Time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? I sometimes feel like the year has barely started, but in reality, summer is already on the way out with shorter days and cooler evenings. Fall is just a quick breath away, and then – it will soon be time to think about Christmas. Why am I reminding you of Christmas? It has the unfortunate habit of creeping up on me. And leaving me in a dead panic because I do not have presents for all my loved ones.
But not this year! This year, I am prepared, and have already bought presents for the family. Since this puts me in a very happy (and slightly smug) mood, I have decided to let you in on the secret and give you the satisfaction of finishing up your Christmas shopping super-early as well, so you can rest easy until the end of the year.
The presents that all my family and a portion of my friends back home will receive this year are beautiful calendars showcasing this (temporary) home of ours, put together by the International Club Shenyang (ICS).
What is ICS?
In case you are unfamiliar with the ICS, it is a group of expatriates and local volunteers working together with several organizations to better the life of both foreign expatriate families and the local community. The club has both a charitable and a social aspect. The charity partners the ICS primarily works with are The Delos Foundation, Dream Home Orphanage, the Light Foundation and the Shenyang School of the Blind.
The club works collaboratively with these organizations to determine and respond to their funding needs so they can continue to provide care to the children and families requiring their help. With the social activities, such as regular lunches, cultural and educational tours and social events, the ICS raises money for the charity partners while bringing families, singles, students and others together and creating a tightly-knit international community for Shenyang.
Every year, the ICS has a signature project to raise more funds for the charities. 2016, we (I volunteer for the ICS and sometimes help organize events) published an international cookbook with recipes from many of the countries of our members. And at the end of last year, the club put together a photo book showing Shenyang through the eyes of the ICS members and friends, filled with stunning, quirky, and fascinating portraits of the city and its people. By the way, if you are not yet a proud owner of a Shenyang photo book, contact me (at julie@journeysnjaunts.com or through WeChat) for a copy. The books are 210 RMB a pop, or 180 RMB if you are an ICS member.
Iconic buildings of Shenyang
The calendars this year are a continuation of the photo book project. For the photo book, an ever-changing group of volunteers under the tutelage of Bettina Kasperowski would explore Shenyang on foot, taking pictures along the way. Since these photo walks were so popular, ICS has kept them up and thus, the idea of putting calendars together for 2019 was born. Because there were so many interesting pictures to choose from, there are three different versions of these calendars.
The first one showcases captivating architecture of Shenyang. Traditional landmarks such as the Forbidden City or Shenyang Railway Station are of course a must for such a calendar. But the creators have also included less well-known sights and tried to incorporate a variety of architectural vistas across the city. The calendar is in A3 format and costs 80 RMB.
The people of Shenyang
The second calendar is one of people. It features Shenyangers – at work, at rest, at play – and shows their charm, their friendliness, and their interest in the foreign photographers. What better memento is there, and what better way of showing Shenyang to family and friends back in our home countries? This calendar is likewise in A3 format and costs 80 RMB as well.
Never again forget a birthday
If you are looking for something a bit more long-lasting, maybe the third calendar is for you. It is not just for 2019, but a universal calendar in which you can mark recurring events such as birthdays of your loved ones. In Germany, you find such a calendar in practically every single household. Most often hung in the kitchen or hallway, it ensures that no family member will ever forget the birthday of gramps, aunty so-and-so, or mum’s best friend since kindergarten. You could start this tradition as well in your own home, and be reminded, year after year, of Shenyang and its people, with typical scenes from markets and the streets. The calendar is the length of an A3 paper, but only one third as wide, and it costs 60 RMB a pop.
If I have whetted your appetite for one or more of these calendars (remember, Christmas is closer than you think!), contact me through email (julie@journeysnjaunts.com) or the WeChat account to pre-order. The calendars become available from November 17th, 2018, which is the day of the annual ICS Gala and Ball. They can be picked up there or afterwards at select locations across the city.
