About

Laurie, Seth, and Benjamin - August 2012

Laurie Schiller is the primary contributor to this blog. Laurie graduated from Michigan State University in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in dietetics. She completed her dietetic internship at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Following her graduation she moved to China for a two-year assignment teaching English to high school students and English faculty. She returned to the United States in 2003 to pursue a master's degree from Asbury Theological Seminary and graduated in 2006.

Benjamin Childs graduated from University of Michigan - Dearborn in 2002. He received bachelor's degrees in philosophy and biochemistry. After taking a year off from school and going on several mission trips, he moved to Kentucky to attend Asbury Theological Seminary. He graduated with a master of arts degree in 2005. Immediately after graduating he began working for Amazon.com, where he worked his way up to shift supervisor in the Make On Demand department, where books, DVDs, and CDs are printed to order.

Laurie and Benjamin met during orientation at Asbury Theological Seminary. They were married in Laurie's hometown on January 1, 2005. They have one son, Seth Schiller-Childs, born August 2007.

The Schiller-Childs family relocated to Beijing, China, in August 2008. Laurie and Benjamin both teach at the International College at Beijing, one of thirteen undergraduate colleges at China Agricultural University (CAU). Laurie has taught academic writing, academic reading, British culture & literature, and presentation classes. Benjamin has taught e-commerce, computers, business research, and calculus. Seth attends the all-Chinese kindergarten on the CAU campus.

Laurie’s favorite hobbies are graphic design, home decorating, scrapbooking, and avoiding housework at all costs. Her favorite movies include Three Colors: Red, Sense & Sensibility, and True Lies. Her favorite authors are Jane Austen, Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, and L.M. Montgomery.

Benjamin’s favorite hobbies are playing video games, reading comic books and graphic novels, and hanging out with friends. He is passionate about University of Michigan football. His favorite book is The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. He is also very fond of fantasy fiction and particularly enjoys George R.R. Martin’s in-progress series A Song of Ice and Fire. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is his favorite movie.

Seth's favorite hobbies are playing video games, playing board games, playing computer games, playing card games, and playing at driving Mommy crazy. His favorite TV shows include Phineas and Ferb, Team Umizoomi, Futurama, and Bubble Guppies. He is still shy about speaking Chinese, though his teachers say that his listening comprehension is at the same level as the Chinese children in his class. He causes quite a stir in Beijing because of his blonde hair and blue eyes, though the attention is (thankfully) waning as he gets a little older.

Disclaimer: Though blogging by itself could be construed as evidence of narcissism, we know that we are not fascinating by any stretch of the imagination.