Anna Zhu Navigates Motherhood With Friends, Coffee & Hot Cheetos

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Our expat community thrives on connection, and here at Jingkids, we’re all about our readers, and what they need and want in order to maximize their time here in Beijing. Every Monday, we’re going to feature a prominent member of our expat community and get to know them a little bit better.

Originally from California, Anna Zhu has been living in Beijing since 2012. She is currently an art educator at Daystar Academy, where she gets to share her love of art with her wonderful high school students. Anna and her husband Kevin welcomed a baby girl in May, and since then Anna has been navigating the ups and downs of parenthood while consistently postponing her plans to get a haircut.

Being a new mom is stressful in general, but being a new mom during the pandemic is on a whole ‘nother level. What do you do to stay positive?

I try to find small moments in every day to do something I love. These days my activities usually consist of something I can do very quickly, like writing a five-minute journal entry while the baby naps, catching up on podcasts during 3am feedings, or, whenever I can get my hands on some, eating Flaming Hot Cheetos dipped in ranch sauce. I’m also fortunate to have an incredible support system of family, friends, and colleagues who have all been a great source of love and positivity. Having a baby during lockdown can be isolating. The funny memes, quick check-ins, and video calls from friends and family have been so well received and make me feel connected to everyone.

In the middle of all this stress, what do you do to keep the bond strong between you and your partner right now?

It’s no surprise that our wonderful new baby has taken center stage, but my partner Kevin and I try to be mindful about making time for one another, too. Parenthood has been a wild ride, and actions like squeezing in a hug or doing small, thoughtful things for each other have been helping us to slow down and enjoy the process. For example, Kevin is a huge fan of hard-boiled eggs, so I’ll throw a couple on the stove while I do my morning routine. Similarly, I’m loving these peach ice cream bars from 7-11, and whenever Kev goes out for a Covid test he’ll bring one back for me. We’re all about “low effort, high reward” at the moment! Since our daughter was born, Kevin and I have also been keeping a memory journal, where we take turns recording a daily highlight each evening. When things get hectic and we don’t get to check in with one another, it’s fun to look through the pages and see what Kev chose to remember from the day.

What’s your motivation to get moving?

Coffee!! Always coffee! My friend Connie recently introduced me to these Japanese flash brew coffee pods that you pour right over ice water (or milk, or cake, or ice cream, or directly into your mouth – they’re versatile). Not only are they wildly delicious, but they are also very useful in tricking my body into thinking I’m well-rested and ready for another day.

What’s the best thing about being a new parent in Beijing?

The convenience of it all! It helps to know some Mandarin of course, but from kuaidi and Shansong to our amazing yuesao (postpartum ayi), Kev and I joke that we get to experience “parenting lite” here in Beijing. Despite the threat of lockdowns and changing regulations, friends and colleagues have been able to arrange food and supplies to be delivered to us, sometimes within the hour! It was invaluable to have our experienced yuesao stay with us for a month. She taught us everything from giving the baby a bath to getting her on a good schedule.

In addition to being a new mom, you are also an educator. What are you most hopeful about for the next school year?

It never ceases to amaze me how bright, perceptive, and resilient children can be; that’s certainly one of the reasons my heart remains strongly in education. Talking with students offers the daily possibility of new perspectives, and as a middle/high school teacher, there’s no shortage of laughter either. So much of my work as an art teacher lies in tactile learning. It is an indescribable joy to sit with a student as they describe their ideas and to watch those ideas unfold through their artwork. It’s simply hard to replicate that type of connection online. Next year, my fingers are crossed for a safe and consistent year of in-person learning.

What message do you have for other new moms and your fellow educators during this time?

I’ve been receiving a lot of good advice lately and I want to share one that has become a mantra for this period of my life. It was shared with me by my friend Jennifer, who received it from her sister-in-law. And although it’s meant to be parenting advice, I think it can apply to multiple aspects of life. She told me: “Everything is micro changes. The good, the bad, all of it. So at the moment, it may feel like forever, but it’s not. This helps me get through the bad and appreciate the fragility of the good.”

In the current climate, it can sometimes feel as if we’re just treading water in a sea of seemingly endless unknowns. It’s taxing and disheartening, but there’s peace in knowing that change and uncertainty are natural parts of life. In the grand scheme of things, the bad times will be but a blip and there’s always a silver lining to be found if we choose to look for it.

Images: Anna Zhu

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