Posted last night on an American expat’s “Red Lantern Diary” blog:
My daughter, on the other hand, awaits heavy pollution days with bated breath. The other day, she asked, “Mommy, when will it be polluted again?” Upon questioning, I learned that on particularly bad days, her school keeps the little ones inside and lets them watch episodes of “Little Einsteins” rather than play outdoors.
Yesterday, as I walked to Elisa’s bus I paused to look around. As I surveyed the landscape around me, the brownish haze made it feel as if I were viewing the world through a sepia filter. It was odd to think that the hazardous air around me would be the source of my daughter’s good spirits. Sure enough, she stepped off the bus with a huge smile, “Mommy! It’s polluted! We got to watch “The Einsteins!” Not exactly the cultural experience I was looking for when we moved to Beijing.
I have long known that educators in the US and at international schools alter programming depending on the air quality. This is the value of real-time air quality reporting – sensitive or at-risk populations (e.g. children) can plan accordingly. With MEP’s official air quality numbers not reported until 2pm for the previous 24 hours (noon to noon), I doubt any Chinese schools have this luxury. Does anyone know if any Chinese schools altered outdoor activity yesterday because of the hazardous air?
The elementary school kids outside my window in the Haidian district were doing their morning exercises as usual. Meanwhile, my throat is burning like fire…