Jennifer Hyde Sachs: My romance in Beijing

Jennifer Hyde Sachs, Administrative Principal of Hyde Academy

My name is Jennifer Sachs，I’m from the United States. And I’ve been in Beijing for 27 years.I am the executive principal of Hyde Academy. I joke with my husband saying that I fell in love with him after I had fallen in love with Beijing.

It is like telling someone that I fell in love with. (Perhaps) I can't tell why I love this person so much, but I just do.

This is the way I love Beijing, I didn’t speak Chinese when I first arrived in Beijing, then I felt like I was home, feeling very warm, safe and cared about. So in my 27 years, there has been no such thing as wanting to leave Beijing.

In the past, perhaps because international schools were foreign-funded, such as International School of Beijing, Western Academy of Beijing, most of the children were foreigners.

So the contents of teaching were basically American or British, or the international courses that we usually have.

As to the international schools now, ours included, I think they are more diverse, west is the best， not just overseas-funded ones. People used to assume "West is the best",we don’t think so.

So now I believe all the international and bilingual schools are in a state of harmony between China and the West,which means we must understand foreign cultures, and at the same time ensure that children have a deep understanding of their own country and their language.

I also believe that my children grown up here should be exposed to both Chinese and Western cultures, they need to understand their father’s culture and language, and to understand my language and culture as well.

So we also have to think about the meaning of internationalization. It must include Chinese culture, language and tradition.

I have three boys,

They live in Beijing all the time.We eat together almost every day.

Because I think eating together as a family in China is actually a particularly important thing.

It is important for the family to communicate at the dinner table, which is conducive to a loving atmosphere.

Dad may not say “I love you kid” every day.

But dad will cook for the children and eat with them, this represents his love.

So I believe eating together means love in China.

So since I came to Beijing, I actually have felt that eating with someone or family, drinking a little bit, and chatting together is my greatest impression of Beijing.