I would like to try to endeavor, now

I would like to try to endeavor, now, to imprint on you what it felt like to drive along the St. Laurent River with a $50 Walmart tent, the blankets and pillows stolen from our dormitory rooms stuffed in the trunk, and little to no concept of a destination, in early August. Garrie sat in…

The Ever-Unattainable Shifen Waterfalls

How long is a year? A year ago, the sidewalk was slippery in the spring rain as we walked through the narrow streets to the train station. Jilong, then Ruifang, to the Pingxi Line that took us to Shifen. It was a long, cold, rainy day, the day after Kate’s birthday party, a long night…

Kurtz of Keelung

Last summer, in the sweaty haze of lockdown, a Russian man fell off his balcony and died. Those days, time ran thick, like the polluted canal that some days inexplicably flowed brown through the heart of downtown Keelung. Was it June? Or July? Sometime after his death, I visited that building, as some teachers lived…

A love letter to Keelung

A city that does not receive much love but indeed deserves it. To, Keelung: You’re a dream, an apparition that haunts my waking hours. If I blink too slowly, I’m by your canal, walking towards the market to browse and get vegetables and say hello to the stray cats. If I stare too long, I’m…

All In A Day’s Journey – From Dragon Caves to Waiao Beach

Sometimes, there’s no funny story. No odd anecdote or cultural observations, no lessons learned or morals imparted. Sometimes, all that stays is an image- the sandy beach, spanning for miles into the distance, the setting sky reflecting in the long mirror left by retreating waves, and two girls, jumping into the waves, over and over,…

Working for The Weekends – Jiaoxi, March 2021

Life is oddly warped when you live abroad. The work days blend together into a homogenous blur, a prolonged means to an end. The end is the weekend, and as for the weekends- well, you work for them. Unfortunately for my roommate, her means didn’t end until Saturday at 12 PM, when she finished teaching…

A Particularly Good Memory

Kate and I were walking on a very empty street, about 40 minutes out from our apartment, when our downstairs neighbour drove past and waved us down. Uncle Tai An is a cab driver and probably recognized Kate’s curls from a distance, that bouncy hair that always manages to arrest the attention of Keelungers and…

A Homecoming (Gets Exhausting)

July 15, 2021 The cold, impartial scenery from an airplane window. Vague blankets of clouds. Endless ocean, perhaps entirely untouched by human interference. Urban sprawls, always empty. The people are invisible, the backyards have pools. Farms blend together, undistinguishable. From an airplane window the world doesn’t care that you’re coming home. July 17, 2021 There…

Kevin’s Conversations with Key Characters, Concerning Killing Yourself

Conversation 43: Hitler The dull blue light of Kevin’s smart screens illuminated his shadowy mass on the bed. He was under his blankets, the sheets drawn around him so that only his face was exposed. He had been staring at the ceiling blankly for quite some time, but now, tiredly, he addressed the holographic figure…

The World According to Johanna Gallant Part 4 – 我爱我的妈妈

Growing up with a Mandarin speaking mother has had a huge impact on my multilingual identity. The older I get, the more I realize how difficult and isolating it must have been for her to move to Canada in the early 90s, especially with my dad still working abroad to make money. The older I…