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Welcome to the June/July edition of Urban Family Shanghai.
I spent the better part of my childhood hearing my mom say how much she loved the school holidays. Spending time with my brother and me brought her the greatest joy. Now that I am a mother myself, I have to concur: I too love holidays with my family, traveling and experiencing the world around us.
For those in our Urban Family community with school-aged children like myself, we are finishing the year and preparing for our vacation. With this in mind, I say, “Welcome to our Wanderlust Issue,” where we journey to six destinations and explore one quintessential experience in each. Now I know your summer plans are already arranged, and you may not use it now, but I am hoping this becomes a reference for inspiration in the future.
For My Shanghai (p6), we interviewed Coreene Horenko, Executive Director of Lifeline Shanghai. We talked about her work and the team of volunteers who shine a light on mental health issues in China. They are dedicated to supporting the community and providing an avenue for reaching out during a time of need.
Our Food and Fun (p26) section takes you around Asia without actually leaving Shanghai. We review 10 family-friendly restaurants around town, where you can experience an array of Asian flavors, such as Indonesian, Japanese and Singaporean.
In Entertainment (p32), we introduce contemporary dance production Crested Ibises, which delivers an environmental message through a unique performance that’s bound to capture the imagination. Our new Urban Grooves (p33) series provides a playlist of breakfast tunes to get you through the morning, and we have two book reviews for summer reading.
Finally, for any long-haul flights, rainy days or when you need some downtime, I have prepared an A-Z family movie guide for the summer. There are many great movies included, my personal favorite being Little Woman – Jo March is always an inspiration. A quote I particularly love from this movie is, “I could never love anyone like I love my sisters.” It resonated with me for the bond I share with girlfriends and the sense of ‘sisterhood’ we receive from and give to each other.
On this note, I know many of you may have friends leaving over the summer and, trust me, I understand how difficult this is. I am grateful however for one thing: having the opportunity to develop these meaningful friendships truly makes us better people. And then, I look forward to future vacations where we can meet again and relish in our time together.
So, safe travels over the summer and look out for us again in August. We will be ready to welcome you back to Shanghai.
Natalie Foxwell
Editor-in-Chief
