Saying goodbye as an expat is one of the hardest things to do. So, it’s not easy for me to announce that my time in Shanghai has also come to a close and this will be my last issue of Shanghai Family.
When I started on this brand almost three years ago, I honestly didn’t think I would enjoy it. I’ve worked for many magazines and media brands in the past and working for a “kiddie” magazine wasn’t what I was looking for. But, as we know, this is far from a “kiddie” magazine. I was lucky enough to inherit a fantastic brand, with good “bones”, that needed a new shift in the way it reached its audience – an audience made up of an extraordinary and inspiring group of women and men who just happen to also be parents.
Why is Shanghai Family so special to me? In a community where most of us don’t have our loved ones here, Shanghai Family is family. We combine the elements of a big sister, trusted friend and mother all in one, but without any of the complications that can sometimes come with those relationships. Saying Goodbye is hard, as discussed by Siobhan Brown in our cover story, but living in this amazing city there’s so much to learn during our time here. Our feature Take it With You, by previous Shanghai expat Darcie Hunter, looks at how you can preserve your memories through food.
During my time here I have seen so many changes with shifting markets and processes, as explored by Abbie Pumarejo with her article Open Forum. These changes also shift the way we engage with and consume media – now more digitally than ever – but what sets us above the rest is the trust people have in our brand and we’re fiercely proud of this achievement. As a mother of three and an expat in this community, I’ve been close enough to you, the audience, to know exactly what I believe you want to see and read. More importantly, I am old enough (or let’s just say wise enough) to completely understand the depth of this responsibility.
I’ve had many wonderful moments growing this title, but one of the greatest achievements has been raising awareness that we are more than just parents. We were women before we were mothers and men before becoming fathers. We’re interested in a whole range of informative content and when we have that knowledge, only then can we make positive decisions to live the best possible lives we can, helping us to be the best possible parents.
However, this journey hasn’t been on my own. I dedicate my last issue to my teams both past and present – my Shanghai Family. Without the strong and motivated people on this brand, we couldn’t have grown this title from strength-to-strength. When you find a great team who are all passionate about working towards the same goal, not only does the team respond, they lift and they produce the best possible product they can and I feel our audience has always recognized this. During my time here I’ve laughed, cried, argued, danced, sang, stressed and laughed some more (so hard that at times my ribs have hurt!). And yes, that’s right, it’s hard to tell if I’m talking about time with colleagues or my family – the lines are indeed blurred. Of course, there’s a big thank you to my husband and gorgeous kids (a.k.a. this months cover stars) for supporting me on this adventure.
Since my first issue I’ve always signed off my editors letter the same way, with ‘thanks for having me.’ Simply because it’s not my magazine – it’s yours, the community’s. I was just lucky enough to nurture it for a while. So for the last time... Thanks for having me!
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