Written by (作者): Donna Freeman
Photos by (图片来源): Ningbo Mamas’ Group, Eudora Station?
If you ask most expats living in China about what it is like living here, they will certainly tell you that they love it. Getting to experience a different culture, language, and way of life is full of rewards for anyone willing to embrace it and learn from it. For expats in China with families however, it can be a bit of a challenge.
Living thousands of miles away from family and loved ones back in your home town can be challenging especially when there are children involved. You want to enjoy your time living in China together but deep down inside you know you are missing out on all things family! Birthdays and holidays can make it that much harder but if you put yourself out there and build a community of friends around you, you will soon find family here too!
I recently had a chat with my friend Rebecca about our childhood memories and how we once felt that our lives in China meant we had to sacrifice those memories. We shared stories about birthdays and holidays growing up! I have noticed that like myself, many of my friends feel as if life in China means we are missing out on those things back at home when the truth is, they are just memories from our lives in a different place. Thinking about that and talking to Rebecca about it really got to me.
I want my daughter to have those same memories – of birthday and holiday celebrations with family and friends. I don’t want her to miss out on making memories! With Easter coming up, I knew I had to make it something special for my daughter and in return other families in Ningbo too. Through my connections with the Ningbo Mamas, a WeChat group that serves both the expat and local community of mothers and their families, I simply sent out an invitation to join my family and friends Fiona, Dan, and their daughter Ariel for brunch. Fiona and I thought that perhaps other families would want to join us in making lasting memories during their own time in Ningbo too.
Sure enough, we had a great turnout! 11 families, including Rebecca’s, from within the Ningbo Mamas network gathered together at Eudora Station for an Easter Sunday brunch. Families who were once strangers, came together for a meal and quickly became friends exchanging WeChat IDs and phone numbers.
We had a small Easter Egg Hunt in the garden of Eudora Station and Easter crafts to keep the little ones busy. Moms and dads chatted about raising children in Ningbo, tips and tricks for feeding babies, and plans for the next Ningbo Mamas gathering! Eudora Station provided an excellent space for our brunch and offered extra activities for everyone to enjoy as well. It turned out to be a special Easter Sunday for my family and many others. A lot of new memories were made and that is what life in China with a family should be all about!
I would like to give a special thanks to Flora and Eric at Eudora Station for accommodating our large group and providing a wonderful brunch for all of us to enjoy.
如果你问在华外籍人士生活于此是何种滋味，大多数人都会告诉你他们喜欢这里。对于任何一个愿意欣然接受并从中学习的人来说，体验不同的文化、语言和生活方式都是件收获良多的事。而对于那些携家带口到中国的人来说，这还颇具挑战。
生活在离家乡的至亲至爱几千里之遥的地方是一种挑战，尤其是这其中还牵涉到孩子时。你想去享受你在中国的这些时光，但是内心深处也知道自己正在错过一些传统家庭项目。生日和节庆的时候尤其难熬，但如果你走出自己的小世界，与身边的人建立友谊，你很快也会在这里找到家的感觉！
最近，我与我的朋友Rebecca聊了聊我们的童年回忆，以及我们以为生活在中国就必须牺牲这些回忆的想法。我们分享了彼此成长过程中过生日和过节时发生的事。我发现和我一样，我的许多朋友都觉得在中国生活意味着我们错过了家乡的各种传统风俗，然而事实是，那些只是我们的童年回忆而已。想到这些并对Rebecca一吐为快确实令我有所触动。
我想让我的女儿拥有同样的回忆——与家人和朋友一起庆祝生日和节日。我不想让我的女儿失去创造回忆的机会！复活节即将到来，我知道我得为我的女儿以及在宁波的其他家庭做些特别的事。
我在为中外籍妈妈及其家人服务的微信群组“宁波妈妈群”里发了条信息，告诉大家我和我的家人将与Fiona、Dan和他们的女儿Annabel一家一起享用复活节早午餐，邀请他们加入。Fiona和我觉得，或许其他家庭也会想和我们一起，留下在宁波生活期间的难忘回忆。
果然，反响很不错！来自宁波妈妈群的11组家庭汇聚在亿多瑞站西餐厅，共享复活节早午餐。曾经彼此陌生的家庭，在一同用餐的过程中很快成了朋友，并且彼此交换了微信和手机号。
为了让小家伙们动起来，我们在亿多瑞站的花园里举办了小型的寻找复活节彩蛋和制作复活节工艺品活动。妈妈和爸爸们则讨论着在宁波的育儿经、喂养婴儿的方法和技巧以及宁波妈妈群的下场聚会计划。
亿多瑞站为我们的早午餐提供了极佳的环境，并准备了其他活动让大家体验。这个复活节对于我和其他许多人的家庭来说都是特别的。我们一同制造了许多新的回忆，而这正是一家人在中国的生活应有的样子！
Bio
Donna Freeman is a wife, stay at home mom, dog lover and blogger who has lived in China with her family for 3 years. When not busy taking care of her kids she loves traveling, watching movies and making memories
with her family.
Donna Freeman 是一位全职妈妈、爱狗人士和博客作者。她和她的家人已经在中国生活了3 年。照顾孩子之余，她喜欢旅游、看电影、和家人一起创造回忆。