwater Bay art gallery and Dr Bunhead.

Meet the team.

6

What’s on

Looking good in May.

12 News

64

Goings on this month.

16 Giveaways Loads of free stuff.

18

Me & My Big Idea

KidHop leaps into town.

20

Mother’s Day gifts

Put a smile on mum’s dial this month.

12 20

Life & style

Health & wellness news

Keeping on top of your game.

30

66

Ask an expert

How to write a birth plan.

68 Food

High times over high tea.

72

Big Day Out

Clubbing it in Sai Kung.

22

Debate of the month

School uniform rules - the good and the bad.

74 Travel

Embracing Mongolia.

22

Book review

80

Flailing spouse

New this month plus catching up with children’s author Isabelle Demenge.

28

My Hong Kong

Travel tales from a mum blogger.

30

The Big Interview

38

Junk tales.

OWN Academy revolutionising education.

34 Cover story

Messing about in boats.

42

School news

New openings for autumn.

Scan and visit our website expat-parent.com

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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

Acting Editor Eric Ho

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

Graphic Designer Anna Schulteisz

Sales & Marketing ads@fastmedia.com.hk

S

pring has well and truly sprung and we seem to be racing our way towards the end of another school year. This issue completes my first year as editor of Expat Parent and I must say, I have hugely enjoyed it. I am continually amazed by how many diverse offerings Hong Kong has for kids, whether in terms of education, after-school activities or just fun stuff to do, with experts around every corner offering all sorts of enthusiastic ideas and advice for Hong Kong kids and families.

As temperatures start to rise, I am thoroughly looking forward to hitting the water again this month, and to this end we have compiled a fabulous feature looking at boating on Hong Kong’s high seas, whether you’re looking for an adrenaline-packed speed ride or a gentle meander to an outlying island and lunch.

I also took time to catch up with the fascinating Natalie Chan who, after years of research and teaching experience, has launched a revolutionary new school which aims to turn traditional education on its head. Find out more about the school with one student on page 30.

And if you’re looking to unwind this summer, we have ventured up to the New Territories to find out all about Hong Kong’s latest hot spot, the Sai Kung Golf and Tennis Academy, see page 72.

So without further ado, I wish you a very Happy Mother’s Day and hope you enjoy reading this latest issue of Expat Parent as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Happy May!

Sales & Digital Marketing Manager Charmaine Mirandilla

Sales and Marketing Executive Kiran Hiranandani

Sales and Marketing Executive Maria Jones

PA to the Publisher amanda@fastmedia.com.hk PA to the Publisher Amanda Chia

Office Security

Peace Keepers

Cat the dog

Fish & Chips

Contact us Admin: 3568 3722 | Editorial: 2776 2773 | Advertising: 2776 2772

about the cover Thank you to Scarlet Knowling, Maddie Adam and Ashley Austin for posing for our photographer on Tai Wan To Beach (aka the Power Station Beach, Lamma Island). In the background the Lamma 500 International Dragon Boat Festival is in full swing. This year it takes place on May 7, 9am-6pm, Tai Wan To Beach, Lamma Island, www.lamma500.com.

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Sales Director Oliver Simons

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

Sofie Jacobs

Kate Davies

Kate Farr

… our expert health & wellness panelist and midwife has almost 20 years in the baby business under her belt, from antenatal to postnatal, and hospital deliveries to home births. She offers a wealth of down-to-earth advice about birth plans on page 66. Her blog and workshops bring a fresh approach to motherhood. Catch up with her at www.urban-hatch.com.

...freelancer Kate catches up with head teacher Mary Scarborough at Hong Kong’s PIPS pre-schools this month. With campuses in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island, the preschools offer fun classes for one to six year olds. Kate loves writing and hiking when she’s not chasing after her lively two-year-old (she’s also partial to the odd glass of bubbly).

….this month Kate and business partner Rachel have pulled on their best frocks and sampled Hong Kong’s loveliest afternoon teas.

A freelance writer and regular contributor to Expat Parent, Kate is mum to two boys and, with Rachel, runs editorial agency, Editor’s Ink. Follow her exploits around Hong Kong @accidental_tt.

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

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what’s on

Swim race fun with Malvern College/Zoggs Splash, May 28.

MAY 1

Labour Day Public holiday.

MAY 3

Buddha Birthday Celebrations Public holiday.

UNTIL MAY 4

Cheung Chau Bun Festival

MAY 4-7

4:30-6pm, First Code Academy, Unit 302-305, 3/F, Hollywood Centre, 233 Hollywood Road.

Mouse adventurer Geronimo Stilton embarks on his biggest adventure yet as he attempts to rescue the Queen of the Fairies. Tickets start from $295, Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, www.hkticketing.com.

MAY 6-14

Geronimo Stilton, Live in the Kingdom of Fantasy

A colourful and unique Hong Kong festival featuring bun towers, performances and lion dances. Don’t miss the Bun Scrambling Contest at midnight on the last day of the festival. Pak Tai Temple, Cheung Chau, www.cheungchau.org. For the ferry timetable, visit www.nwff.com.hk

MAY 6

MAY 4

Finding Your True Colour

Mother’s Day Special 3D Printing Workshop

Image building workshop from mumsatplay.com. Learn how to optimize your image for summer. 10am-12pm, $400, Aberdeen Street Mediterranean Restaurant, 1 UG/F, King Ho Building, 41-49 Aberdeen Street, Central, www.mumspatplay.com

Design and create a special card for your mum, complete with a 3D print flower of your own design. Suitable for ages 7 to 11. Participants should bring a laptop (PC/Mac) with charger and mindset to create and experiment. $580, register at hk.firstcodeacademy.com/en.

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Fun Family Fencing Join an olympic fencer for a fun and inspirational fencing day for the family. Tickets from $350-600Shek Tong Tsui Sports Centre, 470 Queen’s Road West, at www.eventbrite.hk.

MAY 6

Serve-a-thon Hong Kong In its inaugural year, this event aims to bring together NGOs, corporates, government, media and the public to highlight the importance of community engagement in helping address social issues. Over nine days, the city will unite through hundreds of volunteer activities taking place across Hong Kong. www.serveathonhk.org.hk.

MAY 10 & 24

Sky High Yoga Take a lunch break from city life and soak up the rays on CÉ LA VI’s rooftop with an energizing yoga practice and a 360-degree view of Hong Kong. This month’s yogis are Mindy & Nadine from Yoga for Life (www. yogaforlife.com.hk). There will be one 60-minute session available on each date, at 12:45pm. Classes are $100 (bring your own mat). 25/F California Tower, 30-36 D’Aguilar Street, bookings at 3700 2300.

tell me more

mum about town Yoga with a view, May 10 and 24.

MAY 12 & 13

Two-day Pop Up Montgomery Fox, Ryder Diamonds and Belinda Bath Images will be popping up with artwork, scented candles and jewellery - perfect for mum.

Friday 11am-6pm, Saturday 11am-4pm, Ryder Diamonds Showroom, 9/F Kimley Commercial Building, 142-146 Queens Road Central, Central.

MAY 13 & 14

IRIS: YOUR ESCAPE Hong Kong’s largest health and wellness festival is back with fitness, music, yoga, meditation, performances, silent discos, family activities, shopping and more. Over 60 classes take place over two days. Two-day festival entry is $150 for adults (12+), $75 for children (3-11). Prices are $200 and $100 on the door, respectively. Single-day entry also available. West Kowloon Nursery Park, www.irishkg.com/lineup.

Shop ‘til you drop

Bag a summer bargain, May 10.

The summer shopping season is upon us, and the fabulous Mother’s Day & Summer Shopping Event is jumping straight into the fray on May 10. Hosted by the American Club in Tai Tam, this promises to be a fun day with heaps of holiday goodies on offer. And with Mother’s Day approaching, what better excuse to treat yourself? Browse kids accessories, fashion, athleisure-wear and homewares from labels including She Collective, Sur La Plage, Cosar, Rika Shioya and Gooseberry Beauty. Doors open at 10am until 6pm - don’t forget your shopping bags. Mother’s Day & Summer Shopping Event, Vista Ballroom, The American Club, 28 Tai Tam Road, shoppinghongkong@gmail.com.

Trails and tales in Tai O I love a great idea and a bit of initiative, and Amy Overy of Hong Kong Greeters has come up with just that. In response to the temporary closure of the Lantau cable car, she has put together a two-hour walking tour in Tai O Village which she will be running throughout May, June and July.

The sleepy village of Tai O is located an hour from the city and is one of the best preserved villages in the territory. The tour takes in the village temples, stilted houses and walkways, traditional fish and fish production, plus the opportunity to sample homemade sweet treats and seafood. A perfect day out if you’ve got visitors in town, or even if you’ve never been yourself.

The tours run on Sundays from May 21 - July 30 at 10am and 1.30pm, and on Thursdays from May 25 - August 3 at 1.30pm, www.hkgreeters.com.

Wellness escape, May 13 & 14.

MAY 13 & 14 Shi Fu Miz

Two-day festival offering modern and original cultural activities in Hong Kong. Includes a varied program of global music, electronic music, live performances, DJ sets and art activities and workshops - all based on the idea of well-being and ecology. Tickets from $350, free for kids under 12, no tickets at the door. Public camping is free (bring your own tent). You can also book a tent at extra cost. Life Base, Pui O, www.ticketflap.com/shifumiz-may.

Delish dishes Local health food guru Ifat Kafry Hindes will be cooking up a vegetarian family feast on May 21 & 28. Drawing inspiration from her Israeli roots and her passion for all things health and wellness, this promises to be a scrumptious Sunday brunch. Sharing platters include roast eggplant salad with sweet tahini and pomegranate, cauliflower tabouleh, glutenfree flat breads and spinach Israeli bake - and a coconut chocolate pudding to finish. The lunch costs $580/person, or $780/person including free-flow bubbles, 12-2.30pm, Corner Kitchen, Central, bookings at hello@ifatkafryhindes.com.

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what’s on Featuring youth and academy teams from top clubs in Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Europe including Leicester City, West Ham United and Aston Villa.. Free entry for HKFC members via the main entrance and children under 16 all weekend. Free entry for all on Friday May 26, Hong Kong Football Club, 3 Sports Road, Happy Valley, tickets $160-300 from www.ticketflap.com/hkscocer7s.

MAY 27

Round the World: Russell Howard live in Hong Kong UK comedian Russell Howard takes the stage at Hong Kong Baptist University’s Academic Community Hall. Tickets from $488 at www. hkticketing.com or call 3128 8288 to speak to an agent.

Meet the animals at Ocean Park, May 14.

MAY 13 & 14

International Museum Day Hong Kong 2017 For two days only, most of the city’s public museums, including Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong Maritime Museum and Hong Kong Space Museum, are open to the public, completely free of charge. With a whole host of educational programmes and activities for visitors to take part in, it’s a great family day out. Find out more at www.museums.gov.hk

MAY 14

Mother’s Day Don’t forget the lady of the house! For some gorgeous gift ideas, turn to page 20.

UNTIL MAY 14

Ocean Park Animal Discovery Fest 2017 Ocean Park has launched a series of new animal and nature educational experiences for guests to connect with nature and learn fun facts about these animal ambassadors. www.oceanpark.com.hk

Hatch, for practical advice for surviving a tropical summer while under the influence of a pregnant or postpartum body. 9:30-10:30am, at Bumps to Babes, 21/F Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing St, Ap Lei Chau. To RSVP, call 2552 5000 or email hq@bumpstobabes.com

MAY 26-28

China New Economy Fund/ Stingrays Invitational Swim Meet Hosted by the Hong Kong Island Stingrays Swim Club and the highlight of their swim season. Watch over 400 high school swimmers from twelve Clubs from Hong Kong and overseas battle it out in this competitive swim meet. May 26 (afternoon, 27 (all day) and 28 (morning). Hong Kong International School High School Swimming Pool, One Red Hill Road, Tai Tam. For enquiries, contact dchan.coach@hkstingrays.com

MAY 26-28

HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens The 18th edition of the tournament takes place, as usual, at the Hong Kong Football Club.

Rosé Revolution 2017 Viva la Rosé Revolution! Kick off summer by tasting a curated selection of over 20 rosé pours. This year’s edition takes place at The Repulse Bay, 109 Repulse Bay Road. 2-7pm (starts at 1pm for VIP ticket holders). Tickets start at $350 ($250 for early bird). Guests are encouraged to dress in pink. Book online at www.ticketflap.com

MAY 28

Malvern College/Zoggs Splash 2017 Fun swim races for kids at Sai Kung VRC, Emerald Bay, 8am-midday. Lots of categories for different ages plus BBQ breakfast. Keep updated by Splash on Facebook at SKSplash or instagram sksplash. Enroll at sksplashes@gmail.com.

MAY 30 Tuen Ng

Public holiday - watch those dragon boat race!

See page 34.

MAY 30

High School Hits In celebration of Tuen Ng Festival, Stanley Plaza hosts “High School Hits” - a music event complete with campus-themed photo booths, dance and singing performances and on-stage games. Noon to 6pm.

MAY 17

Midsummer Mandalas Wild at Art brings a mindful art making workshop. Perfect for begginners of anyone who wants to reconnect with their creative side.

6 to 8:30 pm, $400, Suite 602, 43-55 Wyndham Street,Central, info@alivewellness.com.hk

UNTIL JUN 13 Kids Yoga

Back by popular demand at Flex Studio.

Suitable for ages 6 and up. Tuesdays from 4:15-5:15pm at the Island South Studio, Shops 308-310, One Island South 2 Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang, 2813 2212, info@flexhk.com

MAY 17

Surviving Summer: Pregnant and New Mumas Join Sofie Jacobs, Head Midwife at Urban Football frenzy, May 26-28.

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MAY 27

BOOK NOW JUN 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 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.

Drama Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, www.hkticketing.com.

JUN 9-11

Don't Stop Believin'!

Local performing arts group The Performers Studio will be putting on family show, Don’t Stop Believin’!. The setting is New York in the ‘80s and follows the story of a group of inner-city misfits one

hot summer. Featuring evil local town planners, corrupt councillors and annoying neighbours, can these crazy kids save their local community center? Sizzling with rock and pop songs plus toe-tapping ‘80s numbers, you’ll find it hard to stay in your seat.

Shouson Theatre, HK Arts Centre, Harbour Road, Wan Chai, tickets from www.urbtix.com.

JUN 27

Britney Spears Live in Hong Kong That’s right, Britney’s in town for one night only. The ‘90s pop icon will be performing her hit “Piece of Me” show in Hong Kong as part of an international tour, before she ends her fouryear Las Vegas residency in December. Tickets from $588 at www.hkticketing.com. Arena, AsiaWorld-Expo, Cheong Wing Road, Chek Lap Kok

Sophie and the Tiger, June 2-4.

Hong Kong

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things to know

1 2 3

If you want the technical stuff, here you go - Buddha’s birthday is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Which is Wednesday April 3 this year if you’ve mislaid your moon chart.

The holiday hit Hong Kong’s annual holiday schedule when the territory was returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Events unique to Hong Kong include the Cheung Chau Bun Festival of Floating Colours. The festival lasts for seven days and on Buddha’s birthday a parade of floats and musicians is held on Cheung Chau island. This year the festival runs from April 30 - May 4, take a ferry from Central Pier 5.

4 5 6 7

The key ceremony across much of Buddhism on this day is the bathing of small statues of Buddha - it was believed as a baby Buddha was sprayed with water from nine dragons.

Chi Lin Nunnery in Diamond Hill will be celebrating the special day with Buddha Bathing Ceremonies between 9am and 5pm (free entrance, take the MTR to Diamond Hill).

Devotees of the Buddha hit Po Lin Monastery on Lantau and Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin. Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom will be holding Buddha Bathing Ceremonies, group chanting and prayer sessions, charity sales booths, lectures and seminars, May 3-5, www.hkbuddhist.org.

Things you need to know Buddha’s birthday It’s the big man's special day on May 3.

Here's how to celebrate .

10 8 9

It’s a public not a statutory/labour holiday.

Po Lin Monastery houses the world’s tallest, outdoor, seated, bronze Buddha statue, which is perhaps why it’s top of the pops with visitors on this public holiday. Note that the Ngong Ping Cable Car is not operating this year until May 31, so you’ll have to hop on a bus, ferry or MTR to Lantau to view it.

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T en Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin will be holding Buddha Bathing Ceremonies with complimentary vegetarian noodles between 9am and 5pm

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news

Sail away

Aqua Restaurant Group has launched a new junk to join Aqua Luna. Aqua Luna II boasts distinctive sails displaying the imperial blue and white dragon from the Ming dynasty.

The dragon is a symbol in Chinese culture of power and good luck for all it touches. Like its sister ship, Aqua Luna II will be offering cruises on Victoria Harbour.

It has taken two, painstaking years to build Aqua Luna II. Leading the construction was 86-year old Sifu (master craftsman) Au, who is said to have built more wooden boats than any other person in Hong Kong. The vessel is made exclusively of wood, using bamboo for waterproofing and not a single nail in the whole structure.

Both boats have been named in Chinese after Hong Kong pirate Cheung Po Tsai, who it is said used the caves of Cheung Chau to store his pirate treasure over 100 years ago.

Aqua Luna is Cheung Po Tsai and Aqua Luna II is Dai Cheung Po (big brother of Cheung Po) - indicating its greater size.

The junks were commissioned by the Aqua Restaurant Group and conceived by founder David Yeo in response to “the sad disappearance of one of Hong Kong’s great traditions - the Chinese wooden junk,” according to Yeo. “The Victoria Harbour was once filled with glorious red sail Chinese junk boats, however over the years they have

disappeared one by one. What better way to raise the spirits of the city than to recreate such a visually stunning and quintessentially Hong Kong icon,” he said.

To celebrate the launch, there will be complimentary rides on the new junk on May 13 and 14 for all Hong Kong ID holders (noon to 5.30pm). And until May 31, all restaurants in the Aqua Restaurant Group will be serving random dishes using Ming Dynasty china - if you are served a Ming Dynasty ceramic you will receive complimentary tickets for the new junk. See www.aqualuna.com.hk for more details.

Success for suits Congratulations to charity Suits for Success who collected over 3,000kg of clothing and accessories from 100 locations, including over 50 corporations, using the time and energy of over 100 volunteers and half a dozen GogoVans.

The initiative was reported in the March issue of Expat Parent where the charity explained that the aim of the game was to cloth underprivileged students to enable them to attend interviews and start work. The charities 12 expat-parent.com

supported include Project Share, Friends of the Earth and Hong Kong Federation of Business Students. Everything collected is re-homed with nothing ending up in landfill.

The initiative helped over 200 financiallychallenged students obtain suitable clothing to enable them to move on with their lives.

Although this event is now closed, Friends of the Earth has 50+ permanent recycling locations across Hong Kong for unwanted clothing, see www.foe.org.hk/recycling.

Suiting up at Suits for Success.

news

On yer bike Hong Kong’s first bicycle-sharing system launched on International Bike Day last month.

Over 1,000 smart bicycles have been spread across the New Territories, including bike-friendly Sha Tin, Tai Po and Ma On Shan.

It is hoped the number of bikes will increase to 20,000 by July, covering Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, Park Island and Discovery Bay by the end of the year.

Unlike other cities that have public bikesharing systems, the Hong Kong version allows riders to drop their bikes at any public space, without the restriction of fixed bicycle stations.

The bright green bicycles are equipped with with a basket, smart light for night rides and integrated alarm system to prevent theft.

To rent a bike, cyclists need to log into the gobee.bike app, locate the nearest bike via an active map, and unlock it by scanning a unique QR code placed on the smart lock of each bicycle. When the bike is locked after use, the system automatically ceases to charge and the

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Bright green gobee bikes ready to pick and ride.

total usage time and price are made visible.

Rental costs $5/half hour.

The cloud-based system is currently only available on Android phones, gobee.bike.

news

Disney hotel launch

Domestic thanks May is being billed as Helper Appreciation Month, with the goal that eventually the event becomes a self generating, community driven part of the annual calendar, much like Breast Cancer Awareness in October and Men’s Health in November.

According to Steve Chitty of MayHelperAppreciation, the movement is non-political, not a protest and not an opportunity to cast blame. Instead it encourages schools, individuals, families and businesses to acknowledge all that domestic helpers add to our lives and the sacrifices they have made to be here.

“Domestic workers make a tremendous impact on our daily lives,” explains Chitty. “For example, helpers enable many families to bring in double incomes, they free up time by taking so many worries and time consuming tasks off our hands, they provide extra care and support to our kids and elderly, and so on.

“We also know most helpers have made huge sacrifices to work in Hong Kong and daily life can be tinged with a sense of loss

May is helper appreciation month.

and sadness being so far away from their children.”

May has been chosen because it is also host to International Labour Day (May 1), Mother’s Day (second Sunday of May) and United Nations International Day of Families (May 15).

For more information and ideas about how to celebrate, see www.facebook.com/ MayHelperAppreciation

Disney has opened the Disney Explorers Lodge at the Lantau Island-based park, its third resort hotel.

Boasting recreation, shopping, dining and entertainment, the lodge is being billed as a “staycation” destination for Hong Kong residents.

The 750-room Disney Explorers Lodge has three restaurants, themed gardens and a “Rain Drop” pool. Guest are also offered a complimentary buffet character breakfast. More than 1,000 artifacts that explorers collected from around the world like Mali, Papua New Guinea, Bali, Costa Rica, Bolivia, the Ivory Coast and more are displayed throughout the hotel, in the lobby, guest rooms, dining venues, kids’ corner and various indoor and outdoor areas.

For more information, see www.hongkongdisneyland.com.

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

Cafe Siam

Feast on a Thai buffet at Cafe Siam’s all-youcan-eat brunch! Twenty dishes from all over Thailand including appetizers, salads, meats, noodles and rice-based dishes make up the buffet — make sure to try the traditional Koh Moo Yang (char-griled marinated pork), and the Peek Gai Tod (deep-fried single bone chicken wing). We’re giving away two brunches for four lucky diners at their Central and Kennedy Town outlets, worth $1072 each.

Wonderboom

Bring your own party to the beach, junk boat or park with the UE Wonderboom.

Part of the Ultimate Ears line of speakers, the UE Wonderboom is perfect for Hong Kong summers. It’s waterproof, floats in water, and it can play music for up to 10 hours! We’re giving away two speakers worth $899 each.

the tiger who came to tea Based on the picture book by Judith Kerr, “The Tiger Who Came to Tea” is a heartwarming tale about a tea-guzzling tiger.

In this upcoming musical rendition by ABA Productions, expect oodles of magic, sing-a-long songs and clumsy chaos! We have four tickets for the matinee show on June 4th, worth $435 each.

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my fair lady

Enjoy witty dialogue, much loved songs and breathtaking costumes at Face Productions’ “My Fair Lady” from June 9 to 11. In this musical, Eliza Doolittle goes on a journey of self discovery as she attempts to learn how to speak “proper” English with the assistance of a phonetics professor. We have one set of four tickets valued at $1,580 to give away.

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me & my big idea

Pick ‘n’ mix action for kids KidHop, an online activity-booking platform, launches this month.

Co-founder Zoe Fung tells Expat Parent what it’s all about.

to try their classes, which is exactly where KidHop can step in - it introduces hundreds - eventually thousands - of new parents interested in their business.

The next challenge will be users. We have the platform and providers, now we just need users on our site to start registering for the classes. It is very much a cycle where more users will lead to more listings by providers which will lead to more users and so on. So now we need to kickstart the user base so that they can help each other grow.

Ever been involved in something like this before?

Co-founder Zoe Fung with her son.

So what’s the big idea?

We want parents to have flexibility and choice when it comes to their children’s activities. We have over 50 providers (and growing!) on Hong Kong Island that will eventually provide hundreds of activity and learning options each week where parents can reserve a seat as late as six hours before the class starts. On top of that, because we want KidHop to be a real community, we will also bring different community events like carnivals, expert talks, kids parties and more to our members. This is all included in their monthly membership.

How did the idea come about?

Myself and some other mums were discussing how expensive first-time registration fees could be and also how restrictive make-up classes and refund policies were. We want our children to try new experiences but young children are unpredictable in their schedules and interest levels. When they miss their nap time, get sick, have an uncontrolled schedule change, or somehow suddenly lose interest, parents waste money on classes they have paid for since most education and activity centres require pre-payment of many lessons with 18 expat-parent.com

a fixed schedule. KidHop was created to help parents solve these problems while also giving their children a full range of experiences to try out.

I have always aspired to be an event planner, especially weddings, so while this isn’t exactly the same thing, I do enjoy the process of building a KidHop community through planning fun events for both parents and kids.

Anything you would have done differently with hindsight?

How long has it taken to come to fruition?

Yes, there will always be lots of small details we could have done better if we had a second try. So far though, we all feel pretty good about what we were able to do with our first try.

The idea was formed last autumn, but we spent over half a year trying to build the website and app while signing up providers.

How are you promoting the business?

What challenges did you face?

The technology side is always a work in progress. Most of us at KidHop don’t have an IT-heavy background. We describe and try to lay out what we want, but then we have to work with our IT firm to figure out how to make that happen. You end up realising quickly that features which seemed quite simple have many layers that need to be carefully crafted.

On the provider side, it’s getting the door open. Once providers hear our pitch they tend to be quite positive. But there’s a lot of cold-emailing and cold-calling until they give us the chance to meet in person to explain what KidHop is and how we can both help one another. Many providers find the biggest challenge is getting children and parents

We’re hoping the quality of the product, the quantity of providers plus the many special events we provide for our members will get Hong Kong parents talking. In terms of traditional advertising we mostly go through Facebook and mom groups. Of course we are trying offline and online advertising, but they are expensive so we try to be careful with where and how we spend.

What’s the next step?

Once we’re up and running successfully in Hong Kong, we’re wondering where else can we take this. We imagine parents on vacation in Singapore or Shanghai, for example, being able to use their KidHop membership to give their kids new experiences on holiday.

Find out more at www.kidhop.com

expat-parent.com 19

things we’d buy Mother’s Day cards 25-40 from The Lion Rock Press $ www.thelionrockpress.com

Cheers coasters $195 from G.O.D www.god.com.hk

Mum’s the word Put a smile on mum’s dial on May 14.

Cosmetic bag $280 each from Mirth, www.mirthhome.com Mother’s Day Gift Box 880-1,200 from Ms B’s Cakery $ www.msbscakery.hk

Blue Bouquet Scarf $900 from Louella Odie, louellaodie.com

Pure Lano Natural Sea Salt Exfoliator $395 from the Pure Lano range available at www.zalora.com.hk

Cristina Re Rose Quartz teacup 419 from Indigo Living $ www.indigo-living.com Shop B2, G/F, 63-69 Caine Road, Mid-Levels, 2317 0368

20 expat-parent.com

things we’d buy Hong Kong Typographical Map $750 from Colonial Hong Kong www.colonialhongkong.com

Svenska Hem Scented Candle $220 from kikki-K www.kikki-k.com

Skyline Tote Bag $800 from Louella Odie, louellaodie.com

Ginger Flower iPhone 7 Case $368 ($398 for iPhone 7 Plus) from Shanghai Tang www.shanghaitang.com

“Super Mum” by Leah Russack $60 from Bookazine www.bookazine.com.hk

The Ruby (36 scarlet roses) $1,280 ($2,180 for 64 roses) from ANDRSN www.facebook.com/andrsnflowers

Major Mitchell round platter $240 from Thorn & Burrow www.thornandburrow.com

Snowflower Illuminating Face Oil $495 from the Edible Beauty Australia range available at www.lanecrawford.com and www.sephora.com.hk expat-parent.com 21

debate of the month

Dreaded threads School uniform, love it or hate it?

Here’s what you had to say...

“I prefer uniforms so they don’t have to wear their own clothes, inevitably leading to them following the latest horrendous fashion trend and everyone competing over their designer gear.” - Bethan

I would hate a full uniform. I really like the HKIS one which is just a white polo shirt and navy bottoms of your choice.

- Celine

“Love it. Everyone’s even and if it gets wrecked it’s no big deal.”

- Gemma

School uniforms are awful. Why would I want to teach my child uniformity?

- Yves

“I prefer a uniform - no brainer and no hassle.” - Tan

“I love a uniform, but it would be cool if schools had a few options for shorts/trousers/ skirts to select irrespective of gender.” Tracey-Leigh

“Uniform all the way. I’ve got three girls in the house - just thinking about a non-uniform life and all the “I’m wearing this!” “No you’re not!” daily discussions makes me want to open the gin…” - Niamh

Love it!

- Sara

“So glad my boys’ schools have uniforms and so glad I don’t have to deal with any white or off-white shirts!” - Manju

“Personally I loved my school uniform, but it wasn’t compulsory and I would get teased for not wearing the latest “labels”.

It really affected me.” - Sonia

It gives a school a degree of identity.

- Charlotte

We want to hear from you! Next month: school holiday homework, great or grrrrr?

Email your views to editorial@fastmedia.com.hk or go to www.expat-parent.com 22 expat-parent.com

expat-parent.com 23

book review

Out this month Spring reads.

Into The Water

Rich People Problems

The Leavers

Paula Hawkins

Kevin Kwan

Lisa Ko

The bestselling author of The Girl on the Train returns with a new psychological thriller. A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. She’s not the first woman lost to these dark waters, but her death disturbs the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged. Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl who is now in the care of her aunt, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to a place to which she vowed she’d never return.

Available from Bookazine, www.bookazine.com.hk

Kevin Kwan, bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend, is back with an uproarious new novel that reveals the long-buried secrets of Asia’s most privileged families and their rich people problems. A sweeping novel that takes us from the elegantly appointed mansions of Manila to the secluded private islands in the Sulu Sea, from a kidnapping at Hong Kong’s most elite private school to a surprise marriage proposal at an Indian palace, caught on camera by the telefoto lenses of paparazzi.

Available from Bookazine, www.bookazine.com.hk

One morning, Deming Guo’s mother, an undocumented Chinese immigrant named Polly, goes to her nail salon job and never returns.

Eleven-year-old Deming is left with no-one to care for him. He is adopted by two white college professors who move him from the Bronx to a small town upstate, rename him Daniel Wilkinson and attempt to turn him into an “all-American boy”. Set in New York and China, The Leavers is a moving examination of borders and belonging.

Available from www.bookdepository.com

Books for mum Say it with a book this Mother’s Day.

I Love You Mum

How It Works: The Mum, Ladybirds for Grown Ups

Isobel Carlson

Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris

My Mummy

Super Mum

Roger Hargreaves

Leah Russack

All books available from Bookazine, www.bookazine.com.hk 24 expat-parent.com

expat-parent.com 25

book review

Leaping around the globe Travel writer Isabelle Demenge explains how she’s putting a spring and a hop into family travel.

D

id you know that there are more hand-held devices in Hong Kong than people? Or that unlike most other countries, banknotes here are issued by local banks rather than a central bank?

If you’ve ever cast your eye along the kids travel section in your local bookstore, you will no doubt be familiar with Isabelle Demenge’s colourful Leap & Hop guides.

Packed with fascinating facts and fun activities, the books aim to engage kids on “grown-up” trips - i.e. they keep the “I’m boreds” at bay when you want to step away from the kids club and soak up a bit of culture. After all, there’s nothing worse than whinging children when you’re trying to figure out your Manet from your Monet in the art galleries of Paris or attempting to strike a bargain in an Indonesian market.

So with her own kids in mind, Demenge set about putting a few activities and bits and pieces together to engage her young family and keep them interested on a trip to Cambodia back in 2010.

“The book looked a lot different to how it does now!” she laughs as we catch up at Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondents Club last month. “I’m a bank lawyer by trade so I guess it looked a bit textbook, there were no illustrations at that point.”

Two more books followed - Sri Lanka in 2011 and India in 2012, “we always do a big family trip over the Christmas vacation,” - but they were still without illustration or colour. “I did my best but yes, I think they were pretty boring to look at,” she admits.

But they achieved their aim and she sent them to a printer who rolled off a copy for her own family and one for her nephew’s, and then a friend asked if perhaps she could have a copy for her own trip, and then another friend asked, and word spread until eventually Demenge thought there might be traction in the books and approached a publisher.

“I was put in touch with somebody from Asia One, which is based in Hong Kong. It was all a bit of a steep learning curve and I think I was very lucky. The publishers were interested because they were looking to branch into the children’s market and I already had the three books to show them.

26 expat-parent.com

Isabelle Demenge - from lawyer to publisher in one easy hop.

Sometimes the trial activities work sometimes the kids go no, mum, this is a bit lame.

“So then I needed an illustrator to polish up what I had, and through a friend of a friend I met French illustrator and graphic

designer Emilie Sarnel. She was very interested and I felt she really understood what I was trying to achieve - I was looking for a sort of grown up, whimsical style which she does very well.”

Today, Demenge has eleven publications under her belt (including Bali, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Myanmar, New York, Paris, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam) with a twelfth, Mongolia, due out this month.

And Mongolia, she enthuses, was her favourite trip to date. “It’s always been on my bucket list, and we eventually took the plunge and went last October, so it was a bit outside of the ideal summer travel season, and it was

book review cold. But it was absolutely amazing. The kids had such a great time - all that space. It was magnificent.”

The books are painstakingly researched.

Demenge starts the writing process with an itinerary (“a grown up itinerary, I’m not even thinking about the kids at this stage”), then she researches and drafts up the background - the religion, the currency, the flag, the cultural traditions and so forth - and then the second part is the hands-on “things to do” section which weaves into the general information. This second part she makes up, then lays it out, prints it and hands it over to her kids to road-test.

“Actually this is called the guinea-pig book - my poor kids, they’ve always had the guinea pig, never the real thing!

“Sometimes it’s great, it all works.

Sometimes they come back and go no, mum, that bit was really lame. Over the years I’ve developed more of an idea about what works and what doesn’t. But luckily for me, I have three boys with very differing interests - one is passionate about drawing, one is very active, and so forth - so when I write, I’m always thinking, is there something here that

will engage all of them? And then the book is passed on to Sarnel to work her magic and make it look fabulous.”

The text is dense with information, so how does this work with younger readers?

If you give kids stimulation, they’ll embrace it.

“Yes, there’s a quite a bit of reading, I’ve tried to include lots of information,” she says. “But parents of younger kids have told me they use the books as an entry point into the country’s culture - they read aloud, and then get the kids involved in the activities.

Of course with older kids, of maybe nine and upwards, you can give them the book and let them disappear with it for a couple of hours.

The idea is to find ways kids of all ages can

engage with the local culture.

“And when you’re travelling there are always these dead moments, like in a restaurant when the food takes ages to arrive, so it’s great for them to have something they can get on with, maybe creating a mystical creature or re-designing the local banknotes. Sure, sometimes they’re on their iphones, but if you have a rule that mealtimes are tech-free, then this is the perfect opportunity to play a game or talk about what they’ve discovered. And in a temple, there’s no wi-fi. They have to engage.

And I think if you give kids stimulation, they’ll embrace it. Running around completing a scavenger hunt at Angkor Wat is going to be much more interesting than trailing after mum and dad.”

More books are in the pipeline, Mongolia hits the bookshelves this month, and then Demenge is thinking about Israel. It seems you can’t put a good woman - or a good book - down.

To read all about Demenge’s family adventure in Mongolia, turn to page 72. www.leapandhop.com

expat-parent.com 27

PEOPLE

My Hong Kong the travel blogger

Marianne Rogerson with Xander, Jaime and husband Dougie.

From Scotland to Stanley via Singapore and Spain, life’s a beach (most of the time) for travel blogger Marianne Rogerson.

I was born in Vanuatu and my children, Jaime (6) and Xander (4), were both born in Singapore. My husband Dougie is from Scotland.

Portugal and Costa Rica. But while both myself and my husband love Scotland, it was always too cold for me and I was delighted when his job brought us to Asia.

We moved to Hong Kong three years ago after seven years in Singapore. Before that, we lived in my husband’s home town of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is where I also went to university.

We live in Stanley - we chose Southside for its beaches and family-friendly feel. It’s the first time we haven’t lived in a city centre though so it has taken a bit of getting used to.

I was an expat kid, growing up in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. Studying languages at university meant time living in Spain,

I started Mum on the Move to get back into freelance writing after taking time off to have Xander. It’s a travel blog full of

28 expat-parent.com

destination information, family travel tips and hotel and product reviews, focusing mainly on the Asian and Australian regions. It’s aimed at families who don’t want to let having kids stop them from taking adventurous trips.

My readership grew quickly and unexpectedly. So I have ended up focusing full time on the blog. I think it appeals to expats as I cover a lot of the destinations that we travel to in the region and I do all the research so my readers don’t have to. I try to make my articles as useful as possible - I love it when I see people having a great

PEOPLE time when they’ve been inspired by one of my posts.’

Blogging is hard work - it’s not just about the writing. If you want it to be successful, it requires a lot of commitment. It’s definitely a marathon and not a sprint. There’s a steep learning curve and I had to learn a lot of new skills. I’m a jack-of-all-trades. To make it work, you need to be fluent in SEO (search engine optimization) techniques, social media marketing, photo editing, monetization techniques, basic HTML, pitching to brands I could go on!

Connecting with other bloggers is important. It’s a great way to learn. We have a great community of family travel bloggers across the world and we all learn from each other and support one another. Beginner bloggers often think of other bloggers as their competition when in fact you need to view them as your colleagues.

My most important travel item is my iPhone. One of the downsides of being a travel blogger is that when you are “on holiday”, you are actually working. I need to be constantly documenting everything across social media, taking photos and taking notes, especially if I am being hosted by a hotel or a tour company. I’m usually editing photos over breakfast and posting them to Instagram during a happy hour mojito. My kids now know when we walk into a hotel room that they aren’t allowed to touch anything until I have taken my photos.

Nothing ruins a sight-seeing day more than a whinging child. The most important thing I’ve learned about travelling with kids is to compromise. You don’t have to spend the next ten years tied to beach resorts with kids clubs, but balance is good. We try to do something cultural or adventurous coupled with something fun for the children - maybe going back to the hotel pool, mucking around on the beach or finding a playground somewhere. If there’s a lot of travel involved with a particular day trip, we go armed with lots of snacks and activities (colouring books and so forth) to keep them entertained.

My worst ever travel scenario was flying home from Phuket with a very unwell son.

His nappy leaked all over two changes of jeans, he was sick all over my shirt - and to top it all off my daughter fell asleep and wet herself all over my husband’s lap. We had to pass through Hong Kong immigration with

Riding the river in Hoi An.

my son wearing his sister’s flowery leggings, me covered in vomit and my husband with a large wet patch over his crotch.

This summer we’re heading back to the UK to catch up with family and friends, splitting our time between London and Edinburgh. We’re also hoping to spend some time in Italy before coming back to Hong Kong, and then on to Sydney for a couple of weeks so my husband can work out of his office there. Although having said that I haven’t actually booked anything yet - we tend to be a bit last minute with our planning.

My favourite family holiday destination is Hoi An, Vietnam. It’s got everything you need - beautiful beaches and luxury resorts, but enough fun and adventurous activities too. Plus Vietnamese is my favourite cuisine.

We have also had the most amazing family trips to Borneo, Indonesia and Myanmar, but Hoi An is somewhere I would return to over and over again.

When I’m not travelling, I love going to our local beaches, especially Shek O and Cococabana restaurant there. We also have great hikes nearby, the Dragon’s Back is a perfect level for kids. Or we take bikes

Relaxing in Langkawi.

and scooters to Tai Tam reservoir or to the boardwalk between Repulse Bay and Deep Water Bay. The best thing about Hong Kong is all the travel opportunities. I feel so fortunate to be able to take my kids to experience all these amazing countries and cultures right on our doorstep. The worst thing? The pollution.

Ugh. Check out Rogerson’s latest tips and trips at www.mumonthemove.com. expat-parent.com 29

THE big interview

OWN Academy founder Natalie Chan with student Hillary Yip.

30 expat-parent.com

THE big interview

Owning an education

Traditional learning is dead, says school principal Natalie Chan. Carolynne Dear found out how she is single-handedly leading an education revolution.

S

itting quietly on the 21st floor of the shiny new California Tower, Hong Kong’s dynamic Central district spread out beyond huge glass panes, is twelve-year-old Hillary Yip, student of OWN Academy, Hong Kong’s newest - and probably most unusual - secondary school.

Her teacher, and school founder and principal, is Natalie Chan, an engineering graduate and former member of the corporate world. The school has no premises and student and teacher use co-working space Metta as their base in between forays into Hong Kong to research projects.

The school may have no traditional curriculum, no extra-curricular activities, no further teaching staff and currently no other students, but Chan is convinced it is the beginning of a revolution in Hong Kong’s education system.

“I’ve experienced a lot of what education has to offer, and none of it was particularly impressive,” she says. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she attended a local school, an international school, a US boarding school, and finally university, graduating with a degree in engineering.

“It was a pretty typical Hong Kong upbringing - a tiger mom, lots of after-school activities, and the expectation that I would move along this very narrow, very conservative tunnel of opportunity.”

She did what was expected, moved into corporate life, but quickly became disillusioned. “I wasn’t using anything I’d learnt. I just seemed to be helping very rich people become even richer,” she says. “I had a prestigious consulting job, but I was unhappy and out of my comfort zone. This wasn’t how I’d envisaged my life panning out. I just thought, what was the point? All those years of schooling and all those fees, just to end up using nothing of what I’d learnt.”

Quickly realising there is a “massive disconnect” between education and what actually happens when students enter the world of work, she handed in her notice and spent time teaching at the Harbour School, to find out what the more progressive schools were up to.

“I really enjoyed teaching there, it’s a great school, but I still felt it wasn’t meeting what the world requires.”

So what should we be teaching our kids?

“Well the whole technology thing, I just think a lot of educators don’t use it to its full potential. In many schools it’s employed as just another teaching medium - we had chalkboards, then whiteboards, now laptops and iPads. But that’s not getting to the root of the technology revolution.

University is already redundant. A large proportion of students go just because it’s part of the ‘process’.

“Students aren’t being taught how to sift information properly, to sieve the real from the fake, how to consume information and how to process it, learning how to use technology as a tool to reach a goal. In the real world we don’t use calculators in business, for example, we use spreadsheets. Time management, e-commerce, monetization techniques, social media marketing, none of this sort of information is being passed on but this is how the world actually works. Even skills like app development are becoming obsolete as off-the-shelf tools are becoming more readily available - coding is the buzz word of the moment but pretty soon it won’t be needed. Computers will take over these jobs. Students will need to be working on a macro level, figuring out how things are connected, understanding how a system works and being able to figure out how to add value to that system.”

Chan cherry picks from different curriculums using inter-disciplinary projects as her teaching base. Hers is a personal learning framework which is probably more aligned than anything else with the Finnish system, which eschews subject-based learning. For Chan, even the IB

system is too systematic and leaves too many life questions unanswered.

As such, she has been collaborating with the Finnish Chamber of Education which, keen to introduce Finnish teaching methods into Hong Kong, has approved Chan’s academy.

Essentially, her teaching methodology involves simulating the real world in a project sense, enabling students to develop a huge mind-map of how things interconnect.

“I reference other curriculums but I’m creating things as we go. I want to build a new system from scratch. I want to be as creative as I can. I have my own framework of learning and then pull from different curriculums. The Finnish system is project and theme-based rather than subject-based - real-life application learning.

I think IB is great, but it’s still very systematic.

It’s intense but it still doesn’t answer a lot of life questions.”

Yip’s parents approached Chan about a full-time school position for their daughter after she moved into secondary at Kellett School. Yip, already somewhat of an entrepreneur, admits she wasn’t enjoying school and is happier with Chan. Earlier this year she launched her own app, MinorMynas, as part of the AIA Emerging Entrepreneur Challenge. The idea behind the app was to build a global network of children under 18, to make meaningful connections while learning each other’s language.

“My reason for pulling Hillary out from the traditional international school system were two-fold,” Yip’s mother, Joey, tells me later by email. “We were seeing signs that showed she wouldn’t benefit from the school environment moving forward. She found it hard to fit into the social aspect - the teenage dynamic is a difficult situation for a nerdy kid, and sometimes the mocking and teasing and social isolation were too much to take. Secondly, Hillary wasn’t challenged enough.”

The family initially thought about switching to another international school, but realised the frustrations she was experiencing would be widespread. “Natalie offered us an alternative which fitted our needs. Hillary’s education is going to be at her own pace. We were also attracted by the style of learning, with Hillary required to actively research, internalize and expat-parent.com 31

THE big interview

Getting down to business in the classroom.

connect with real-world problems… We want her to find meaning in all that she does and learn HOW to learn, to work, to lead. We have total confidence in Hillary. We have plans in place for her to move up to tertiary education should she wish to do so further down the road.”

This term, Yip has been tasked with creating a lamp - she has spent the last couple of days furiously gathering raw materials and fine tuning her design, and this morning she is sitting down with Chan back at base to research and discuss the mechanics behind constructing a working light.

So far, Yip has clocked up two months with Chan, and says she is “really enjoying it”. She’s finding the current lamp project a challenge as her initial design didn’t quite work out. “But that’s how you learn,” she shrugs. “I’m going to develop it and then try and sell it.”

“So we start with an issue, and then we break it down into individual subject areas,” explains Chan. “The whole process involves lots of disciplines. At the beginning of the term we took a trip out to an incinerator for example - from that experience we broke things down into opportunities for subject areas like applied physics, chemistry, engineering, sustainability and so forth.”

“I think there’s lots of fun and innovative primary support in Hong Kong, with education systems like Montessori, Waldorf, IB and so on,” says Chan. “What I’m interested in is that 12+ age bracket when education seems to slip back into a more conservative rhythm. I want to take students on who have basic literacy and numeracy skills and move onto the next step 32 expat-parent.com

that’s what I’m interested in, how they process information, how do they filter it, how can they add value to it.”

“Of course I feel incredibly responsible for Hillary, it’s a massive leap of faith for her parents. I know I’ve picked a very hard road, but I completely believe it is the right road.

Revolutionising Hong Kong’s education system is not something that is going to happen overnight.”

She currently has a few more interested parties, parents of children who have joined Chan on the summer holiday camps that she has been running for the past few years. The camps run along similar lines to the school, in that a different project is worked on each week with students travelling all over the territory to research and develop it. She is hoping her September school intake will include a couple of classmates for Hillary.

The school day runs from 9am to 3pm, the “campus” is handily located in Lang Kwai Fong and she “will probably” break for the summer.

“Hilary’s keen to keep on trucking, but I think I might need a week or so off,” she laughs. “The school is loosely based around the Hong Kong (northern hemisphere) term timetable.”

“My dream has always been to address the gap between education and employment. I didn’t expect to have students quite so quickly, but it’s great that Hilary and her family have put this trust in me. Ideally, I’m trying to grow a corps of six students and then I can send them out to the corporate partners that I’ve been developing relationships with over the last year. These are not traditional teachers,

but professionals who can share their valuable learning with students. I want to create “classrooms” all over Hong Kong to which students can travel each day from our fixed hub.

There are so many awesome people out there, doing such amazing and interesting things, and we can learn from them.

“I’m really keen to create these career environments so students can really understand what different jobs actually involve. There’s not a much opportunity for this sort of thing in Hong Kong at the moment because everyone is so focused academically.

Obviously academics are important, but to create that motivation and for students to understand why they have go through these studies, that’s not addressed so well.”

So what about exam results for university?

Just how far can you challenge the status quo?

Chan smiles. “I believe university is already redundant in this age. I realise that sounds extreme and of course, university is a great choice for a lot of students, but not for everyone.

I think a large proportion of students go to university because it’s part of the process, they don’t necessarily have any idea what they want to get out of it. I want to partner with corporates and show them that students graduating from this academy are ready for work, and moving straight from school into work is a good thing.”

If you are interested in finding out more about OWN Academy, Chan can be contacted at info@ownacademy.co She will be running a series of summer camp workshops using project-based learning, see www.ownacademy.co

expat-parent.com 33

C ST OV O ER RY

Paddles up

Winners are grinners at Stanley Dragon Boat Championships.

Tuen Ng, or Dragon Boat Day, splashes into town this month.

Here’s where to catch all the action.

34 expat-parent.com

Photo by www.MikaylaPhotography.com

R VE Y O R C TO S Paddles up at the Lamma 500 (above) and Stanley (below).

Central Harbourfront To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, this year’s CCB (Asia) Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races event will be bigger (and louder) than ever.

Enjoy three days of racing on Victoria Harbour, plus the San Miguel Beerfest - a coldie and some live music goes down oh so well as your cheer on the boats. There will also be a fleet of food trucks pulling up, serving a smorgasbord of international and popular local dishes.

There’s lots for the kids too with interactive activities and roving performers.

Racing, noon-5.30pm (day one), 8.30am-5.30pm (days two and three).

Beerfest, 11am-10.30pm (days one and two), 11am-9.30pm (day three).

Kids & family zone, 11am-5.30pm.

June 2-4, Central Harbourfront, free entrance.

expat-parent.com 35

C ST OV O ER RY

Sai Kung Lots of fun racing in this New Territories fishing town, as local teams battle it out on the Inner Port Shelter.

8am-2pm, May 30, Sai Kung Town Waterfront, www.skdragonboat.org.

Photo by Jayne Russell Photography

Cheung Chau

The madness in Stanley.

Stanley

Lamma Island

The Sun Life Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships is the busiest event on Tuen Ng public holiday, pulling in crowds of around 30,000. Watch teams battle it out along the 270m course, competing in Men’s, Mixed and Ladies divisions, plus the Sun Life University Cup. With crowds this size, tips such as “arrive early” are probably superfluous, but it’s heaps of fun as everyone converges onto Stanley Main Beach. It’s fast and frantic with plenty of watering holes along the main street - don’t forget hats and sunscreen.

8am-5pm, May 30, Stanley Main Beach, Stanley.

Not officially part of the Tuen Ng public holiday celebrations, the Lamma 500 International Dragon Boat Festival is now in its 11th year and a firm fixture on the dragon boat season racing calendar. This is one of Hong Kong’s toughest events, with racing taking place over a monster 500m on a deep, fast-water course.

Watch all the action from the beach, with plenty of beer and food tents to keep the family fed and watered. The seafood restaurants of Yung Shue village. Are a short stroll away.

While there are no official entertainments away from the racing, the beach and ocean provide a fun playground for littlies and a beautiful backdrop to the event. Racing is followed by an evening beach barbecue.

9am-6pm, May 7, Tai Wan To Beach, Lamma, www.lamma500.com.

If you can’t bear the crowds, Stanley will also be hosting the Stanley Dragon Boat Warm Up Races a couple of weeks before the big event.

The course is shorter but the event is still lots of fun and not quite as frantic as on Tuen Ng. 8am-5pm, May 6, Stanley Main Beach, Stanley.

36 expat-parent.com

More racing on the island of Cheung Chau.

10am-4pm, May 30, Cheung Chau Typhoon Shelter, Cheung Chau, 2981 4009.

Aberdeen Watch local fisherman hit Aberdeen Harbour for the annual Aberdeen Dragon Boat Races.

8am-6pm, May 30, Aberdeen Promenade/ Aberdeen West Typhoon Shelter, Aberdeen.

Tai O The prettiest event of the day goes to the Tai O Water Parade, where temple deities are carried in colourfully decorated sampans around the traditional stilt houses pulled by dragon boats.

The water parade is followed by racing.

8am-2pm, May 30, Tai O Water Front, Tai O, Lantau Island.

Sha Tin The Sha Tin Dragon Boat Races take place on the Shing Mun river, starting from near Banyan Bridge and finishing close to Sha Yin Bridge.

8am-1pm, May 30, Shing Mun River, Sha Tin, New Territories, 2691 5657.

Discovery Bay A favourite family day out for Tuen Ng, the Lantau venue will this year be hosting its dragon boat day festivities on Sunday May 28, two days before the public holiday. A great day out for all the family, there will be a carnival, open-air market, family entertainments and roving performers.

Racing, 8am-3.30pm, May 28, Tai Pak Beach, Discovery Bay, Lantau Island.

Carnival, 10.30am-6.30pm, Discovery Bay Plaza, Lantau Island.

May 28, www.ddeck.com.hk.

Stormy Dragons on a winning streak at Stanley.

expat-parent.com 37

C ST OV O ER RY

Junking around High days and holidays on Hong Kong waters.

Koh Thai Junks

Jaspa’s Junks

Koh Thai brings its much loved authentic Thai cuisine out to sea on one of their seven boats. They can sail to a number of beaches dotted around Sai Kung, Clearwater Bay as well Hong Kong Island. You can add on water sport activities like wakeboarding, banana boating and extreme body surfing as extras. Prices start at $680 per person with a minimum booking of 20 people - price includes a Thai buffet.

2668 1468, junks@kohthai.com.hk, www.kohthai.com.hk/

Known as the party junk, Jaspa’s Junks offers customizable packages on one of their six boats fitted with sound systems and a fully equipped kitchen. Packages include food and unlimited drinks ($750 per person with a minimum booking of 14 people). Pick up available from Pak Sha Wan Pier and Causeway Bay. 2792 6001, jaspasjunk@casteloconcepts.com, www.casteloconcepts.com

Aqua Luna Sail across Victoria Harbour in one of Hong Kong's iconic red-sail Chinese junk boats. Aqua Luna’s 45-minute evening cruise (starts from $195) takes you across Hong Kong Harbour where guests can watch the Symphony of Lights and enjoy a complimentary drink. For parties and corporate events, private charters can accommodate up to 8 people.

2116 8821, aqualuna.com.hk 38 expat-parent.com

The familiar sight of aJaspas junk setting sail.

NextWave Charters Experience luxury aboard NextWave Charters fleet of 40 boats including yachts, junks and sailing boats. Enjoy a hassle free day on the water by choosing their catering and drinks packages, leaving all the planning to the team at NextWave Charters. Their boats can hold up to 40 people with prices ranging from $8,500 to $15,800.

2335 0688, charters@nextwaveyachting. com, www.nextwavecharters.com/ Discover out-of-the-way bays.

Photo by Brent Pottinger

R VE Y O R C TO S

Food, friends... and a couple of seabreezes.

What more do you need?

Michelangelo Cruise Hong Kong waters in style aboard the Michelangelo. The classic 80ft yacht holds up to 59 passengers and measures 4,000 sq ft over three decks. The Captain, A On, can take you on seven different scenic routes, including Sai Kung, Clearwater Bay and the islands of the Ninepin group. Finding it hard to choose? Customize your trip by selecting a few specific islands and your preferred length of stay. Extras such as private chef, on board DJ and Jazz Band are also available upon request.

9037 6799, info@michelangelocruises.com, www.michelangelocruises.com/

Breakaway Not your average charter, Breakaway is a luxury yacht charter companying that provide catering, drinks and services to customers.

Offering various packages like the A Day at Sea which is a full day boat trip (starting at $15,900 for 15 people). The package includes breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks all day as well as inflatable toys and kayak.

6180 5059, booking@breakawayhk.com, breakawayhk.com/

Strap on some toys anywhere you go.

expat-parent.com 39

C ST OV O ER RY

Zoom If you’re wanting to spice up a day on the water, Zoom could be just what you’re looking for.

The brainchild of boating enthusiast and long-term Hong Kong resident Nigel Davis, Zoom specialises in high-speed thrill rides and trips to parts of the territory that are off the junk-beaten track.

A native of the UK’s Scilly Isles, perched off the coast of Cornwall in the Atlantic Ocean, Davis is no stranger to water travel and can remember accompanying his dad on daily inter-island commutes as a child. After a land-locked couple of years in London, he eventually moved to Hong Kong and was able to resume his passion for water sports.

A legal professional by day, Davis launched Zoom this year following two years

40 expat-parent.com

of careful preparations and with a speciallycommissioned RIB constructed in the UK. It holds up to ten people and hit the waters off Aberdeen earlier this year.

“So far I’ve captained a couple of kids parties, zooming around off Aberdeen and Stanley to give the children some high-speed fun before returning them to dry land for tea.

I’ve also organised trips out to Sai Kung’s geopark, Po Toi, Tai O and around-Hong Kong Island. It’s been a lot of fun,” he says.

“The geopark is great, all the rock and arch formations make for an interesting day out.” And apparently Sai Kung’s secret is out, Davis says he has had enquiries about the geopark from as far afield as Argentina.

“Tai O fishing village has also been really popular, and we have so far had a 100% pink dolphin spotting record, which I hadn’t anticipated but has been a fabulous trip “extra”. “Travelling out to Lantau by land, having a wander around the village and then being picked up by the RIB for a waterbased perspective and return trip to Aberdeen by sea seems to be a good way to do it,” he adds.

The speed of the RIB means it can access areas of the territory junks are unwilling to venture - further destinations on Davis’ list includes Hoi Ha Marine Park, Plover Cove and the Sai

Wan beaches, as well as more traditional destinations on Lamma, Lantau and around Hong Kong Island.

“It’s not a junk trip,” he says. “We don’t provide food and drink, but we do aim to have a lot of fun and to access areas of interest and away from the crowds.” He points out that a trip can be combined with hiking activities and/or lunch at the various seafood restaurants dotted around Hong Kong en route. For example, on his Clearwater Bay itinerary, he picks up from Causeway Bay, investigating the east side of the Harbour and Sai Kung geopark before stopping for lunch well off the tourist trail at Tung Ping Chau, an island just a few miles from the Chinese mainland in Mirs Bay and rarely accessed by visitors. With beaches and a lost village, it’s an unusual New Territories-based day out.

The RIB is stored in dry dock at Aberdeen and Davis can also pick up from Causeway Bay. “Not all pick-up points are suitable as the RIB is smaller than a junk. For example, the waters around Central Piers are just too rough to make embarking and disembarking safe.”

If you have a trip suggestion or there’s somewhere you’d love to head out to, get in touch and Davis can work out a package.

Zoom can be contacted at info@zoomribs.hk or see www.zoomribs.hk for more information.

expat-parent.com 41

schools

School news

New daycare in Pok Fu Lam

Safari Kid has found a demand for unaccompanied daycare.

Following success in Happy Valley, Safari Kid Hong Kong will be launching unaccompanied daycare/nursery programmes at its Pok Fu Lam campus this autumn. Registrations of interest are now being accepted.

The Pok Fu Lam kindergarten opened on the Chi Fu estate in 2014 and this new initiative will offer programmes for children aged one to two-and-a-half years.

42 expat-parent.com

There will be a 1:3 ration of teaching staff to children and a maximum of 12 children at any time. An English and a Mandarin teacher will lead activities, with assistance on hand.

If you are interested in further information, contact infohk@safarikidasia.com.

East meets West in Causeway Bay A new private primary school is scheduled to open this September, offering a fusion of “Chinese principles and modern Western systems”.

Chinese Academy has been established jointly by Confucius Hall of Hong Kong and the International Chinese Academy Education Foundation (ICAEF), a body that aims to “revitalise and globalise traditional Chinese culture to cope with Hong Kong and Greater China’s ascendancy on the global stage”. ICAEF is co-founded and managed by education management organisation, Norton House Education.

The Hong Kong school will be coeducational, with bi-lingual immersion teaching in Chinese and English.

The campus will be situated in the historic Confucius Hall on Caroline Hill Road, Causeway Bay, and will be completed in two stages. Facilities will eventually include a swimming pool, multimedia library, contemplation hall, visual arts centre, STEM lab, sports stadium and performing arts centre.

The focus of ICAEF’s vision is a balanced education model combining Chinese philosophy with Confucianism as the core values, and integrating the “best traditions of the East and the West”.

Fees are anticipated to be $112,000 for the 2017/18 academic year, with a capital levy of $36,000, all subject to EDB approval. The school is now accepting applications for children born between September 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011 (Grade 1) and children born between September 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010 (Grade 2).

Chinese Academy, 77 Caroline Hill Road, Causeway Bay, 2499 8000, www.caps.org.hk.

expat-parent.com 43

schools

French fashions

Waldorf primary for Kennedy Town

And the winner is...

The French International School hosted COUTURE, a charity fashion show with all proceeds going to Redress, the Hong Kong charity advocating for sustainable fashion.

The COUTURE team included other international schools and celebrated brands as well as their own student designers and performers. The audience enjoyed collections from five brands, two student designers (Liza Siqueira of FIS and Christine Ra of South Island School), four performances and the

Fashion Trophy 2017 competition which showcased 30 amazing looks inspired by famous artists. All the pieces were made of recycled materials.

The winners of the Best Designer award were Chloe Lenoir and Gabrielle de Beauvais from FIS Year 12, featuring a dress inspired

by Van Gogh’s Starry Night. All six category winners were offered the chance of an internship at Redress.

Island Waldorf School Hong Kong (IWSHK) is on track for a September opening. It is now accepting applications.

Affiliated with and supported by HIghgate House School, Hong Kong’s oldest and largest Waldorf kindergarten, IWSHK will offer a Waldorf education for students aged five to 11 years.

It will open for the academic year 2017/18 with Foundation Year (ages five to six years) and Grade One (ages six to seven) classes. One more class will be added each following year until the school reaches capacity.

Waldorf education aims to develop the “head, heart and hand” in a balanced way, with a strong emphasis on creativity.

A high value is placed on play in the early years, imagination in the primary years and critical thinking at secondary level.

IWSHK will be located at G/F, 71-77 Smithfield, Kennedy Town, info@iwshk.org, www.iwshk.org.

Coaching help ESF King George V (KGV) secondary school will be hosting a Coaching in Education conference next month.

The aim of the conference is to share best coaching practice at any level and is open to all, including parents, teachers and educators.

According to head teacher Judy Cooper, the event came about due to demand from KGV parents and teachers who had attended previous coaching information evenings at the school.

“Coaching impacts the way we have conversations and at KGV we are now moving to a focus on the coaching 44 expat-parent.com

principles - our ways of being around the school and in the community. It’s a complete re-think about the way we communicate with our sons and daughters.

If we can work together using the coaching strategies then students will have better conversations both at home and at school.”

This should be music to the ears of parents of teens whose opening gambit “how was school today?” is more often than not met with a grunt and a slammed bedroom door.

There will be a variety of interactive workshops with practical skills as well

as the opportunity to network with other parents.

The conference runs over two days with more parent relevant workshops scheduled on Saturday in recognition of working parents. It is open to all coaches, educators and parents throughout Hong Kong.

“It’s hosted by KGV, but we thought if our parents found it useful, so would other parents across the territory,” said Cooper.

June 9 & 10, KGV School, 2 Tin Kwong Road, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, register at www.cie2017.kgv.edu.hk

schools

Diary dates May 6 Malvern College Meet & Pre-school Meet is a chance for prospective parents to find out more about the new Tai Po-based school, expected to open in September 2018. Teachers and senior management will be on hand to answer questions and talk about the school. 9:30-11am (preschool) and 11:30am-1pm (primary and secondary), Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel, Bauhinia Room, 4/F, 3 Canton Road, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.

Sign up at www.malverncollege.org.hk/ infosession

May 9 Motivating the Reluctant Learner is a workshop aimed at parents of 11-18 year olds, covering simple but effective communication tools to foster more positive attitudes towards homework.

10.30am-12.30pm, Fanny Li Hall, St John’s

Cathedral, 4-8 Garden Road, tickets from docs.google.com.

May 9 & 11 Six open houses for Shrewsbury International primary school, which is due to open in September 2018. Parents will be able to meet with principal Ben Keeling and other school representatives.

Registrations at www.shrewsbury.hk.

May 20 Open day at SCAD Hong Kong, the university for creative careers. 12-4pm, 292. Tai Po Raod, Sham Shiu Po. Please register at admission@scad.edu.hk, scad.edu/scadday

May 20-21 Find out more about the Montessori system of education at the first Montessori

Asia Conference in Hong Kong, 9am-6pm, The Education University of Hong Kong, 10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po. Ticket enquires at www.montessoriasia.hk.

May 26 Victoria Shanghai Academy (VSA) Scholarship Introductory Session (for Years six to 11) Understanding the Learning Journey from Inquiry to Discovery.

Parents will have the opportunity to learn about VSAs Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme curricula and scholarship opportunities. They will also be able to visit the Primary Years Programme exhibition held during the same morning.

8.50-10.30am, Victoria Shanghai Academy, 19 Shum Wan Road, Aberdeen. Register at www.portal.vsa.edu.hk/oasis/booking/ or contact admissions@vsa.edu.hk.

expat-parent.com 45

schools

Inside the colourful world of PIPS Kate Davies takes a tour of Parkview International Pre-School.

46 expat-parent.com

schools

I

f you’ve ever driven into the Parkview complex at the top of Tai Tam Reservoir Road, you may have seen the double doors immediately on your right. If you peek through them, there’s not a lot to see apart from a rather pedestrian looking lift lobby, but if you take the lift one floor down you enter Parkview’s International Pre-School (PIPS) - and it’s certainly a long way from ordinary.

Parents seem to like our play-based learning system.

The walls and floors are painted in vibrant colours, student’s artwork and projects are proudly displayed around the rooms and the sound of young children laughing and playing fills the air. This is clearly a happy place.

expat-parent.com 47

schools

Principal Mary Scarborough chats with students.

The principal, Mary Scarborough, greets me with a warm smile. She looks completely at ease with being in charge of the Parkview and Kowloon campuses of PIPS, but that may be due to having more than three decades of Early Learning experience under her belt. (There is another branch called Rhine Garden in the New Territories that falls under the PIPS umbrella of schools but I am told it operates quite independently from its two more urban sisters).

Scarborough tells me that PIPs began in this very spot 26 years ago. Aptly named after its location, its Kowloon counterpart was created in 2007. Both are authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools that follow the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for children from one to six years old. And that includes playgroup through K1 to K3. Classes are taught in English and Putonghua in both schools with the option also of Cantonese at the Kowloon campus.

According to Scarborough, this trilingual option is to cater for those students who will continue their studies in local schools, although there are change and 48 expat-parent.com

some students who were perhaps headed into the local system often carry on with their classmates into international schools.

I’m always amazed at what the children can do, what they are interested in and what they produce.

“The parents seem to like the playbased teaching system that we use,” says Scarborough. “We don’t have a lot of homework and we don’t have that kind of pressurized kind of set-up that some kindergartens do have. So I think the parents like that and then they think, ‘Well, I really want this to continue.’”

In keeping with the IB ideology, the school’s aim according to its mission

Story-time in the classroom.

statement is to: encourage responsible, respectful, reflective practices along with intercultural understanding to promote compassionate, global citizens.

This, Scarborough tells me, is mirrored not just in what they teach but in the way they teach it. She tells me the teachers listen to, respect and encourage the children to be chatty. “People are usually struck when they come here. They say the children seem really confident, curious and want to talk to the people who visit.”

expat-parent.com 49

schools This conversational outlook is very much a welcome product of the inquiry based curriculum. At the beginning of a unit of inquiry children are asked to speak up and contribute what they know about a subject so teachers can build on that knowledge and, as Scarborough explains, challenge the children on the right level.

“I’m always amazed at what the children can do, what they’re interested in and what they produce,” she says.

On the tour of the Parkview campus, children’s projects were displayed everywhere, from paintings of animal habitats, to collages of leaves and things found in nature.

In the library amongst the English and Chinese books were also books that some of the students had made as part of a unit of inquiry titled, ‘Imagination and learning can be inspired by books’.

The school also places emphasis on educating the children about being eco-friendly. There are appointed ‘Green Ambassadors’ who are in charge of making sure the lights are turned off when a classroom is not in use. Part of this environmental learning is also played out in the garden where children find out about plants and even have a go at some gardening themselves - you can never grow green fingers too young. The garden is situated in the large outdoor area to the back of the school, alongside a play space, sandpit and climbing gym. There is also an intriguingly named “exploratorium” where the play equipment changes every week.

The Parkview campus also boasts an indoor play area, a dedicated music room, a cookery room and animal corner where their most famous resident, Pancake the guinea pig, lives during the week. She spends her weekends hanging out at various student’s houses.

“It’s part of an effort to offer the kids the broadest experience we can with the

Music lessons are always fun.

50 expat-parent.com

Fun and games both inside and out.

resources we have,” says Scarborough.

This point is echoed in her ‘Principal’s Message’ on the PIPS website where she writes: our principal aims are to provide a safe and caring environment with rich and varied educational experiences so that the children in our school can flourish, grow, learn and fulfill their potential in every way.

This is again underlined with the option of extra-curricular activities on top of regular classes. These include Kung Fu, phonics, drama, piano, Chinese writing, sport and cooking. Scarborough also tells me there are English and Putonghua enhancement classes for those who may need them.

As my tour wraps up and I hand my visitor’s badge back, I think of all the times I’ve driven into Parkview and not thought much about what was behind those double doors. It turns out there is a vibrant, colourful world of learning happening just one floor down.

What you need to know PIPS Hong Kong is an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School.

PIPS Kowloon became an IB candidate school in 2014, and is aiming to achieve full accreditation this year.

PIPS educates students from one to six years, beginning with Playgroup (accompanied, one to two years).

From age two onwards, the school follows an inquiry-based Primary Year Programme (PYP) curriculum, beginning with PreNursery (half-day, two to three years), Nursery (half-day, three to four years), Lower Kindergarten (full-day, four to five years) and Preparatory (full-day, five to six years).

Half-day optional enhancement programmes in English and Putonghua are offered as afternoon classes to three to four year olds.

For more information, see www.pips.edu.hk.

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schools

Principal’s office

Kate Davies catches up with Mary Scarborough, head teacher at PIPS. How long have you been in education?

I think it might be 37 years.

What triggered your desire to teach?

I was doing psychology and I thought I was going to be an educational psychologist. I had to train as a teacher and then work for two years in a school and I loved it so much that I never left.

What’s your Hong Kong history?

I came here from Bangkok. I worked in London for 15 years and then I went to Bangkok and the idea was to travel really, but at the end of five years there I was ready to leave and I didn’t know where to go, so I just applied for a job with ESF in Hong Kong.

I was the Early Years coordinator at Glenealy for nine years. The interview day was the first time I’d ever been to Hong Kong.

What was your favourite subject in school?

Art.

And most memorable thing a teacher ever said to you?

I remember after I’d given a teacher a job, I said to her, ‘The reason I’ve given it to you is because you’re very passionate about teaching young children’, and she said that she was very pleased I’d noticed it because nobody else had. That was something really memorable about that particular teacher.

What makes a good teacher?

Passion is what I look for in teachers. I think you’ve got to have it to work with young children. I can spot them, the ones with true passion. They’ve got to want to do the best job possible. Whatever that takes. They’ve got to be able to do research, do their own studying, further their study, and be the sort of person that looks to find a better way to do something all the time.

What’s the toughest part of your day?

Often things crop up that you’re not expecting 52 expat-parent.com

“Passion is what I look for in teachers,” says Mary Scarborough.

to deal with. You might come in and think, ‘I’m going to get on with planning the staff meeting today’, but something will pop up. It could be a child having an accident, it could be a parent with a problem… suddenly I have to drop everything and do something else I wasn’t expecting, but I’m used to it now. All in a day’s work.

What are your school’s greatest strengths?

I think the way that the curriculum works.

The teachers are committed to this way of teaching. The children are enthusiastic, motivated and the teachers capture their enthusiasm. I think that’s what happens here and that’s really noticeable. People who come here say that.

something that children need to find out with their parents at home. Something that they are going to be able to bring back to school to share with others. Something that will make the parents part of the learning too. That, rather than copying words which can be a bit of a waste of time.

What are your views on technology?

It’s something that you have to work with rather than against. We use it well in this school. Some teachers are very proficient at how they use it. It can be used as a tool for enquiry.

Your views on extracurricular tuition?

They’re exposed to lots of cultures in international schools. They are exposed to different people, views, perspectives. So, this all relates to the IB mission which is that we hope in the future that children will become globally aware. That the world will be peaceful ultimately.

It can be too much, children do need some time when they can choose what they want to do rather than having to go to activities.

Children need to make choices about what they are interested in. We run extra curricular activities in both schools. There is a variety of things available here that they might chose to do, but I don’t think it should be over used.

There is a tendency to overuse it. Children need breathing space, and their own time to develop into people.

What are your views on homework?

Tell us a secret about yourself…

A lot of the homework I have seen is of little value I would say. It has to mean something.

We do have some homework, usually

I’m a film buff! Not many people know that, but if people observed my behaviour in Hong Kong they’d notice it.

What are the benefits of students studying and growing up in Hong Kong?

Sponsored Column

The forest school revolution in Hong Kong Anne Murphy, Director of ITS Education Asia, explains the concept.

The ‘Forest School’ concept is spreading, spurred by concerns about children’s loss of contact and understanding of nature.

The approach, which was introduced to Britain in the early nineties, involves taking children into an outdoor, ideally woodland, environment to develop confidence, problem solving, risk taking, creativity and teamwork through hands-on learning experiences. In an age where we are concerned that children are more sedentary, the Forest School programme supports physical development goals, encouraging children to adopt healthy lifestyle habits, explore nature and acquire life skills.

Forest School Programmes in Hong Kong At Forest Waldorf School in Sai Kung, practical and outdoor learning are essential features of the curriculum. Students are engaged in hands-on-activities, which link thematically with their academic classes, such as beeswax modeling, woodwork, clay

work and gardening. Children explore local topography through their nature walks and examine their biological environment.

Discovery Bay International School (DBIS) adopted the Forest School programme at its Early Years campus last September. DBIS has created it’s very own garden based around typhoon-salvaged wood and a range of other recycled materials.

ICHK Hong Lok Yuen’s beautiful green campus at Hong Lok Yuen provides students and teachers with the perfect location to develop this pioneering approach. Innovative work is now underway to establish their very own ‘Forest School’ and outdoor classrooms.

Malvern College Pre-School Hong Kong (MCPS) and Malvern College Hong Kong (MCHK) will also run the Forest School programme from August 2017. It will be run by qualified Level 3 practitioners trained by the U.K.’s Forest School Association.

Excited for your child to attend a Forest School Programme outside of school? HK Forest Adventures, (also known as HK Forest Kindergarten) specialises in taking toddlers and young children, aged 1.5 - 6 years old, into the forest to play. It is an all-weather activities company, meaning children mostly play outside regardless of the elements - if it’s hot, they play in the water, if it rains, they play in the mud and puddles.

The programmes are child-led and not curriculum driven. Visit www.hkforestadventures.com 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.

expat-parent.com 53

life & style

Life & style news New faces at Pacific Place

Fashion favourite Popular pop-up Apartment 49 is launching a fashion collection online. Already well-known to savvy shoppers for its eclectic jewellery, homeware and accessories ranges, the brand will now be adding Australian swimwear label Aqua Brand to its lineup.

The label is being sold in Hong Kong exclusively by Apartment 49 and is 100% Australian designed and manufactured.

It uses Italian lycra made with Econyl - a regenerated polyamide fibre which is twice as resistant to chlorine, suntan creams and oils than other lycra materials.

The women’s swimwear pieces include rash guards and tees in full length or short sleeve, plus bikini tops, briefs and one-pieces. All garments have an ultraviolet protection factor of 50+ and are quick-drying.

For more information see www.apartment49.com.

Whistles opens in Pacific Place.

Stay sun smart this summer.

Sleeping easy Manhandling mattresses into apartments is no easy task. To the rescue comes Skyler, Hong Kong’s first “mattress-in-a-box” online retailer.

Skyler mattresses are vacuum packed into a box on wheels for easy delivery, whether you live at the top of a “walk-up” or have compact elevator issues.

Skyler was founded by Jason Da Rosa and Alex Ma following daunting shopping experiences in the territory. “My wife and I moved back to Hong Kong from the US and needed a new mattress,” explained Da Rosa.

“We were shocked by how expensive they were here. The same mattress brands cost two to three times more in Hong Kong than in the US. We realized mattresses were being sold at vast markups to cover high rental costs for prime retail storefronts in Hong Kong.”

By selling online, Da Rosa believes they have plugged a gap in the market.

Keeping the challenges specific to Hong Kong in mind, Skyler mattresses are infused 54 expat-parent.com

The Skyler mattress in a box.

with cooling gel and breathable Coolmax fabric to combat our warm and humid climate. All mattresses have a firmness rating of 7-8 out of 10 - not too soft, not too hard and are guaranteed not to sink or dip.

Every mattress comes with a ten-year limited warranty and each order is offered with a 100-night-at-home trial and full return policy.

The mattresses are available in 11 sizes, come with next-day delivery anywhere in Hong Kong and retail from $5,000, www.skyler.hk.

Pacific Place has announced a number of new additions to its retail line-up this season.

The Admiralty-based shopping mall will be welcoming three womenswear chains to the mall, including COS, Phase Eight and Whistles.

British brand Phase Eight is relatively new to the territory following launches in IFC and Festival Walk. Well-known in the UK for its sophisticated evening, bridal and daywear, Phase Eight is a refreshing move away from the predictable plethora of ritzy designer brands that populate the high-end mall, taking a certain amount of pressure off the purse strings too.

For London-based brand Whistles, this year marks the high street fashion label’s first foray into Hong Kong, following a January launch in Harbour City. A popular go-to for many a Londoner, Whistles specialises in quality wardrobe staples without the designer price-tags - another breath of fresh air in a designer-heavy part of town. Pop along for womenswear, footwear, accessories and the Whistles wedding collection. The Pacific Place venue will serve as its flagship store.

Whistles, Shop 120A, L1, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty.

Phase Eight, Shop 120B, L1, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty.

COS, Shop 118, L1, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty.

life & style

Flash sale arrives on Duddell With our girl in the know, Elaine Yeoh

OnTheList founders Delphine Lefay and partner Diego Dultzin Lacoste.

If you’re after a bargain, OnTheList is the place to be. This members-only flash sale business has taken up permanent residence on Duddell Street, Central with a rapid turnover in designer offerings.

Previously a movable feast of bargain threads all over Central district, OnTheList now has a permanent home handily located just off Queens Road Central. And its 8am start is perfect for commuters looking for a pre-work peek. Members are guaranteed an average 75% discount on big name brands including Armani, Reiss, Roberto Cavalli, Ted Baker and many more, sometimes with as much as 90% knocked off.

All items are past-season, accounting for the highly-discounted prices. As far as the brands are concerned, partnering with OnTheList is a great way of clearing old stock.

The business is the brainchild of Delphine Lefay and partner Diego Dultzin Lacoste. “I was working in the retail industry and looking for a

third party supplier to clear my old inventory that was taking up valuable warehouse space,” explains Lefay. “I was aware of such suppliers in France but in Hong Kong I couldn’t find a suitable solution... We act as the middleman between members looking for affordable luxury lifestyle products and brands that are looking to sell off past season items.”

A new designer is introduced weekly, and once the product has gone, it’s gone. There are no changing rooms (“some customers come dressed in tees and leggings ready for on-thespot fitting,” says Lacoste), but staff is plentiful, there are seats for trying on shoes and the cashiers take most payment methods - EPS, credit card, cash, etc.

To join, customers need to sign up online and will then receive a weekly email updating them about that week’s designer.

OnTheList, Ground Floor and Basement, Printing House, 6 Duddell Street, Central.

Sign up at www.onthelist.hk.

Breath fresh Lush has launched minty mouthwash tabs, great for mums-on-the-go. Packed full of refreshing ingredients and essential oils the tiny tabs are perfect for handbags, gym bags and carry-on flight bags.

The tabs come in three flavours, Creme de Menthe made from a blend of peppermint oil and menthol crystals; Ugai with green tea

When you finally buy junior that mobile phone, consider pre-downloading OUR PACT, a parental control app, before handing it over. This miracle app actually lets you control the amount of screen time soaked up by the kids by blocking internet and app access on your child’s device. The free plan allows you to schedule recurring events like school, homework, family time, meal or bedtime so that the device cannot be used during these periods.

And for US$1.99/month, you can manage multiple children’s schedules from one central dashboard. For an additional US$4.99 you can even block texting as well as exercise individual app control. Which means no distracting games apps if you don’t want them, leaving just the educational apps for learning purposes.

Coming soon is a feature that sets daily screen time limits for your kids to use independently as well as a family locator, which lets you know where your kids are at any given time.

Will this bring back the important moments that matter in family life?

Possibly easier said than done, but download the app and make a pact to push things in the right direction!

Our Pact is compatible with all Android and iOS devices and is downloadable from the Google Play and Apple app stores, ourpact.com.

Yeoh reviews a new app every month.

Contact her at simplyfabulicious.wordpress.com or facebook.com/SimplyFabulicious.

powder, antibacterial tree oil and sea salt; and Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, which includes quinine and Moroccan aniseed oil. Each pack costs $105 and contains around 80 tablets.

Available from Lush stores, www.hk.lush.com. expat-parent.com 55

life & style

Home is where the art is Helen Smeaton, founder of The Art House Asia, talks to Adele Brunner about her new gallery concept.

56 expat-parent.com

life & style

A

At home with Helen Smeaton.

rt fairs can be overwhelming, galleries intimidating. So what to do if you’ve got a modest budget and are hankering for a piece of contemporary art? One novel solution is to pay a visit to The Art House Asia.

The brainchild of Australian Helen Smeaton, The Art House Asia is run out of her Clearwater Bay home, where everything that is displayed - in her living and dining room, along corridors and in bedrooms - is for sale.

Smeaton, who is also business director of advertising agency Challice, first hit on the idea completely by chance after moving to Hong Kong in June 2016. She has a lot of bare walls in her new home but found the cost of buying artwork here prohibitively expensive. She decided to make it her mission to find affordable, contemporary pieces and after the fruits of her shopping trip garnered compliments from friends and neighbours, The Art House Asia was born. She hosted her first open house event last November purely to raise awareness and see whether there would be any interest in the kind of art that she liked buying - and sold everything in one day.

“It all happened very organically,” recalls Smeaton. “I wasn’t looking to start up a new business but the reaction to my first event was astounding and I realised that there was a demand in the market. I was on a plane that following Monday to restock.”

Smeaton’s typical collection runs the gamut from contemporary canvasses and photographs to sculptures and ceramics, in all colours, styles, shapes and sizes. Until now, she has showcased emerging artists from Asia, Australia and Europe as well as Hong Kong-based photographer Phillipa Bloom (see insert) but is casting her net wider with a buying trip to the US, where she hopes to acquire pieces by American and South American artists.

“I find that people like to buy something from somewhere they won’t necessarily get to themselves,” she says. “Every piece has a story behind it - whether it’s about the artwork itself, the artist or the experience of how I acquired it - and this makes it a much more personal experience than buying online.

I also enjoy guiding people away from massproduced art and giving them a unique piece.”

Smeaton’s open house events take place every couple of months (“I love the social aspect of it - people getting together, bumping into old friends, making new ones, having drinks and chatting about the art”) but prospective buyers are welcome to make an appointment and view whatever she has at any given time. expat-parent.com 57

life & style What also sets her apart from the norm is that clients see the art first in the context of her home (rather than in a relatively bare gallery) and can then take whatever it is they are considering back to their own apartment or house without any obligation to buy. If it doesn’t work with their decor, they can simply bring it back.

“If a client doesn’t love a piece, if it doesn’t fit in their home, I don’t want them to have it. I would hate to think somebody would buy something they weren’t sure about and then end up shoving it under their bed,” she says. “It would be a waste of their money, the artist’s creativity and my passion. I am in (this business) for the impact something has on the client and their space.

A statement piece can change the entire look of a room but you often need to see it

actually hanging up to realise that.”

Prices range from about $1,000 to $15,000 and keeping the art affordable is of paramount importance to Smeaton.

Exhibiting in her home means she doesn’t have to pay rent for a gallery or wages for full-time staff and she says she purposefully doesn’t fly first class or stay in five-star hotels while on trips, all of which would be translated to the cost of the art.

Although Smeaton prefers the personal connection, she does have an online presence and is happy to source art for people. Thanks to modern technology, she can talk clients through what she is looking at in real time, as well as sending costs and photos. She also relishes getting artists with little or no exposure into the wider market.

Some of them find it hard to travel abroad and

promote their work so Smeaton is effectively championing their cause.

“It’s proving to be a win-win all round,” she says. “Many of the artists I showcase have few outlets for marketing themselves. I enjoy seeing where their art ends up and they do too. Everyone here gets excited about the open house events and the possibility of having a really beautiful piece of art they might never have come across. And if I don’t sell a piece, it doesn’t matter. I buy what I love so I’m happy to keep it. I’m never “stuck” with anything and it’s always a wrench to have to let pieces go.”

For further information or to arrange a private appointment, contact Smeaton on 5648 7474 (WhatsApp) or at enquiries@thearthouseasia.com.

Blooming marvellous A snapshot of Hong Kong-based photographer Phillipa Bloom.

When did you first start taking photos?

I’ve handled a camera since I was nine and am self-taught. I have always experimented with photography and shot with everything from Kodak Instamatic, Poloroid and 35mm film cameras to digital cameras and iPhones.

What’s your background?

I used to be a journalist in the 1980s and ‘90s, and was always assigned to see and review foreign movies such as those by French director Luc Besson and Chinese director Wong Kar-wai. In retrospect this turned out to be a fantastic photographic education because there was an incredible range of visual styles, which had a huge influence on me.

When did you decide to make photography your profession?

About two years ago I became aware of and interested in the iPhone photographic movement. Having a camera on a phone is ideal - it’s portable and discreet - I like the discipline of the square format. I realised that I’d been taking less pictures in previous years as I couldn’t be bothered to carry my camera around with me. I also found myself with a lot of downtime, because although we live in Clearwater Bay, my children go to school on the Island. I sometimes didn’t want to go 58 expat-parent.com

back and forward between dropping them off and picking them up so photography gave me something to do.

What type of camera do you currently use?

I tend to use my iPhone but I’ve recently gone back to experimenting with film and digital formats.

What are your favourite subjects?

I love walking and am fascinated by people and streets, and the detail in life that often goes unnoticed. My photography is about finding the beauty, the drama and the truth in everyday things that I see. My portfolio and interests are very eclectic - I shoot anything and everything from crowds on a street corner to an abandoned village, to the intricate detail on a temple door - but I always have an emotional response to what I shoot. I think my broad aesthetic stems from growing up in Asia and Africa and living in Europe and London as a young adult.

Bloom behind the lense.

Where can we buy your work?

As well as through The Art House Asia, I showcase my portfolio through my website (www.phllipabloomphotographs.carbonmade. com), on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter. However, all my prints are limited editions, with a very small print run.

What’s next?

How do you make your photos look so good?

I’m in the early planning stages for a photo book of my Hong Kong images and if that takes off, I might do other countries in Asia.

Hong Kong and Asia are incredible for me the bright lights, bustling cities and colourful festivals that contrast with the more muted countryside all offer endless inspiration.

I use apps like Snapsneed, which is brilliant for editing, and Filterloop, which offers some interesting blending options, but I try to avoid filters. I prefer to be realistic so boost up the contrast and colour instead.

For more information or to purchase Phillipa Bloom’s work, contact her on 9038 9849 (WhatsApp) or via enquiries@thearthouseasia.com.

expat-parent.com 59

life & style

Having a blast Dr Bunhead will be putting the sizzle into science live on stage this month. Expat Parent caught up with him.

Can you reveal your true identity?

My real name is Tom Pringle but even my friends call me Bunhead, or just plain Bun from time to time.

Why the passion for science?

I had a fantastic chemistry teacher at school called Mr Walters. He was both terrifying and amazing in equal measure. I couldn’t wait for his class each week.

What came first, the scientist or the performer?

Definitely the scientist. In my first shows back in 1995 I simply stood and bombarded my audiences with a line up of spectacular demonstrations. With time, I learnt to come out from behind the demonstrations and to build the Dr Bunhead character. I used my audience as a laboratory to discover what they liked and taught myself how to perform.

But recently I decided it really was time to get a professional performance training. So I took a year out to study a full-time diploma in physical theatre practice. It was a really tough year for me but it has definitely had a positive impact on my work.

So what’s your performance history?

I was first picked up by the BBC in 1998 when I was performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (which is the largest arts festival in the world). They invited me onto a children’s television programme. I must have done something right because they kept inviting me back and then finally offered me my own science TV series - called Hyperlinks. I then appeared in a lot of other TV shows but the most famous is Brainiac. Brainiac was a fantastic team to work with and the shows are still broadcast all over the world - so I get a lot of overseas work thanks to those programmes.

Tell us about your Guinness World Record attempts…

I have the record for the longest glow-in-thedark necklace (over 1,000 feet long). It took me several months to work out how to do it without glow-in-the-dark chemicals erupting Explosive fun with Dr Bunhead.

60 expat-parent.com

life & style all over the place. My walls often resembled a glowing Jackson Pollock painting during research periods.

I have another record for the most potatoes fired (in three minutes) from a potato

I hold the three-minute, Guinness World Record, for the number of potatoes fired from a bazooka through a tennis racket to make chips.

bazooka and through a tennis racket to make chips. I’m very keen to try and break it. However, there is some controversy over this at the moment. My original combustionpowered record has been “broken” by a team using compressed air. I am contesting their claim as a different record, since it’s a bit like racing on roller skates against a bicycle. Both are valid records but they are not the same record. Similarly, my combustion-powered record is substantially more difficult - both technically and mechanically - than using a simple compressed air cannon.

Do you have a favourite experiment?

What do you hope to achieve by performing live science on stage?

I have a few favourites which change over time. Sometimes the least dramatic demonstrations can bring about the most profound moments of understanding in an audience. I like these the most.

I want people to feel some of the fascination and thrill I felt when I grew up learning science. I want them to go away feeling happy, excited and hopefully a little more curious about the amazing world we live in.

Has anything ever gone wrong?

What can audiences expect from your Hong Kong show?

Lots of things go wrong! Almost every show has something misbehave or turn out differently to the way I’d expected. My head is often in about ten different places at once (or on fire). I’m often re-scripting the show, on the spot, in time to a musical backing tracking whilst weighing up the safety implications, simultaneously maintaining a relationship with the audience and holding onto the overall learning objective, whilst making it all look as if that is exactly the way it was meant to be presented. There is a strong element of improvisation in my shows, which helps keep them fresh.

What are the challenges of bringing science to the live stage?

Maintaining absolute safety alongside the maximum sense of impending disaster whilst keeping the audience entertained and informed. There is a rock solid script from which I improvise as and when things go off in unusual directions.

Sometimes a simple audience comment can send me off on a short detour, picking up fresh nuggets of science on the way.

Fast-paced, science anarchy with sneaky bits of educational material smuggled in when you least expect it.

How will you be relaxing between shows?

I’ve performed here twice before and had a fantastic time exploring near and far. My secret passion is Argentine tango and Hong Kong has excellent dancers and frequent social dances (the social dances are called milongas). I will definitely be looking up the nearest milongas during my stay as well as taking a trip to the south coast on the number 6 bus (if I remember correctly).

Dr Bunhead will be performing live in Dr Bunhead’s Blast Off, May 11-14, Drama Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, www.hkticketing.com.

My secret passion is Argentine tango and Hong Kong has excellent dancers.

expat-parent.com 61

life & style

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life & style

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Seafolly Girls One Piece $379, Escapade www.escapade.com.hk

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Sunny Life Inflatable Ring $345, Mirth, www.mirthhome.com

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Mary and Marie Cancun (blue), Copacabana (green) and Waikiki (pink) totes $799 (each) www.maryandmarieshop.com

Green People Organic Sun Care $240 (sun lotion), $180 (after sun) www.inspired-collection.com PLUS 10% discount exclusively for Expat Parent readers on both products - just type EXPAT10 at the checkout, free delivery within Hong Kong.

expat-parent.com 63

HEALTH & wellness

Health & wellness news Creative in the kitchen

Fitness fun

Nutritionist Ifat Kafry Hindes has launched Project Wellness, an initiative covering cooking classes and a series of walks.

Hindes, founder of Choice Healthy Foods, Hong Kong’s first gluten-free artisan bakery, has designed a series of classes covering quick and easy healthy food preparation.

“Regardless of how much cooking experience you have, you will be able to prepare healthy foods that taste good and without losing too much of your day,” she explains.

The classes aim to boost confidence in the kitchen using real, non-processed ingredients.

Currently aimed at adults, the Central and Sai Kung-based classes will shortly

Bookings have opened for this year’s second 5 Star Fitness Retreat on Koh Samui, Thailand. The three-day retreat will take place from November 24-27 at Chai Talay Estate, Koh Samui. The theme is Stress Management and Resilience and, following on from the March retreat, will explore work/life balance as well as balanced bodies and minds.

Extension days on November 23 and 27 are also available, with “warm up” classes focusing on goal setting, yoga and boxing foundation, trigger point and mindfulness on November 23.

The retreat includes more than 40 hours of pick ‘n’ mix activities, workshops, healthy high-protein food, five-star accommodation, free Wifi and airport transfers.

A mindfulness practitioner will be leading daily meditation and a stress management workshop.

Early bird prices are available until June 30, contact Bal Taylor at

Wellness cooking classes.

be including lessons for kids. Prices start at $380 per class with savings for block bookings.

Hindes has also curated a series of Wellness Walks which she will be leading around Hong Kong.

For more details about the Wellness Project, contact Hindes at hello@ifatkafryhindes.com.

Beat the heat Summer in Hong Kong can test even the most composed of women. But throw in pregnancy, a new baby, a body recovering from birth and breastfeeding - and summer heat just got a whole lot more uncomfortable.

Midwife Sofie Jacobs from Urban Hatch will be soothing Hong Kong’s mamas with practical advice for surviving a tropical summer while under the influence of a pregnant or postpartum body.

Totally useful topics include exercises to avoid swelling, staying hydrated, foods to include and avoid, keeping baby cool outside and how to approach pool use

Keeping your cool.

when pregnant, postpartum or with new babies in tow.

Surviving Summer takes place on May 17, 9.30-10.30am, Bumps to Babes, Horizon Plaza, Ap Lei Chau, RSVP 2552 5000, hq@bumpstobabes.com or tinyurl.com/lzlbdyq

Purple patch

Berries are best at M&S.

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Purple tea is the latest healthy offering from British grocers Marks & Spencer. The lilac infusions are believed to contain more antioxidants than its green cousins.

“Purple tea is an interesting new style tea,” said M&S tea expert Madeleine Lovett.

“We know that customers are keen to try more purple foods as they have heard lots about their potential health benefits, so we have combined two, purple tea and blueberry,

to create the new drink.”

Purple tea contains a flavonoid (antioxidant) called anthocyanin which gives the tea its distinctive purple leaves. Purple tea bushes were first grown in China and initially were reserved for making special pure tea “cakes” before seeds and bushes were planted in other countries. The purple bushes were developed to diversify the flavours, colours and benefits of different tea clones.

Purple Tea and Blueberry Infusion available from Marks & Spencer stores, $59 for 15 bags.

HEALTH & wellness

Mindful moments

Athleisure pops up Athleisure-wear specialist Caelum Greene will be “popping up” at the Landmark’s new “wellness area” on the third floor this month, with activewear, fashion, home goods and accessories. US fashion brand Becken and luxury activewear line Track & Bliss will be sold exclusively in Hong Kong from the new store.

The boutique will also be showcasing Caelum Greene’s first ever collaboration with Hong Kong-based activewear label Miss Runner - a collection of beach towels made with 100% organic cotton.

And if you choose not to use a store shopping bag for your purchase, Caelum Greene will donate $5 to the Re-dress charity.

10.30am-7.30pm, Caelum Greene, Shop 309A, 3/F, The Landmark, 15 Queens Road Central.

Matilda comes down to town Matilda International Hospital has opened The Matilda Clinic in Midlevels. Open Monday to Saturday, the primary care clinic will provide GP consultation, blood tests and vaccination services.

It is fully supported by the hospital’s network of specialists and inpatient facilities.

“There was a strong pull from our patients to extend our personalized care within the community and the clinic is part of a nem model of ‘family care services’ convenient to where they live,” said Linda Burgoyne, CEO of the Matilda International Hospital.

GP consultation fees are $380, with an opening offer of $320 until June 1.

The clinic is located at 116 Caine Road, Mid-levels, 2849 2216, www.matilda.org.

Nuts about coconuts

Creating healthy habits is one thing, sticking to them is quite another, says mindfulness expert Elena Maria Foucher.

I spend a lot of time creating healthy habits, but it’s less straight forward sticking to them in the long-term. Take exercise for example, I love running and will go six days a week for months on end… and then quit. It’s the same with mindfulness, I get de-railed by a work project and that’s that.

But I don’t give up, I return a week or a month later and reestablish my habit.

Why do I keep re-creating my habits? For the same reason we create any healthy habit - we feel better when we exercise, or meditate and so on. The issue is how to create, or keep re-creating, these habits for a lifetime.

First, be clear about the benefits of your habit. Does it make you feel more energetic? Calmer and clearer? Even if you’ve only done it once, you should have a feel for how your habit has helped you. Take notice of this and use it as motivation to keep doing it. Motivation is the biggest factor in establishing a habit, so make note of the benefits and keep them at the front of your mind.

Second, create specific, short-term goals, such as, “I’m going to meditate for the next seven nights”. Most of us work really well with goals that are achievable. If we say simply, “I’m going to meditate every night,” and we’ve got the rest of our lives to play with, there’s not a lot of incentive to start meditating that very evening. A clear and concrete goal is much more motivating.

Third, realise that creating a habit is a balance of pushing and kindness - pushing ourselves to meet our goals (“I missed yesterday, so I’m definitely meditating today”) and being kind because we know that sometimes life has other plans for our day, our week or even our month. Most of us are good at pushing, but not so great at being kind.

We beat ourselves up when we miss days, and eventually feel so bad we talk ourselves out of our habit. This kind of attitude is difficult to recover from. Think, “I can do this!” rather than “I haven’t meditated for a week, I’m really bad at this!”

Determination, patience and kindness go a long way and mean you will always return.

If you would like help creating a meditation habit, contact Elena@ElenaMariaFoucher.com or call 5441 7133.

Pucker up with the new Wonderbalms from eco-friendly organic lifestyle brand, Coconut Matter.

Great for summer make-up bags, the three balms include lipstick primer Clear Purest Protection, rich red Vivid Be The Icon and tropical pink Hope Is All. The balms contain nourishing fatty acids and antioxidants to keep lips luscious, plus shea and coconut butters to lock in moisture, and avocado oil for added sun protection and anti-aging properties.

The chic black packaging is 100% bio-degradable and Coconut Matter will be donating a percentage from every Hope Is All sale to the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Foundation to fund scans for young, under-privileged cancer sufferers as part of the company’s Time Matters, HOPE Saves Lives initiative.

The Wonderbalms are available from www.coconutmatter.com and www.hkahf.org.hk. expat-parent.com 65

HEALTH & wellness

Ask an expert

Q A

This month midwife Sofie Jacobs reveals what the experts would like you to know about birth plans.

Want to ask our panel of health experts a question?

If you have a query about pregnancy, babies or toddlers, email editorial@fastmedia.com.hk

66 expat-parent.com

I’ve put together a birth plan but how likely is it to be followed? I don’t want to come across all “special snowflake” but I would like the hospital to pay at least some attention to my requests. What does a reasonable birth plan look like? I’d like a relatively drug-free delivery - first-time mum, Hong Kong Island.

Midwife and birth expert, Sofie Jacobs.

B

eing a midwife for 20 years this type of question is one that often comes up in conversations with my clients. As an expectant mum, especially for the first time, it is perfectly reasonable to want to have some sort of “plan”. However, after spending countless hours with labouring women, in every different situation imaginable, the one thing I have come to realise is that most births don’t go according to “plan”.

Because of this I am not a fan of what would be a typical birth plan. Why? Because rigid birth plans almost always take an unexpected turn and as a result leave the expectant couple feeling like they’ve failed, the team has failed and the birth was not the special moment it should have been.

So do you go in blind? No, absolutely not. As I tell all my clients, a healthier approach would be to “prepare” for your birth. The only guarantee from a birth plan is giving birth, so the best approach is for a couple to work with their midwife or doctor on creating a strategy that helps them prepare for the experience they get rather than pushing for the experience they “dream” of.

For the couple who wishes to have a drug-free labour and birth, my strategy would be to include the following…

Mind/body connection - through various mindfulness techniques the expectant mum can learn to make the mind/body connection

The only guarantee from a birth plan is giving birth.

to prepare for the journey into motherhood.

Exercise - labour and delivery take a woman’s body into places and situations it’s never experienced before. It’s vital to build up your strength and resilience as early on as possible.

Nutrition - a healthy diet is essential both mentally and physically. Proper nutrition is the key to building strength and resilience.

The body will need all the support it can get to sustain mum’s strength before, during and after labour.

Support - having a network of friends/ family and professionals that support you in your choices and decisions surrounding your labour and birth is key. It’s your body, they’re your choices and having people around who don’t support this is detrimental on many levels. I always tell my clients to identify those in your life who make you feel good, are positive and have your best

HEALTH & wellness interests at heart. They are the people you want around you during this time.

If a drug-free labour and birth is your goal, I highly recommend if possible to hire a private midwife. She can help guide you through the process while keeping your “wishes” at the forefront of proceedings.

She can help you decide particulars such as where you will give birth - are you booking into a private of public hospital? You will also need to consider which doctor to choose if you’re going private.

You need to think about who would be most beneficial by your side during labour and birth, and it’s not always who you would expect.

She can also be by your side in the very early stages before you check into hospital and keep an eye on you and your baby’s wellbeing.

The peace of mind in having someone who is not only medically trained but fully knows you and your wishes is priceless.

At the moments when you think you can’t do it anymore, or you start to doubt your choices, she can coach you through the whole process - as well as letting you know

if you need to “divert” from your original birth strategy.

So while I don’t agree with birth plans, I do promote birth preparation. It’s great to have an idea of how you would like things to progress, but as we all know, the best laid

plans don’t always pan out. Give yourself a break and focus on controlling what you can control and let nature take its course. I would say this is the most natural approach to labour and delivery that you can get. www.urban-hatch.com

Give yourself a break and let nature take its course.

expat-parent.com 67

food

Pinkies out

Tea and company for a relaxed afternoon at the Shangri-La.

Treat mum this Mother’s Day. Rachel Read & Kate Farr tuck into some of the most delicious afternoon teas in Hong Kong.

Contemporary classic If your high tea must-haves include a classic tiered cake stand, gently warmed scones and delicate china teacups, then the Island Shangri-La is just the place to live out those “ladies-who-lunch” fantasies… if only for a few hours!

Served daily within both the plush surrounds of the Lobby Lounge and the refined Island Gourmet restaurant, ShangriLa’s signature afternoon tea is all about classics with a twist. Classic prawn, chicken and smoked salmon sandwiches are reinvented as bite-sized bagels and roulades, or come served on freshly-baked sundried 68 expat-parent.com

tomato bread, while sweets include a delicate sphere of caramel cheesecake, a light-asair lamington and a rich chocolate mousse gateau. This is a classic afternoon tea, elevated.

When: Available weekdays between 3-6pm, and weekends and public holidays between 2-6pm How much: $308 for one and $528 for two (plus 10% service charge) 6/F Lobby Lounge and 5/F Island Gourmet, Island Shangri-La, Admiralty, Hong Kong; 2877 3838 shangri-la.com/hongkong/islandshangrila

food A tea for all seasons Afternoon tea at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong is a perpetual pleasure – and thanks to dessert demi-god Pastry Chef Ringo Chan’s ever-changing collection of sweet treats, there’s always something new to enjoy.

In addition to textbook-perfect scones (served with lashings of cream, of course), current teatime delights to take your fancy include a rhubarb compote and mulled berries cream shooter, pistachio éclair with smoked salmon, beetroot and apple, and an Earl Grey chocolate almond biscuit with fresh fig.

Make sure you grab a serving of the dessert pass-around, a larger complimentary seasonal cake that changes daily – like divine baked

croissant pudding or “sbrisolona” Italian almond crumble cake. On Mother’s Day itself (14 May), all mums in the house will receive a complimentary gift courtesy of Tory Burch – even more reason to schedule a date with Chef Ringo’s desserts!

When: Available daily 3-5.30pm How much: Weekdays $275 for one or $525 for two, weekends and public holidays $295 for one or $570 for two (plus 10% service charge) The Lounge, Lobby Level, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central; 3196 8820 www.fourseasons.com/hongkong

Sakura sensation The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong’s Sakura Afternoon Tea brings a taste of Tokyo to Kowloon – with breathtaking views over the harbour to sweeten the deal even further.

Guest Pastry Chef Hideaki Tanaka of The Ritz Carlton Tokyo has crafted a series of creative cherry blossom-themed confections, with both savouries and sweets getting the sakura treatment. Kick things off with a sakura shrimp cocktail sandwich and sakura-marinated radish roll with Zuwai crab and caviar, before satisfying your sweet tooth with decadent delights like green tea sakura strawberry cake, soy milk panna cotta with sakura jelly, and sakura, strawberry and red

bean mousse. Not enough sakura for you?

There’s even a special sakura tea available too… talk about a tea set in full bloom!

When: Available daily 3.30-5.30pm until 14 May 2017 How much: Weekdays $378 for one or $638 for two, weekends and public holidays $398 for one and $658 for two (plus 10% service charge) Café 103, Level 103, The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon; 2263 2270 www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/china/ hong-kong

expat-parent.com 69

food I should coco Something of a hidden gem, COCO at The Mira Hong Kong is an ideal spot for a Kowloon-side tea minus the usual tourist hoards, with not one but two new tea sets to tickle your tastebuds.

As the name suggests, the Mum and I afternoon tea is designed as a tasteful “thank you” to the hardest-working woman in any family. Featuring specially designed pastries such as chocolate macarons, orange-scented choux and French lemon and begamot tart, the tea will be served in the chic surrounds of WHISK over Mother’s Day weekend (13-14 May), adding an extra sense of occasion to the big day. Meanwhile, COCO’s French Fashion tea is equal parts stylish and scrumptious, with exciting colour and flavour pops from unexpected additions like beetroot scones, pistachio and smoked salmon macarons, and Bayonne ham with figs on spinach bread. If you crave a touch of sophistication with your tea, this set is dressed to impress.

When: Both the “Mum and I” and “French Fashion” afternoon teas are available daily between 3-6pm, from now until 30 June 2017

How much: $428 for two (plus 10% service charge) COCO G/F Lobby & WHISK 5/F, Mira Hong Kong, 118 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; 2315 5666 themirahotel.com

Blooming marvellous The Langham Hong Kong has done it again.

Already renowned for their pretty-as-a-picture tea sets along with the refined ambience and muted string instruments of lobby lounge Palm Court, their new Blooming Afternoon Tea is almost too pretty to eat.

Executive Pastry Chef Matthieu Godard has given his creativity full rein when it comes to the new set’s design, with deliciously fresh and floral creations that include an edible tomato patch filled with, amongst others, green pea hummus with sesame paste; a bite-sized chocolate flower pot containing Gianduja cream and viola flowers, and a fruity marigold-hued dome of yuzu mousse, apricot jam and lemon biscuit.

Take your camera – this tea set demands to be snapped for posterity!

When: Available weekdays between 3-5.30pm, with two sittings during weekends

and public holidays at 2.15-4.15pm and 4.30-6.30pm; from now until 31 May 2017 How much: $348 for one and $598 for two (plus 10% service charge)

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Palm Court, G/F, The Langham Hong Kong, 8 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; 2132 7898 langhamhotels.com/en/thelangham/hong-kong

food I’ve started so I’ll Finnish For something Nordic and nice, heads to FINDS – the city’s only Scandinavian restaurant, tucked away in The Luxe Manor hotel – for a chic retreat from Hong Kong’s hustle.

Their new Finland 100 Afternoon Tea Set celebrates Finland’s centenary of independence, with an array of scrumptious Scandi bites served on ridiculously cute crockery from Finnish brand Iittala. Ideally suited to those looking for something different to the usual scones and sandwiches, their teatime treats include smoked trout roe toast, lingonberry tart, cinnamon custard bun, and baked Lapland cheese with cloudberry and caramel. For something even more special, book a girlie gathering in their Nordic Summer private room – a floral fantasy that feels like your very own garden party… but with air-con included!

When: Available weekdays 3-5.30pm, weekends and public holidays 3.30-5.30pm How much: $356 for two; private room $350 per person, with a minimum number of 6 people required for booking (plus 10% service charge)

FINDS, 1/F, The Luxe Manor, 39 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; 2522 9318 finds.com.hk

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big day out

New sports academy for Hong Kong Hong Kong has welcomed a brand new luxury sports academy - and it’s in the leafy environs of Sai Kung.

Carolynne Dear finds out if it’s worth the trip north.

I

t’s been a long time coming and has certainly not been without its detractors.

The Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy is now nearing completion and is looking to an official full launch this summer.

Currently in a “soft” opening phase, it seems to be winning around an initially sceptical local community.

Construction work began a few years ago on the tranquil slopes of Sai Kung’s green and pleasant countryside. Suddenly, and seemingly overnight, there were huge metal pylons towering out from between the villages of Wu Lei Tau, Tai Chung Hau and Pak Kong. One minute the area was home to a couple of garden centres, some sleepy village dogs and a trickle of low rise village housing, the next it looked as if the neighbourhood was set to become the next Shenzhen.

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What was going on? There were “market research” evenings laid on with the local community, PR companies were brought on board, but the cynicism was palpable.

A country club in Sai Kung? What about the traffic? The noise? The cost? This is a low-key, close-knit community, a world away from the shiny “bubble” of Hong Kong Island.

It seemed the developers may have picked the wrong spot for their posh country club.

And so it was with great interest last month that I turned off of Hiram’s Highway, Sai Kung’s main artery, and onto the little village road that leads to this shiny new interloper. I arrived determined to remain ambivalent about the whole excursion, but to be honest you would be hard pushed not to be impressed. The sweeping driveway leads up to a set of pretty terracotta-roofed buildings. There are golf buggies and water

Top tuition tips at The Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy.

features aplenty and smartly uniformed staff usher me to a parking spot and then into the main lobby.

As I am swept along on my tour, it becomes apparent that no expense has been spared with the fit-out. The interiors are good looking in a plush, gleaming, country club kind of way and to be honest more than rival any Island-based venue.

But this is a sports “academy”, not a “club”, and its big sell is its high performance tennis and golf training programmes. It boasts both coaching and teaching aids unique to Hong Kong in both disciplines, and this is where the trip to the New Territories becomes worth the extra grunt.

Its Bruguera tennis programme was initially developed by one of the master’s of the game, Spaniard Lluis Bruguera in the 1980s. Son Sergi was taught under the

big day out Burguera method and went on to win several Grand Slam titles with a top ranking of third in the world during his heyday. The Bruguera Tennis Academy here in Sai Kung is the first time the institution has travelled outside of Spain and the facility is actively managed by the Burguera family, as well as by on-site professional coach, Bastien Liverious. The Academy is partnering with the Bruguera Tennis Academy in Barcelona this summer to offer parents and children the opportunity to train in Spain.

The array of indoor and outdoor courts, plus the only junior-size courts in Hong Kong and a special “Padel” tennis court, is impressive. I’m no pro tennis player, but I recognise great facilities when I see them. I leave considering dusting off my racket.

The tennis has been paired with the Jack Nicklaus Academy of Golf, offering a signature instruction programme from another sporting great - for golf illiterates, American-born Nicklaus is widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time.

Outside, it became clear that the much-maligned metal pylons are actually a support structure holding up the giant nets surrounding an impressive six-hole golf training course.

The Academy of Golf also boasts three Jack Nicklaus coaching studios which are powered by Nicklaus Academy video analysis software, including multiple high-speed video cameras, a pressure/ balance plate, a ball launch monitor and a live video feed for students to review their performance. If you’re looking to work on your game, this is the place to do it. There are practice putting greens and bunker, a VIP training area and 75 hitting stations with automatic ball feed on three levels - as well as the six-hole training course. At night, the whole facility is flood-lit. Throughout the summer, the contagiously enthusiastic golf director Billy Martin is laying on Friday-night games, followed by a social barbecue, to introduce members to the six-hole concept.

There are year-round coaching programmes a-plenty for both adults and children in both sports and the Academy is also working to pair with local and international schools to share its top-notch facilities.

Perfect your swing at the Jack Nicklaus Academy of Golf.

High level sporting and leisure facilities are the name of the game.

It’s the right thing to do - in space-poor Hong Kong even the plushest international schools often have no spare square footage for tennis courts - and certainly not for golfing facilities.

The club also boasts a Kids Academy, which includes an enormous, gleaming indoor play-structure with helter skelter slides, tube slides and climbing nets. There is a separate toddler area for younger children and a cafe. There are also indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a games room and activity room and all are overseen by experienced staff, freeing parents up to go and work on their golf and tennis skills, or just relax with a coffee. A busy summer programme of fun activities for littlies is currently being put together.

As the tour continued on to the sumptuous three-

level Balinese spa, the dining room, the coffee shop, the resort pool, the dim sum restaurant, the vegan restaurant, the indoor pool, the Moroccan courtyard… I began to feel I was inhabiting a parallel universe. I was in Sai Kung, but was I really in Sai Kung? I was in a bubble, but it was a beautiful bubble and to be honest, I didn’t want to leave. In the coffee shop I bumped into an industry colleague enjoying a post-gym latte.

“I know!” she laughed. “Believe me, my house overlooks all of this. When those metal pylons went up I was distraught. Bang goes my view, I thought. And then I had a tour at the end of last year and was blown away. I couldn’t not join.”

If you’re going to play tennis or golf, it seems this is the place to do it.

I guess as the saying goes, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. I’m researching the two-year membership package right now.

The Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy, 81 Tai Chung Hau, Pak Kong, Sai Kung, www.hkgta.com. expat-parent.com 73

travel

A walk on the wildside Children’s travel writer Isabelle Demenge and family went back to basics in Mongolia.

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travel

The eagle festival in Western Mongolia.

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travel

The family enjoying a camel ride.

M

ongolia has been on my bucket list since I was a teenager. I had this fantasy of tearing across the country on horseback, which is why I have waited until now when my sons are a bit older (they are aged from nine to 15 years). None of them can ride, but I figured at the age they’re now at they could work it out. The Mongolians have a special way of teaching you to ride - within a few days you’ve mastered the basics. By the end of our three-week holiday, they were galloping around like natives.

We flew out in October, which is a bit outside the optimum summer travel period of June to September, but that was the only time we could manage after factoring in school holidays and other events last year.

It exceeded all my expectations, it was absolutely spectacular. Yes, it was cold and it did snow while they were there, to the extent that at one point we were snowed in and had to change our itinerary. But while we woke up one morning to frozen rivers and snow, a couple of days later it was beautiful and sunny.

We stayed in ger camps (typical Mongolian homes, or tents) as part of a homestay programme booked through UK-based Mongolian travel specialists (www.panoramicjourneys.com). The company called me initially because they’d seen my Leap & Hop travel books and thought I should do something on Mongolia, which was a neat

meeting of minds given I was desperate to visit the country.

They wanted to show me as much as possible so they really planned in the most spectacular sites. We flew initially to the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and from there to Ulgi in the west, where we spent three-days at the eagle festival. This was beyond spectacular, I just can’t explain it. Out here it’s a more kazakdominant culture and the majority religion is

There was no messing around with pyjamas at night - the kids woke up fully dressed and ready to go.

hunters, which makes it so much more special.

The travel agency is run by a couple who are passionate about Mongolia and who have developed a deep relationship with the people there over the last fifteen years. The homestays are with people they know and they are very passionate about sustainability and supporting local communities.

The only hotels are in the capital. This isn’t a posh trip, it’s a pretty back-to-basics existence - we’re talking no showers for days at a time, no electricity, buckets of freezing water for washing in - but the kids absolutely loved it. There was no messing around with

muslim. They have their own music, poetry, literature and so on.

We spent two days at the eagle festival and then a day with an eagle hunter in his ger and three generations of his family. He showed us the eagles, and the boys spent hours playing traditional dice games using sheep bones with the grandchildren. Then they went out on horses to help herd the goats in for the night. It was incredible. I also had all my eagle hunting information for the book vetted by the Archery was a popular activity with the boys.

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travel

Buddhism is a dominant religion.

pyjamas and getting washed at night - they woke up fully dressed and ready to go, which they thought was brilliant.

Culturally it’s very different and so the agency has set up “company gers” in the settlements which means you don’t have to actually sleep in the same tent as the host family, which for us was better. Of course we spent a lot of time with the family learning about their culture and helping them cook the evening meal and son on, but we had our own place to go to at night with standards that were slightly more comfortable than a standard ger.

It was rough but pleasant.

For the kids the whole trip was so free. It’s hard to imagine a country that is this open. By the end of the trip the boys were galloping around on the horses totally different from my own horse riding experiences growing up in France - no bridle ways, just the freedom of huge open spaces. Of course the Mongolians don’t wear helmets, but the travel agency again made sure we had the gear that we needed.

We also travelled around with an archery set in the car and again it was so free, if we had some spare time we just pulled it out of the car, the guide set up a target and off we went.

One day we tracked a wolf on horseback and because it had snowed we were able to follow its footprints.

The agency tailored the trip very specifically to suit our needs, particularly in terms of diet. The Mongolian diet is pretty basic - they’re a nomadic people so it’s heavily meat and dairy-based. Curd, mutton and goat dominate and there’s not a lot in the way of vegetables. There is some beef, but the meat is butchered daily according to their

Holding an eagle at the Eagle Festival

The family stayed in traditional gers.

Helping prepare a meal.

needs and a cow is so big they don’t often have the demand for that amount of meat. And of course there’s no system for refrigerating or storing meat. I brought some vitamin powders although I didn’t use them. There were some potatoes, a few carrots. But really the travel agency provided the extra foodstuffs that we needed to make the trip more comfortable for us - cans of fruits and vegetables, fresh apples, chocolate, cookies. They had asked us a lot of questions in advance. Unbelievably, they have even managed to cater for the kosher diet of a Jewish family in the past, even down to separate cutlery and bowls to accommodate meat and dairy requirements.

They can also cater for vegetarians.

We were also provided with a guide and an experienced driver. It would be impossible to navigate the country otherwise. There is a handful of main roads criss-crossing the terrain, but to reach the villages you obviously need to leave these arteries and make your way cross country - it’s not off-roading, there are just no roads! For hours you just drive, crossing really quite deep rivers, breaking

the ice as you go, and somehow the guides manage to navigate their way.

Our driver was a Mongolian who had studied at Cambridge, so his English was first class. And he was also an anthropology PHD student - he has been a massive help with the book, I’m in contact with him almost every other day at the moment. He went through my text and drawings with a fine tooth-comb, offering advice and corrections. He made me re-write the whole history section because he said it was too Chinese-biased, of course it’s all very sensitive.

I would highly recommend Mongolia, it’s unlike anything you will have experienced before. We were in great hands and felt totally safe the whole time. I can’t wait for my next trip there. And the book is out later this month, so I’m hoping kids all over Hong Kong will be able to get the most out of this amazing place.

Demenge’s Leap & Hop guide to Mongolia is published later this month, www.leapandhop.com

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marketplace

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

marketplace

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

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flailing spouse

The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men In for a dunking with spring junking, discovers our mum.

S

o we’ve received our first junk invitation for the year. Following years of experience with Hong Kong’s weather at this time of year, I am loathe to accept “spring” junk invitations, but it’s a special occasion (good friends are moving to London) so hey, how bad can it be?

And I must say I’m looking forward to kicking back with a seabreeze or two after what has been a frustrating week. I missed a longanticipated lunch with friends when the Teen Child slipped during a netball match, requiring a long and boring wait at Adventist hospital to be told it was a “twist” (not even a sprain). And then plans for a fun birthday dinner dissolved when the Blonde Child went down with gastro mid-week (my husband “heroically” holding the fort for me in Soho’s latest eatery while I sat holding a bucket and a bottle of Dettol on my daughter’s bed).

Unfortunately but as predicted, the weather is not boding well - thick fog, mould-inducing humidity and lashings of rain. But according to the Observatory website, there’s going to be a gap in the rain come Saturday, and we will be basking (sort of) in cloudy-ish/sunny-ish conditions and around 25 degrees. It’s also going to be windy, there’s a “six” indicated on the offshore wind bit of the website, but I’m not entirely sure about my wind speeds so I’m guessing if it’s not a full-blown typhoon, it will probably be fine.

Oh, how wrong can one be. I open the bedroom curtains on Saturday morning to a palm tree bent over double and most of our garden furniture in the pool. “It’s a bit windy, mum,” offers the Boy Child helpfully, as he heroically tries to drag the garden chairs from the murky depths.

I pack extra hoodies into the beach bag.

When we reach the pier at 10.30am the waves are white-capped and the yachts are rocking precariously rather than bobbing prettily in the marina. But the junk has been booked and paid for and we’re laughing and pretending a few waves will make the trip “so much more fun” (ho! ho!). Thankfully we’re leaving from Sai Kung so at least won’t have to negotiate hulking great container ships as well.

The seabreezes and snacks are a welcome distraction as we try not to notice the horizon

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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.

completely disappearing from view as the junk plunges its way over to Millionaires Beach.

“Ha ha!” we chortle nervously, as all the plates swoosh off the table while we disappear into a particularly deep trough.

The kids have been banned from the roof and are getting stuck into the snacks downstairs usually reserved for the adults. And possibly the seabreezes too. But the adults are too busy desperately clinging onto the railings and trying to laugh everything off to notice.

Eventually we reach our destination and the captain manages to manoeuvre the vessel into a relatively protected position.

Normally as still as a lake, the bay resembles a churning washing machine and the beach is looking more Manly than Millionaires. I am expecting to see Kelly Slater appear from the surf at any moment.

The kids however think it all looks marvellous and jump straight in. They paddle/ body surf their way into the beach and then decide to improvise the assorted blow up animals as surf boards.

Anyway, it all looks like good fun and we’re just cracking open a second bottle of champagne (hooray! Finally!) when disaster strikes. The Tween Child is unceremoniously flung by a rogue wave from her silver flamingo onto the sand, her body crashing down onto an alarmingly angled arm. There are screams and then every male adult plunges into the churning depths and she is paddled back to the boat on a li-lo. She’s crying and one of the other mums who also happens to be a nurse - is shaking her head. “It looks like a break!” she mouths at me.

Oh god. Brilliant. Now what? I speed-dial my Sai Kung speedboat contact and she assures me she will be there in 30 minutes and for $500 can whizz my daughter back to port.

Naturally the discussion with my husband about who should leave the junk isn’t even raised - based on the previous week’s childcare expectations, I quietly gather my belongings, gazing longingly at the second, as yet untouched bottle of champagne.

Oh well, I think, sometimes things are just not meant to be. A couple of hours later, electric blue plaster cast firmly in place, we flag down a taxi in Tseung Kwan O hospital forecourt and wearily make our way home. And a bit later still the front door flies open and my sea-faring family is returned.

They are sopping wet, wind-swept and green. “They vomited!” exclaims my husband.

“Every single one of them!” Apparently the journey home through broiling seas had seen off practically every child on the boat. Unfortunately one had also got locked in the bathroom so the rest had had to use the side of the boat for stomach-emptying purposes.

My husband takes in the scene at home the plaster-casted tween lying comfily on the couch, the scented candles, the chocolate digestives, Netflix on the telly. “It’s alright for some,” he snorts. “Talk about copping the short straw.”

Touche, I think, curling up with my tea. Next year, no more spring junks. Or hospital visits, I pray hopefully.

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