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The Terracotta Army Pits / On the Legacy of a Life
A Korean proverb says that a tiger leaves its skin when it dies, whilst a person leaves their name. However, Qin Shi Huang left behind much more than just the title of the first emperor to unify the Chinese mainland. One of these legacies is the Terracotta Army. Although this was my first time in…
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Are houses in New Zealand made of paper?
Before moving to Christchurch, I once lived in Blenheim with my friend J. It’s a small town about six hours north of Christchurch. We spent a winter there, working the most mind-numbingly boring job in the world—opening mussels. The house we lived in had been built relatively recently, but it was unbearably cold. Even indoors,…
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Too hard to moving!
I moved recently. It took a full two weeks to unpack everything and get life back into some kind of rhythm. Of course, it’s not completely over yet. Now that we’re in the new place, there’s an endless list of things that still need fixing. Even so, just knowing I no longer have to worry…
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The Terracotta Army Pits / On the Legacy of a Life
A Korean proverb says that a tiger leaves its skin when it dies, whilst a person leaves their name. However, Qin Shi Huang left behind much more than just the title of the first emperor to unify the Chinese mainland. One of these legacies is the Terracotta Army. Although this was my first time in…
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Muslim Street, Birth of a family
Xi’an, All things start The loud voices of street vendors rang in my ears.Before me stretched another world entirely. The scent of spices stung my nose. The sweet-tart taste of pomegranate juice—my first—lingered on my tongue. In the Muslim Quarter of Xi’an, I surrendered myself to these unfamiliar sensations. The gloom from a failure to…
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BELL TOWER, Adapting to unfamiliar things
Xi’an, All things start I’m pretty much fucked. For a moment, the first line of The Martian came to mind. “Excuse me, I want to buy a ticket to the city centre. Would you mind explaining how to get here?” The clerk at the bus counter smiled brightly when I pointed at the address saved…
