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Nadia1
Newbie
Joined: Aug 31, 2004
Posts: 7
Status: Offline
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Aug 31, 2004 - 02:46 AM |
 
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| Post subject: Coming to Shanghai with teenagers. Help! |
Hi - I will be coming to Shanghai from England next summer to join my husband who has been living and working in China for the past two years. I have two very independant teenagers (boy -15, girl -13) who will be really upset if they cant get back into a healthy social life pretty quickly! I have had one visit to Shanghai earlier this year and thought that the Rego school looked ok -would appreciate some inside knowledge and advice on schools for older children.
My son is an excellent rugby player (county level) and all round sports fanatic and my daughter can shop for Britain and get the gold medal! I am a keen scuba diver, hiker and skier but will happily do anything to get integrated into Shanghai life -all ideas and advice most welcome!!
Thanks
Nadia  |
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heyhunts
Barker
Joined: May 03, 2004
Posts: 178
Status: Offline
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Aug 31, 2004 - 07:43 AM |
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rego is supposed to be quite new, and follows a british system. i hear that it's quite far out in a developing area, so your kids' traveling times to/from school will be longer.
consider living around the gubei/hongqiao area. it's lively with lots of expats, and will probably be best for the kids - easier to go around to friends'. lots of convenience for the western community, not to mention closer to school than, say, the french concession.
your son should have no probelms continuing with his sports. there is at least one well-run rugby club. your daughter will definitely enjoy all the cheap markets for clothes and shoes and bags and dvds! and the prices won't hurt your pocketbook too much either....
i'm a hiker too, but with this city's landscape (and the bad air), i've hung up my boots. there are lots of other interesting things to do tho, and plenty of expat associations you can be part of to make friends. check out the community pages on that's shanghai. also check out the shanghai expat association and brits abroad.
with your positive energy, you will enjoy the new experience. (just don't expect pretty landscapes!) |
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cupcake
Lurker
Joined: July 07, 2003
Posts: 35
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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Aug 31, 2004 - 08:11 AM |
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Hi Nadia,
In addition to Gubei and Hongqiao expat areas, Pudong is also coming up for expat families. It's not quite as developed as HQ yet, but with a car and driver, and with transport being so cheap and plentiful, it's a good alternative to HQ. The air is much cleaner, traffic is much less hectic, and there are a lot of sporting activities for kids and adults that are centered in Pudong. My husband and I specifically chose Pudong because we are both runners and Pudong just happens to have Century Park, which is the largest park in the city. (I notice that it's also becoming the rollerblading ghetto of Shanghai as well) Actually we do hanker for Puxi for the social aspect sometimes, but cannot give up Pudong for its 'nature' (ok, transplanted nature at best). And when we want a bit of Puxi, we jump onto the Metro or in a taxi and are there in 20 mins.
Also, Rego is just one British school in Shanghai. There is also the British Intl School and Dulwich, both of which are in Pudong. All of these schools are pretty new, and are busy getting themselves established. My advice is whichever neighborhood you choose, make sure the school is somewhat nearby (i.e., on the same side of the river as your home). Expat kids' commutes are often an hour each way, or more, to school, because they live and study on opposite sides of the city. As a former international school teacher, I always felt bad for these poor kids that had to get on a bus at 6:30 am and didn't return home until 5 or 6 at night.
As far as recreation for you, establishing a relationship with a good travel agent will serve you well when you want to make those scuba or hiking escapes. That said, there are getaways for hiking that are within a day's train travel from Shanghai. (I have yet to get to these myelf, but this is what I am told).
Cheers! |
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Nadia1
Newbie
Joined: Aug 31, 2004
Posts: 7
Status: Offline
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Sep 01, 2004 - 05:02 AM |
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Thanks for the advice so far- this is really helpful. We will all be coming out for a recon visit in October so will take all of your suggestions into account when we make our decisions about school and where to live. The 'catch a train to go hiking' option sounds good and I have certainly checked out the map of SE Asia to identify some good diving destinations! However, as you can imagine, my priority is getting the kids settled as quickly as possible. CupCake- you say that you were an Intl school teacher - how was your experience (in general) of kids settling into a new culture? Mine are adaptable and up for a challenge -but I guess i do worry about them re-establishing their social network. The sports facilties in Pudong sound good and we will check all of these out in October. If anyone else out there in Shanghai has any other bits of advice for me - I'll be very grateful!!
Best wishes
Nadia |
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cupcake
Lurker
Joined: July 07, 2003
Posts: 35
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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Sep 01, 2004 - 08:10 AM |
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Hi Nadia,
My most recent school was a very small one, and so the kids were generally extra inclusive and supportive of each other. They formed a tight knit group, and overall I thought that in that environment, the kids did really well. The kids that had the hardest time, in my opinion, were the ones whose parents were either super tough on them, or not around at all (you'll be surprised to learn how many kids are being raised by the ayi).
Life is different here for teenagers. They will be going to school with mostly kids from around Asia, for one.. they'll all become friends, for sure, because kids are kids, but there are lots of culture differences between British and Korean teenhood, for example. Kids who struggled the most, again, were the ones who were not allowed out of the villa compound w/o mom, dad or driver (they need some freedom, and apart from pickpocketing, Shanghai is a pretty safe place, so no problems with letting them explore on their own using public transport), or the ones who were allowed to stay out all night and party.
I say, let them get their own feel for the place and develop some independence.
Good luck! |
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Nadia1
Newbie
Joined: Aug 31, 2004
Posts: 7
Status: Offline
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Sep 03, 2004 - 07:12 AM |
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Cupcake- thank you - I'm keen for the kids to find their own way around (with me available but in the background enough for them to be independant). I'm sure that we will all have a bit of culture shock to absorb!! And as for an Ayi - my kids really are too old for that and -anyway -they do most of their own tidying, ironing and some cooking here in the UK so I wouldnt want to make them lazy (hahaha!). I currently work full time but plan to have a good six months or so at home when we move to Shanghai - so ,apart from maybe someone to do a bit of cleaning, I wont need much help either! However, having seen the nightmare driving in China, I think that I will leave my car at home and take a taxi!!
Thanks again for your helpful advice
nadia |
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nicklar
Lurker
Joined: Aug 22, 2004
Posts: 39
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Sep 27, 2004 - 09:57 PM |
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Nadia, FYI Dulwich College is right next to Shanghai Rugby and Cricket Club and shares their fields. Check out their website to see the pic. However I think they will only go up to Year 10 next year which means your son may be too old. Unfortunately not much in the way of shopping around that area (Jin Qiao), apart from Carrefour. However you could live in Lu Jai Zui or nearby in Pudong (which would be a 15-20 minute commute) where there is plenty of shopping, including Super Brand Mall - the biggest in Asia. Best idea is to check out all the schools then decide on a place to live after choosing a school. Good luck! |
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