Why Does Wacky ER Doc Howard Bernstein Have a Needle in His Bag?

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Beijing’s an urban jungle, and in any jungle, we need tools to survive and thrive. As urban jungle dwellers, we’ve managed to blend practicality with style, resulting in the modern bag. Here, form meets function, and what looks stylish and fashionable on the outside contains all our essential survival tools on the inside. Inspired by this, we ask expats each week, “What’s in your bag?” and get insights into which essentials they keep on hand when out and about in the capital city.

I first came to Beijing with my daughter in 2013. She went to Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) and Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) and I went to work in the emergency room at Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU). My three-year plan turned into nine and counting.

What Beijing has to offer is really unique in the world. Everyone here has an interesting story and with two clicks on Weixin [WeChat], you can get almost any information you need. The food, culture, and general vibe is amazing as well.

I’ve found a wonderful combination of rewarding work, great friends (and exercise) in the rock climbing community, and support and spirituality in the Jewish community.

My mantra is “The key to surviving in Beijing is getting out of Beijing.” I go climbing almost every weekend that I can. The focus required to climb really clears my mind, it’s a sort of moving meditation. Spending all day in nature laughing and hanging with friends (when we aren’t scaring ourselves on the rock) is the best feeling in the world. I would never have made it this long here without it.

I love my bag because it’s handmade by a friend who lives in Kunming and makes all sorts [of]things from natural products. It’s exactly the size to hold what I need to hang out in coffee shops in my hutong neighborhood. No wasted space. I’m not a stylish person in general but I feel like I’ve nailed the hutong hipster look with this bag.

1. It’s a necessity to carry a little packet of tissues everywhere. This is one of the habits I first noticed when I arrived in China that I thought was odd but now it’s second nature.

2. This is an 18-gauge needle. Everyone should have one in the bottom of their bag. Good for removing splinters, teasing apart tangled chains, scraping goo off the keyboard, or just in case someone has a tension pneumothorax in front of you. You never know. It’s the ideal needle that cannot be improved upon.

3. An unsent postcard to my daughter back in the States. I’ll send it eventually but it reminds me of her and her love of horses and China. I miss her a lot of course. COVID-19 has made everything difficult, she wanted to be here but can’t.

4: Noise-canceling headphones. I bought a fairly expensive pair but they’ve lasted for a long time and I will use them until they die, which is what we should do with all our electronics. I’ve gotten into listening to podcasts which helps to tune out my surroundings when Beijing just gets to be too much.

5. A nice pen with my name on it that was a present from the hospital. Because it’s personalized I pay closer attention to not losing it. I still like to keep lists on paper. I haven’t found an app that has the proper visual for organizing my thoughts like paper does.

Images: Courtesy of Howard Bernstein

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