[INTERVIEW] A New Family's Take on Beijing [采访] 初到北京的新家庭

With the beginning of the second semester at YCIS Beijing, we've welcomed a number of newly arrived expat families into the fold. For new families arriving in the dead of Beijing's winter, it can be a daunting transition. We sat down with one of our new parents, Emma O'Brien, to learn more about her initial impressions of YCIS Beijing and the city itself.

新学期伊始，北京耀中国际学校迎来了一批刚到北京新的外籍家庭。在寒冷的冬天到达北京，对于新的家庭俩说可能会经历一个艰巨的过渡期。接下来，我们将采访其中一个新的家长，Emma O’Brien，看看她对北京和学校的第一印象。

Please introduce yourself.

请介绍一下您自己。

My name is Emma O'Brien. I'm from Australia and my husband is from New Zealand. We have two kids at YCIS Beijing: Olive, who is in Year 3 in Mr. Sweeney and Hu Laoshi's class, and August, who is in K4 with Ms. Tilley and Ren Laoshi.

我是Emma O'Brien，来自澳大利亚，我的丈夫来自新西兰。我们有两个孩子在耀中就读：Olive在三年级Sweeney老师的班，August在四岁Tilley老师和任老师教的班。

How is your family adapting to the Beijing pollution?

您的家庭如何适应北京的空气污染？

We were actually prepared for the smog. We knew we were moving here at the worst possible time, so we mentally braced for it.

其实我们对雾霾早已了解并做好了准备。我们也知道我们在污染最严重的时候到达北京。所以，在思想认识上是准备好了。

Thankfully, we have a lot of support from the embassy (where David works). They provide us with air filters and we've had our windows taped. The confinement is probably the biggest challenge for young children. The kids have adapted to wearing their masks just fine; we do our best to role model it while also making sure they're aware of the health hazards if they don't wear the masks. 

幸运的是，我们得到了来自使馆的许多帮助。他们为我们准备了空气净化器，然后我们把家里的窗户封密。对小孩的最大挑战可能就是在污染期间不能外出。孩子们也开始适应去佩戴口罩，我们也尽力为他们做出榜样，同时也让他们知道不佩戴口罩会带来的健康隐患。

At the same time, it's important not to become too paranoid; we've recently bought a Laser Egg which is a great tool to keep track of pollution levels inside, but I try not to fixate on the levels on it too much! It's ultimately just one unique challenge of living here and an additional aspect of life that you have to be mindful of.

重要的是要你要确保自己能抑制的反应，而不是反应过于偏执。最近，我们买了一个镭豆去检测室内的空气污染指数，但有时候高的污染指数也会让我们崩溃。无论怎样，这是在北京生活的独特挑战，同时也是得让你多加注意的生活的另一面。

Please list at least two reasons why you chose YCIS Beijing for your children.

请您列举为孩子选择北京耀中国际学校就读的两个原因。

The bilingual curriculum and the central location were the two main reasons. The positive word-o- mouth was essential too. For my younger child in ECE, the questions I asked focused on free play and how much of the kids' day was scheduled with teacher-led activities. It's very important to me as a parent that the kids have freedom to do things on their own and to act independently and with confidence when it comes to their own learning.

双语的课程以及学校位于市中心是最主要的两个原因。良好的口碑也很重要。我年幼的孩子需要读幼儿园，所以我重点考虑一个能给孩子自由玩耍并能把握好孩子生活节奏的课程。作为家长，对我来说，很重要的一点是孩子能自由地去做自己的事情，能精力充沛地学习。

To learn more about Emma and her family, please click Read more below. 如想更多地了解Emma和她家庭的经历和想法，请点击“阅读原文”。

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