w i t h articles on... Xenophobia Coronavirus
and
the
Universal Health Care The Cultural Appropriationi of Turmeric Asian Mom Health Tips
featuring interviews with... Cindy Hsieh Yong Loh
editor’s note We thought of this topic in a different world. Back in late February when the Health Issues was raised as a topic, to many of us more privileged Westerners, coronavirus was nothing but a vaguely threatening phenomenon, a somewhat concerning headline. We discussed the higher frequency of heart disease amongst South Asian-American, period poverty, reproductive rights, mental health stigma. Now, in mid-April, this issue– much like everything else in our world–is overwhelmed by coronavirus news, both facts and opinions, condemning the horrific racism that has fast become a symptom of this pandemic, as well as sharing experiences in social isolation. In this new world, where we have to be physically apart, we hope this issue makes you feel a little bit closer to your community. Yours, Rehana Paul Founder, Editor-in-chief
madame Lai Lai is a Taiwanese American illustrator with a breathy, soft style. You can find more of her work at: www.madamelai.com
Interview with Cindy Hsieh: Women in STEM
Interview by: Lauren Turner New Zealand-based international-soul Lauren Turner is on the editorial & design teams at Overachiever Magazine. Best personified by the color orange, you can typically find her in downward-dog, devouring jiăozi by the dozen, studying towards her Masters in Sustainable Development or generally frolicking in the sunshine. INSTAGRAM: @laurenturner27 / @sumei.creative
First off, briefly introduce yourself!
Hello, world! Ha ha (: jokes aside… Hi there, beautiful people! My name is Cindy Hsieh and I am a current Applied Statistics graduate student.
What’s your boba order?
Hmmm… oh boy… I can’t decide on one so I’ll give my top two orders: Taro milk tea with pearls Passion fruit black tea with lychee popping pearls Just all depends on my mood that day!
What do you enjoy most about your work in STEM?
I had dug deep into my interests and had to figure out how they meshed together. Luckily for me, data is EVERYWHERE. Every single field has data. So, in combining my love for objectivity applied to subjective matter, I have delved into law and exploring the field of patent and intellectual property (IP) law. To me, law is the most objective way to approach a subjective conflict. This specific area of law is very STEM oriented. Actually, fun fact, you need a STEM background to become an IP lawyer! Thus, I have been interning at a law firm that works with IP and patent law and it’s been so amazing and interesting to see this field in conjunction with medical technologies and patients. I’ve also noticed there is a lack of data analysis in law so I have been helping the firm with understanding and speeding up efficiency of certain tasks. It’s exciting for me to see how I can combine and utilize my skills in another seemingly unrelated field that I am very interested in.
Are there any ways in which your identity as an Asian woman affects your involvement with STEM?
As of yet, I don’t think I’ve personally experienced anything blatantly, super in-my-face bad about being an Asian woman in STEM. However, I do get caught up in the “model minority” tunnel vision and feel some outside stress. I start to place pressure on myself and feel that other people automatically expect me to perform very well because I am Asian. I appreciate the external pressure and I am lucky that I function well under it. However, I will admit that at times it can get to be a bit much. I start to feel like I’m not doing enough or replaceable and ergo need to prove myself to others – which definitely shouldn’t be the case, but it does happen to me. That is something I’m working on (: – to know that growing at your own pace is totally okay.
To be candid, I definitely am biased when answering this question. The city I reside in lacks diversity. So, a lot of the people I see often are predominantly Caucasian. That being said, I do see many Asians in STEM fields, more so in the life sciences though. I haven’t met as many Asian females in the computational/analytical fields of science.
Describe for us the culture and demographic you have observed in your STEM institution?
I think, in my current environment, the ratio of Asians to Non-Asians is higher in STEM than other non-STEM fields (in my experience). As for Asian women, I do think the ratio is even smaller, but I genuinely can’t answer that for certain. Also, keep in mind I say the ratios (with no mention of size)in comparison to one another seem to differ. In terms of the law firm I intern at, it’s mainly women and a women owned business and that is something we pride ourselves on. But again, I can’t draw any correlations due to my small universe of experience and knowledge.
Could you outline your journey into the field of STEM for us? Well, I’m sure many Asians can relate to this upbringing, but my parents were really huge proponents of me becoming a doctor growing up. I loved learning about the human body and mind and I had a natural inclination towards science. Thus, they really instilled the idea of being a doctor in me early on. I’m pretty sure one of my first toys was a toy doctor kit. So, I’d say that is when my journey into STEM began. I was able to take some STEM university classes in my junior and senior year of high school and I stayed in the field of medicine for quite some time. I had researched at universities nearby and volunteered at hospitals, mainly oncology centers. I think it was through my extracurricular involvement with medicine that I noticed how many other fields interacted with life sciences. For instance, data analysis played a huge role in the research I had done in the labs I worked with. On another hand, music and art therapy played a huge role in my volunteer work. Anyway…after taking all the classes required for medical school admission, I really dug deep after finals of my 2nd year. You know deep down inside when you love something, and as much as I wanted to love medicine, I just couldn’t get myself to. I like to use the metaphor that medicine and I were like the perfect couple on paper. I wanted it to work out so badly and I truly tried so hard to make it work…but at the end of the day, I still didn’t feel the spark that I needed (especially before accepting a $300K commitment that was not sparkly). Thus, this turning point led me to delve into my true interests and passions. I noticed patterns amongst things I was drawn to time and time again. I had gotten so immersed into statistics when I was researching and I also loved being able to objectively view situations that may be inherently subjective. Analyzing data to draw conclusions applies to so many fields: science, law, business, etc. Long story short, I decided to pull the trigger and graduate undergrad early 2 years early. And that is how I am now an Applied Stats graduate student at a younger age!
My answer to this actually ties into the answer above. I believe a common assumption people have is that Asian women are doing fine in STEM and they are well-represented in the field. However, data (my fav (; ) tells a different story. Being an Asian woman in STEM is like concurrently being invisible and visible. The growth of Asian females in STEM actually lags behind not only men, but also women of other ethnicities. Very few Asian women become full professors or reach managerial positions in government jobs. According to the National Science Foundation, the percentage of Asian women who are full professors or tenured is the smallest out of all ethnicities and gender groups (falling approximately 10% behind hispanic and black women, and 20% behind white women).
What are, in your opinion, the biggest challenges facing Asian Women today? What are the biggest challenges facing women in STEM/or women who aspire to STEM careers?
Moreover, Asian Women are also the smallest percentage out of doctoral scientists and engineers at universities (race and ethnicity included). There is also the lowest percentage of Asian Women (0.9%) who hold managerial positions in STEM compared to other races and ethnicities. These results point out two barriers Asian women face: the glass ceiling via gender bias and the bamboo ceiling via ethnic stereotyping. Interestingly enough according to Advancing Asian Women in the Workplace by Catalyst, Asian American women in STEM are the most likely to have graduate education, but the least likely to hold a position within three levels of a CEO. I think the most difficult challenges facing Asian women are the double bound ceilings and realizing that people may expect nothing less of perfection from us, even if those standards are not applied to others. Fight the invisibility with poise and confidence! Like many other Asian women, I was raised in a family that told me to not take risks and to play things safe. However, I think it’s important to make those leaps (big or small). It’s beautiful to be part of a small, but growing group that is already so unique and talented. Being an Asian woman in STEM means that you have the power to redefine stereotypes and eliminate risks gracefully simply by just being you and having fun whilst working hard.
Any advice for Asian Women who aspire to work in the STEM fields?
“Being
an
Asian
woman
in
STEM
means
that
you
have the power to redefine stereotypes and eliminate risks gracefully simply by just being you and having
fun
whilst
working hard.� -cindy hsieh
Nell is an art student at MassArt in Boston, MA. A fun fact about her: she loves guinea pigs! Nell believes that: "we should all treat mental health just as important as physical health. They go together and affect one another in countless ways. Caring for my mental health through self-care such as exercise, reading, and relaxing helps me recharge and organize my feelings. It sets me up for balance in the future."
FEMALE GAZE Nell Valle
The Coronavirus is No Excuse to be Racist Written by Rachel Wu
Rachel Wu is a junior at Lynbrook High School in San Jose, California. She is a part of her school's newspaper, the Epic, and enjoys reporting on issues in her school community. In her free time, she enjoys reading and watching science and history documentaries. Her favorite subjects in school are literature, journalism, and science and she hopes to pursue a career that combines these subjects. As COVID-19 continues to spread, so does the panic surrounding it. Along with the panic comes misconceptions, which unfortunately have evolved into xenophobia against Asians. In December 2019, the virus appeared in Wuhan, China and since then, Chinese people, as well as people from other East Asian groups, have become the scapegoat for the pandemic. This sentiment has caused anti-Asian discrimination and many Asian Americans to be subjugated by racist attacks. From local restaurants to big chains, Chinese businesses throughout the U.S. have experienced alarming drops in sales due to fears of contracting the deadly disease. Quickly, an international boba chain that has filled a niche for Asian Americans since the early 2000s, announced on April 8 in a Facebook post that it will permanently close 50 locations in the U.S. In an Instagram post, Boba Guys, a popular bubble tea chain founded in San Francisco, announced their temporary closure of all their stores, along with the uncertainty as to whether they will be able to reopen stores following the pandemic. Reports of racist attacks against Asians in the U.S. have skyrocketed amid the coronavirus outbreak. The online reporting forum Stop AAPI Hate has reported over 1,100 incident reports of verbal harassment, shunning and physical assault within two weeks since its inception on March 18. One of the latest cases happened on March 28 in which a 51-year-old Asian woman was injured in a hate crime attack on a city bus in the Bronx by three teenage girls, with one alleging yelling at the woman: “You caused the coronavirus b***h!” Asian people who had no connection to the coronavirus — having not traveled outside the country nor showed any symptoms — were attacked solely because of their appearance and ethnicity as if they were genetic carriers of the disease, leading many Asian Americans to not only be afraid of their health, but also being themselves. Historically, pandemics have fueled xenophobia with people scapegoating entire groups of people for the disease. During the early 20th century, the influenza flu, which infected 500 million people, was known throughout the world as the ‘Spanish flu,” while in Spain, it was referred to as the “French flu.” Tuberculosis was associated with Jewish people, SARS with Chinese people, and Ebola with Africans. And now, COVID-19 is associated with the Chinese, with President Trump having repeatedly called the coronavirus the “Chinese virus.” However, to call this behavior “common reactions,” as did the University Health Services Tang Center in an Instagram post which was later taken down amid backlash, is dangerous. Although associating a disease with a specific group of people and segregating members of this group may sound like a protective measure, it distracts from the real threat as it directs attention towards a group of people, rather than the virus itself. Just as it requires a collective effort to protect public health, it is more important than ever to promote inclusion and fight the virus as a unified whole. Although COVID-19 originated in China, the disease itself doesn’t discriminate the way people do. It is true that racist scapegoating is an unfortunate echo of the past, but it doesn’t have to be this way. To fight against misconceptions and prejudice, it is important for people to have accurate information on how to keep themselves and their communities safe, such as washing hands for 20 seconds and social distancing. By doing so, we can fight the infection, without spreading another one.
PostpartumDepression Amongst South-Asian W Addressing and Erasing th
Written by Natasha Srira
n & Anxiety Women: he Stigma
aman
Dr. Natasha Sriraman is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School, researcher, and mother. Her main areas of research include breastfeeding, postpartum depression, immigrant health care and health disparities. She has spoken nationally on breastfeeding and postpartum depression and published extensively on these topics. Dr. Sriraman has been on the Board of Directors for: Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Breastfeeding. FOR KIDS Homeless Shelter and the Eliza Hope Center for Autism. She is the Honorary Chair for Postpartum Support Virginia and advocates nationally for postpartum depression screening within the pediatric setting. When not working, Natasha enjoys running, yoga, boxing, traveling, and reading. She lives in Virginia with her husband, 3 kids, and dog. FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/NatashaMomMD/ INSTAGRAM: @Natasha.Mom.MD TWITTER: @NatashaMomMD WEBSITE: www.NatashaMomMD.com
While many in our community feel that postpartum depression and anxiety amongst Indian/South-Asian Women isn’t really ‘a problem,’ based on both, my personal and professional experiences, I disagree. A major reason that postpartum mood disorders are not reported nor discussed is because of the stigma of mental health within the South Asian While there are many risk factors for de- community. veloping postpartum depression or anxiety, symptoms during pregnancy are the Studies show that for women in India, biggest risk factor for developing similar postpartum depression often goes unrecognized. Factors such as gender of symptoms after the baby’s arrival. the baby, low income, domestic violence, We know that it affects over 25% of moth- lack of support from the husband and other adverse life events are all risk facers. tors of developing postpartum depression in this group of women. UnfortunateWe know that it does not just mag ically go away when the baby turns one. ly, the value of having a male baby is still very prominent amongst Indian families, We know that it makes moms feel guilty whether it is in India, Europe or even the because they feel like they are doing United States. something wrong. Women in India may have more support We know that many moms feel guilt or due to a joint family system to help care fear about taking medications what will for the child while mom is to solely rest and breastfeed during this period of conhelp them. finement, however, this may minimize or We know that many moms are too afraid mask the symptoms of postpartum mood to tell anyone because they feel that it disorders. In fact, one study showed that the joint family system is not a protecmakes them a ‘bad mom.’ tive factor in terms of postpartum mental While the awareness of postpartum de- health symptoms. pression has increased with actresses and sports stars talking about their own struggles after having a baby, there are large sub-groups of women that still struggle, that still hide their feelings, that still feel shame. Postpartum Depression & Anxiety, also known as Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs), can affect up to 1 in 7 women. It does not matter if it is your first child or third child, it doesn’t matter your age, your race, your culture or your socio-economic status, postpartum depression can affect any mother.
Whether it is during my lectures at various conferences or speaking directly with mothers in my pediatric practice, I have noticed the differences, the variations of how various cultural groups address postpartum mental health issues.
Another study from the United Kingdom showed that Indian mothers suffering from PPD often perceive their symptoms as minor, natural consequences of childbirth and as a result, were less likely to contact their physician. Studies have shown that up to 50% of Indian women will never be diagnosed and will suffer in silence. This lack of recognition leads mothers to feel inadequate and isolated. The feelings of isolation can exacerbate depressive symptoms. I have mothers of South Asian descent in my practice who cry in my office, asking me to help them—whether they feel alone within their joint family system, minimal support from their husband when it comes to parenting or just a general sense of isolation, all of these women, every single one of them is trusting me with a secret, their sense of shame. They not only feel they are a bad mother, but a bad wife, daughter and daughter-in-law. The cultural stigma of depression is already so taboo in our culture, but when you had postpartum to it, the stigma deepens. Just like for women from all over the world, motherhood is sacred, an honour, a time that is to be cherished and enjoyed. How can a woman not enjoy being a mother? Mothers are often told “This will be the happiest time of your life.” So how do we expect a woman, a mother to ask for help when the rest of society tells her she’s wrong to feel what she is feeling? While physicians, both pediatricians and obstetricians, screen for mood disorders during pregnancy and in the postpartum period in the United States, this is not the case amongst physicians in India/South Asia. If physicians don’t ask women, they will never know. And while symptoms may start during pregnancy and persist
after the baby’s birth, there are many other risk factors for untreated postpartum depression and anxiety. Mothers who suffer from untreated postpartum mood disorders are less likely to bond with their child, may have increased difficulty with breastfeeding, poor sleep and may develop postpartum depression or anxiety with future pregnancies.
“A major reason that postpartum mood disorders are not reported nor discussed is because of the stigma of mental health within the South Asian community.” As a community, we, all of us, have to change this so mothers can get the help they need. This includes the physicians and nurses who care for mothers and babies, but also the family and the community. The husband, the mother, the mother-in-law, the extended family—they ALL need to be part of the solution in order to effect change. This is not a deficiency in her as a woman, a mother—any of us can suffer from postpartum depression. Instead of burying our heads in the sand or vilifying the mother, the entire South Asian community needs to acknowledge it and address it—only then can we effect change. Mothers are the crux of our communities—they give birth, they nurture, they raise children to become kind, caring and successful members of the human race. But as much as we focus on the baby after delivery, we also need to give that amount of focus, if not more, on the mother. My mantra: Happy Healthy Mom Equals Happy Healthy Baby.
artwork by: madame Lai
A Shot of Oxygen
Written by Riana Torrejon Riana Torrejon is an undergraduate student at the University of Alberta who is a passionate advocate for human rights. In her spare time, she loves to write and sing. She is also the Fundraising and Events Director for the Child Advocacy Society of University of Alberta and is a columnist for the Alberta Filipino Journal. Previously, she has given a TED Talk in hopes of tackling prejudiced and xenophobic attitudes toward immigrants by offering a new perspective to those who may be ambivalent about embracing individuals from other unfamiliar countries and territories. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of her greatest inspirations. INSTAGRAM: @rrriana_t LINKEDIN: Riana Torrejon Inhale, exhale. I sigh as I pick out clothes to wear and get dressed this morning. My chest fills with dread as I approach the door and reach my hand out to the doorknob. A recent article had a quote stating that “The constant level of heightened awareness and hyperarousal and cognizance that Black and Brown folks have to constantly be aware of is staggering and it is often why we are very burnt out and very traumatized and very sad,� says Mullan in Decolonizing Mental Health: The Importance of an Oppression Focused Mental Health System. This quote led me to reflect on my own health as a Filipino-Canadian woman that immigrated to Canada a few years ago. I realize that I often minimize my emotions as an immigrant because I remember how tough life is for Filipinos in the Philippines. My mother reminds me that many go without food and water, many are not living in safe conditions, and many people have jobs that pay under the living wage. The individualized Western mental health approach to self-care does not apply well to my lifestyle. I was raised under a collectivist mindset. In the Philippines, it is common for everyone in the neighbourhood to know one another, for all of the adults to watch each others’ children, and so on. If you begin working abroad, you inherit a list of people to be financially re
sponsible for. It is an unspoken expectation that you share the blessings you receive with others back home. When people at my peer support centre tell me to relax and to know that obtaining average grades are good enough, I have to exercise patience. It is tiring to explain that good grades have given me scholarships to alleviate my family of a financial burden. It is difficult to explain that I want to get good grades in order to encourage my relatives back home that their investment to move me to Canada was not in vain. I cannot afford the privilege to relax with my schooling because of the years of generational trauma that follows me. There are centuries of cycles of poverty and systemic racism that my family and I must fight against. “C’s get degrees” does not work for me as I feel like I have failed every person who has put work into me when I do not succeed academically. People assume that my grades matter to me because of the stereotypes about Asians. This misconception greatly frustrates me. Asians cannot be painted with a monolithic brush. People always joke around about Asians being robots that excel in school, but for many of us, including myself, we carry the weight of our immigrants’ parents’ investment in us. Compared to a developing country, children of immigrants are significantly safer and have more opportunities available here, so gratitude is definitely a healthy practice to keep. However, emotions should be acknowledged and addressed rather than minimized because everyone has their limits.
“I realize that I often minimize my emotions as an immigrant because I remember how tough life is for Filipinos in the Philippines.” As a Filipino immigrant who regularly attends therapy, I have realized that the mental health system must consider their clients’ backgrounds. As immigrants, we often require an extra layer of understanding to care for the intersectionality of our problems. Systems like discrimination, pressures of providing for our families back home, and such are all things that therapists may not be trained to understand. Many workers in the mental health system utilize coping mechanisms that are catered to the Western, individualistic mindset. Many immigrants come from a collective mindset. You can’t ask a mother immigrant working abroad to “take a mental health day” when the cost of it is rendering her unable to send her kids enough money for food.
The mental health system acknowledges that people are from different cultures, but it must also be recognized that many people of colour suffer from heightened awareness and trauma from oppression. Heightened awareness of discrimination for me is my cognizance of the fact that many people in the Western setting have preconceived notions about me because of my Asian appearance.
My actions are often judged as reflective of all Filipino youth and immigrants. I hear feedback like “Wow, I know all Filipinos are so nice because when I interact with them at Tim Hortons, they always give me the best service.” There are other comments on my speech and eloquence such as “The Filipino education system must be wonderful because you speak English so well.” While these are compliments, it frightens me that a positive reflection of a Filipino’s actions is then applied to the entire Filipino population. I am only a young girl trying to navigate this life. When I make mistakes, I would like to be afforded the right for that to remain MY mistake and not ALL of Filipino’s mistakes.
“You’re pretty for an Asian.” “Of course, you’re good at school, you’re Asian.” “Of course, you’re in accounting, you’re Asian.” “Your parents must be so proud of you.” I pause before I turn the doorknob and look at the mirror beside me to check my appearance. I must ensure that I look like a presentable Filipino. The weight of this responsibility makes it hard to breathe in the Western air. I need the mental health system to provide me with an oxygen tank.
I sigh, I comb through the stray hairs in my ponytail, and I put on a smile before stepping out the door.
J. Faith Malicdem
FEMALE GAZE
INSTAGRAM: @johannafaith She is also the founder and curator of The PieFace Column, a creative and introspective outlet that contains a variety of material from poetry to photography to personal essays.
MISS DEMURE The Health Issue Written & Drawn By | Natalie Obedos
Interview by: Charlotte Drummond Charlotte Drummond is a part of Overachiever Magazine’s Editorial and Outreach teams. She is an Indian-American student and writer from Los Angeles, California. She is currently attending Emerson College, and studying Writing, Literature and Publishing. At the moment, she is working for multiple on-campus publications as a part of their writing and copyediting teams. In her free time, she loves reading, taking pictures of plants, getting emo over female singersongwriters, and hanging out with her dog. INSTAGRAM: @charlotte.drummond
Intervie Yong Loh
ew h
Yong Loh is a multidisciplinary artist from Bangkok, Thailand. As the daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong and Malaysia, she is predominantly interested in exploring facets of her own identity in a personal and familial context. Currently, she is studying Film & TV Production in Los Angeles and is completing post-production on an upcoming independent short film, Tapioca Pearl. You can find more of her work at www.yongloh.com or on her instagram @yongloh What initially drew you to photography as a passion and as a career? Too many factors. Maybe it was my mum’s shitty little digital camera, which was the first thing I ever shot on. Or it could be the fact that I’ve always thought in terms of visuals rather than words – I don’t have an inner monologue, and I spent more of my childhood drawing and painting than talking. I’ve always admired all the moving parts that go into creating an image like the lighting, posing, set design, or even which lens you use. Having so many decisions to make for a single photograph forces you to be more intentional with your choices and how they communicate an idea. It’s that specificity that I love dealing with, and for that reason, I find that photography is one of the best mediums for me to work in.
with
Who are your biggest inspirations in photography and in everything? In no particular order: Cho Gi Seok, Ren Hang, Luo Yang, Wong Kar Wai, John Yuyi, Nadine Ijewere, Wing Shya, Leslie Zhang, Eponine Huang, Andrew Thomas Huang, Min Hyunwoo, Bong Joon Ho, Kelela, Dexter Navy, Hayao Miyazaki, Solange, Lee Chang-dong, FKA Twigs, Maya Deren and all the beautiful people in my life. What is your process before, during, and after a shoot? What do you prepare, and what do you find comes spontaneously? Developing a concept for a shoot is definitely the longest process for me. When I’m conceptualising, I draw and make notes on whatever’s around me. My desk is littered with sketches on scrap paper, receipts and napkins – and I always throw my drawings out once I complete a project because I like the idea of continuously moving forwards. After that, I’ll start contacting people and bringing everything together. I feel the most calm when I’m shooting. It’s just the most straightforward part because I’ve already prepared and deeply considered everything before going into it. All the preparation I’ve done allows for spontaneity on set. I prefer to provide strong direction for whoever’s posing for me, but I still leave enough room to experiment and bounce ideas off each other. I’m always chatting to people on set because it makes everything feel a lot less clinical and helps models to relax. It’s also nice to be personal with others, even in a working environment. For the longest time, I was really intimidated by technology and software, so I didn’t properly learn how to use a lot of programs until a year or two ago – which means that I never edited any of my photos when I was first practicing. That’s something I’ve still maintained to an extent. I don’t edit my photos much, maybe just a few colour corrections. In the future, I’d definitely like to play around with editing, and I’m intrigued to see what will come out of that.
I’ve noticed that you use a lot of nature imagery in many of your photos, including your collection For Every Flower Forced to Bloom (2018). How do you use that to convey the message you want your audience to take in? In “For Every Flower Forced to Bloom”, I wanted to draw parallels between experiencing growing pains as a young person and flowers that are forced to bloom too early. Both are influenced by external factors that are out of the subject’s control, and that was a really grounding realisation I had while I was reflecting on my own childhood trauma. It’s a really human thing to find comfort in connecting with the natural world, and that’s something I wanted to explore. In the process of creating this piece, I invited people I knew and people I didn’t to engage in discussions about growing pains. From these stories, I found subjects for the shoot and took portraits of them with different flowers. When I exhibit this piece at shows, I put a bowl or an envelope under the prints to hold printed out and cut up chunks of text that I’ve taken from conversations about difficult childhoods with the models in the shoot and also friends and strangers. In your collection, Uprooted, you use bright colors that contrast the black writing on the backdrops. What inspired this shoot, and why you wanted to put it out into the world? Uprooted began with a poem I wrote out of complete frustration. Since moving to the US, I’d felt disappointed by the lack of visibility in mainstream media surrounding the ways in which Asian women have been historically oppressed and how this informs the way we are treated and seen today. I sat down one afternoon and wrote until I felt a little better about the world. From that poem grew a photography series. I cast friends who were of East Asian descent and photographed them holding up backdrops for themselves and each other to evoke imagery that promoted Asian women leaning on and supporting one another. Through this project, I wanted to reclaim objects that had been used to create stereotypes of otherness and recontextualise them as markers of beauty and strength. For example, I used grains of rice to create makeup looks on two of the models. In one
of the images, I portrayed chopsticks being used to pull at a model’s eyes. In this shot, I wanted to comment on the ways in which Western beauty standards have influenced Asian beauty standards – as larger eyes and smaller noses are common facial surgeries that young people desire and often go through. These ideals are unachievable and therefore, should not be perpetuated, as they hurt not only our community but other minorities too. I chose to incorporate bright reds, yellows, blues, and greens because they are the most commonly used colours in Asian flags. By writing the poem in black paint over the image surface, I wanted to insert confrontational dialogue and a direct address into the piece. I want the viewer of this series to challenge their own beliefs and ideas surrounding Asian women and consider what it means to be one. I’m incredibly grateful to all the divine women involved in this project. Finding the agency and freedom to reframe and elevate the image of Asian women was absolute magic. What do you find the most fulfilling about your art? The most challenging? Art has always been a form of healing for me. It’s something I’ve done very ritualistically since I was a child, and it continues to teach me things about myself to this day. One of the most fulfilling things that have come out of doing art has been the community of artists I’ve been lucky enough to encounter that push me to keep improving. It’s also been such a comfort in the ways that it allows me to express myself to other people. Sometimes it is very difficult and frustrating to deal with the constant pressure to be something I’m not – especially when it comes to being an independent artist and sharing your work online. There’s an expectation for you to churn out new content every week or every couple of days, but for me, all the pleasure in creating is removed when I am forced to create without intention. At the end of the day, it just goes to show how much capitalism has infiltrated our lives, and it’s important to disconnect from that way of thinking. Please stop taking gigs for “exposure” and, instead, demand that you are paid for your work –
as you would in any other profession. Making beautiful images is easy, but saying something through that is a lot harder and takes more time to craft. I don’t want to make fast food. I want to create work that touches people and makes them feel something. What pieces of art involving Asian women/Asian artists have caught your eye lately? I’ve been obsessed with Luo Yang ever since I went to her 2018 show, “Girls”, in my hometown. I absolutely loved Yaeji’s new album, WHAT WE DREW. Miki Kim and her wonderful tattoo designs. Any Wong Kar Wai film featuring Maggie Cheung or Faye Wong. Actually, any Wong Kar Wai film. Going to local DJ sets in LA to see Carrie Kaili and Luke Kim perform. Any of the beautiful collections made by Supriya Lele, Kim Shui, SHUSHU/TONG, or Yuhan Wang. John Yuyi’s entire body of work. I could honestly keep going forever. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing Asian women today? Being rendered invisible despite our protests. Our oppression being viewed as less valid or real. Few people are wanting or taking the initiative to educate themselves on how Asian women have suffered in the history of the world. The normalisation of fetishising Asian women. Dealing with the misogyny and restriction that is deeply rooted in a lot of cultures and traditions within Asia. What’s next for you? Any exciting new projects? At the moment, I’m finishing up post-production for a short film I directed last year called Tapioca Pearl. One of my very dear friends, Tee Park (@teejpark), wrote and acted in this film. I’ve been taking a much-needed break from photography to explore filmmaking, and I’m hoping to venture into making clothes and DJ sets. I’ve also been trying to focus more on community outreach and find ways to provide aid through art.
“I don’t want to make fast food. I want to create work that touches p e o p l e and makes them feel something.”
Xenophobi How the Outbreak
W
Image credit: Ashyka Chan INSTAGRAM: @ashykachan Su Wen Liew is a History undergraduate who enjoys writing opinion pieces, intending to delve into more journalism accompanied by lifestyle blogging and creative writing. In her spare time, she loves exploring the creative possibilities of makeup and fashion, especially with styling clothes alongside jewelry. Singing is also another pursuit of hers, which she consistently exhibits on Instagram and YouTube. Using this creative medium she aspires to write pieces that resonate with people who share similar feelings and experiences to her own. Her eventual goal is to make those who read or listen to her work more included, heard and feel less alone in their headspace. INSTAGRAM: @suwensushi YOUTUBE: Su Wen Liew
aandtheCoronavirus: k has Radicalised Views on Race
Written by Su Wen Liew
In light of the novel coronavirus pandemic and the increased xenophobia that has consequently ensued, I wanted to voice out a couple of thoughts that should be reinforced because of their urgency. As the coronavirus spreads, so too does the proportion of racist sentiment towards the global Asian community. A Singaporean student from UCL was assaulted on Oxford Street. An Asian American family, with a two-year old child, was held at knifepoint in Texas. Asian-Americans are concerned for their safety with President Trump’s labelling of Covid-19 as the ‘Chinese Virus’, spurring further tension alongside unnecessary marginalisation. The worst part is, all of these only reflect a handful of incidents out of the countless which have taken place more generally. From verbal attacks to direct physical conflict, these incidents, from very different parts of the world, all have a basic overarching similarity. This is a misconception of fear, which has been used to sustain a violation of human right. It is extremely alarming that these matters are not being taken more seriously, especially when individuals who appear to be ‘Chinese’ or who wear masks are being justified as scapegoats for the wider public’s frustrations. It is important to address these problems in a global context as they reflect normalised or ingrained perceptions of ‘the other’ in our society which is recurrently brushed off. I want to bring attention to the mass hysteria which has ensued, to challenge unfair assumptions of what some people think is acceptable. There is a difference between spreading fact and fiction, especially in the present day where the media plays an influential role in creating awareness. The latter is usually framed by misinformation that is underpinned by an agenda or prejudiced ideology. Unfortunately, this message of of blame and hatred now resonates with the virus itself, with race becoming the
core of the perceived problem. To write this is ridiculous in itself as we should be focusing on how we can help mitigate and alleviate the impacts of the disease. Yet, many of the actions and stories of discrimination which have surfaced, show how many are influenced by the rhetoric of condemnation instead of compassion In times of catastrophe, humanity should be able to stand together in solidarity, not question and blame one another for being the acclaimed ‘instigators’. Understandably, fear and concern are evident globally, but once again, it is not a justification to capitalise on anti-Chinese sentiment and radicalise people’s concerns. There is a dissimilarity between containing the virus with suitable measures and overtly stating that the country ‘received what it was asking for’. I don’t think anybody in the world, regardless of cultural barriers, wishes for these misfortunes to happen, especially when considering the Chinese New Year celebrations that coincided with the outbreak. Singling out every individual of Chinese descent and labelling them as ‘diseased’ or ‘dangerous’, is an extreme distortion of reality. Those who have chosen to speak and act critically, have associated these outcomes
“There is a difference between spreading fact and fiction, especially in the present day where the media plays an influential role in creating awareness.”
with the fate of the Chinese, somewhat warranting that they are undeserving of support. This shifting of blame does not provide a cure but spreads the disease even further through attitudes that become untreatable themselves.
eased carriers’ who should face full accountability. It is a myth that they are reserved and will only affect less technogically prepared countries. It is a myth that the colour of one’s skin is a representation of their inferiority or incapability. But it is a fact that this is a humanitarian criPigment and race have renewed racial in- sis, one where its people who are tolerances that were already harbouring, with the virus becoming a reason to irrationally bring these fears into play. There is a difference between rational action and being outright offensive as a reason for ‘protecting’ oneself. The “Yellow Alert” headline in France by the regional newspaper Le Courrier Picard and the trending hashtag “I am not a virus”, are merely some other instances of how backlash has riddled the Asian community with newfound fears of marginalisation. Although these were a few months back, these are subtle but important examples of how racist sentiment can override logic and most importantly, empathy. Unfortunately, personal experience is rarely treated as concrete or serious when it should be. Emotions are viewed through a lens of subjectivity, which gives the excuse for others to classify them as unevidenced when the experiences themselves should be enough to be valid. Feelings are challenging to explain analytically but despite I know that this is only an opinion, but I us all having different difficulties, pain encourage you to keep this in mind esand loss are all universal modes we have pecially in a time of struggle for those felt. However, this has been overridden affected and uncertainty for the future. by a sense of ‘difference’ and ‘the other’, Above all, Covid-19 should not be weapwhich has become a common denomi- onized to induce panic and justify prejnator amongst racists for enforcing this udiced assumptions. Not only that, but the fact that this Sinophobia is an issue, idea of us versus them. should make us question as a whole sociAbove all, I think it’s important to distin- ety, what kind of progress we are making guish that disease outbreaks are capable if these attitudes are still withheld in peoof happening anywhere. For instance, ple’s heads, only waiting to be cultivated new research evidence suggests that when disaster strikes? New York’s outbreak may have originated from Europe instead, challenging the misjudgement that the Chinese are ‘dis
“Emotions are viewed through a lens of subjectivity, which gives the excuse for others to classify them as unevidenced when the experiences themselves should be enough to be valid.”
The Case for Universal Health Care Written by Ashley Chen Ashley Chen is the political columnist for Overachiever Magazine. She’s an undergraduate student from New York majoring in Political Science. Her activism is centered upon voter education and civic engagement. Her other areas of interest would include educational equity, reproductive rights, gentrification, climate change and the list goes on. In her free time, she loves to watch films and create collages. INSTAGRAM: @ash.leyyyy The discussion of health has become heightened over the past few months as the COVID-19 pandemic takes the lives of thousands, overwhelms hospitals and forces us into quarantine. If there is one thing that we can take away from this situation is that our healthcare system lacks the structure to serve underprivileged communities. This is precisely why these communities have been hit the hardest by the virus and it’s reflective of the systemic racism in the United States. Unfortunately, health care remains to be a highly debated issue in American politics. Politicians and greedy corporations have waged the lives of the American people for profits. It should be known that healthcare is a basic human right and the only system that will make sure all Americans receive the proper care is a single payer system. In 2018, it was reported that 30.4 million people in the United States were uninsured ranging from all ages, which is about 9.4 percent of the population (Cohen et al., 2019, p. 1).
When we look at the communities that make up this statistic, it is overwhelmingly those who are marginalized. Within the Asian-American community, 7.4 percent of the population under the age of 5 are uninsured (CDC, 2018, p. 1). These statistics are indicative of the disadvantages that many families are currently facing amidst the pandemic. Many are debating between affording medical costs and simply surviving, which should never be a dilemma that any family has to face. One could only assume that the COVID-19 statistics that the CDC and our local governments are actually underreported given that many families are afraid of the hefty medical bills when seeking testing or treatment. On debate stages and media outlets, we often hear the terms “single payer system” and “multi-payer system.” For many of us, it can be difficult to understand all of the jargon that is presented to us as health care is a complex subject to begin with. However, the following is a brief distinction between the two systems. Under a single-payer
system, the federal government pays for our health care services through tax collection. Currently, the United States has a multi-payer system where there are public and private health insurances. The government offers public health insurance programs like Medicaid and Medicare. Some private health insurance companies would include MetLife, United Healthcare and Blue Shield that many Americans are under. Those who argue for a multi-payer system believe in consumers’ choice and that people have the right to decide the type of insurance plan that works for them. However, the main issue with the multi-payer system is the astronomical costs of premiums and copays that private health insurance companies charge. This is indicative of a larger issue within this country which is capitalism and how it continuously oppresses the middle and lower class. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has been a champion for “Medicare for All” and his plan would change the lives of millions. Under Sander’s plans, there would be no charges made when one visits the doctor or is admitted to an emergency room. These costs would be fully covered under the “Medicare for All” plan.
By doing this, it alleviates the burden that many families face when considering treatment of any kind. The debate surrounding health care continues to be difficult to fathom as it should be widely recognized as a right. Every person in this country should be able to prioritize their well-being, which is something this country is unable to allow their citizens to do. We lack a welfare system where our health and economy are able to grow together. Nevertheless, we will come out of this crisis knowing more than ever that drastic measures need to be taken to ensure that future health crises will not disproportionately impact communities of color. When prioritizing health becomes socially acceptable in this country is when we truly know that radical change has been made. Until then, we must mobilize and continue to advocate for a system that serves everyone. Lastly, we must continue to support our health care workers, community leaders and local business owners who are on the frontlines protecting our communities. On behalf of the Overachiever staff, we thank you for your service.
Sources Cohen , R. A., Terlizzi , E. P., & Martinez, M. E. (2019, May). Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview, Survey 2018. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur201905.pdf Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey, 2018. (2018). Retrieved from https://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/NHIS/SHS/2018_SHS_Table_P-11. pdf
THE CULTURAL APPROPRIATION OF
I
f you grew up in a Indian (or otherwise Desi/brown) household like I did, you know that haldi is worth its weight in gold. If you didn’t grow up in an Indian household, then you probably identify turmeric as the stuff that gives curry its yellow colour. But turmeric goes far beyond curry, both from a medical and social perspective. This sought-after spice has been part of trade wars and makes up a large industry in terms of food exports from India to the rest of the world, and warrants more attention than perhaps it gets right now. Here’s why…
TURMERIC The Health Issue Written By | Anu Joshi
Before the LA-esque hipsters of the Western world rediscovered this magical substance and started adding it to their drinks, American scientists tried to take credit for discovering the health benefits of this spice, with blatant disregard for its wellknown ayurvedic history from the Indian subcontinent. In 1995, researchers from the University of Mississippi Medical Center obtained a patent for turmeric, claiming the benefits of the oral and topical use of turmeric powder (1). Indian scientists argued that these researchers were “poaching on… ancient healing techniques” and misappropriating generations-old traditional knowledge (2). “India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)… argued that turmeric, a native Indian plant, had been used for centuries by its people for wound healing, and so lacked the “novelty” criterion required for patenting” (3). They successfully got the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to withdraw the patent in 1997 (4). Before this fiasco in the Western world, turmeric has had a long, rich, and multi-purposed history in the Eastern world. From a large range of health benefits, as modern science has since discovered and re-discovered, to an important role in Indian cooking and social culture, turmeric is the epicentre of the Indian
household, if a spice could ever hold that coveted position.
culture and society?
Turmeric root, in its whole form, looks a lot like ginger. But unlike the pale yellow of ginger, the flesh of turmeric root is bright orange inside its brownish skin, and much orangier than the bright yellow powder we are more accustomed to seeing in our homes or at the supermarket. It undergoes a rigorous process from root to powder to packaging in order to be available in Indian (and now other) households all over the world.
As a daughter of immigrant parents that arrived in Canada at the start of the new millennium, I found myself constantly balancing my two identities: the East me (my roots, because that’s where I was born), and the West me (my home, because this is home for me now). When I was in elementary school, me and some other South Asian-origin kids were ridiculed when we brought rotisabzi (flatbread and cooked vegetables, an Indian staple meal) to school because it confirmed our spot as a part of the “curry-scented population” stereotype (9). Even today, many Indians and others from the subcontinent are accused of wearing “l’eau de curry,”(10) on their clothes. Yet, the spice behind all of this negativity, cultural stereotyping, and bullying, has recently risen to sudden glamour and fame. Potentially the same people that were part of our generation in elementary school, making fun of our food, our haldi-stained shirts, and our so-called curry-smelling homes, are now sitting at hipster cafes and bistros throughout the Western world and having revelations over chai teas and turmeric lattes… but these are not their revelations to have! Turmeric lattes, better known as haldi doodh to the average Indian household, are so glorified. Turmeric is even referred to as an “exotic” and fascinating thing, by some Western medical professionals, referring to turmeric casting spells, effectively equating it to witchcraft and wizardry (11).
Turmeric prides itself with numerous health benefits and medicinal properties, which our ancestors have arguably known for a lot longer than the last two decades or so, which is when it started to gain worldwide fame. 1 | Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic inflammation is sometimes a standalone problem, but more often, it is prevalent as one of the many factors in another disease and may increase discomfort experienced by the subject. “Therefore [turmeric] that can help fight chronic inflammation [and] is of… importance in preventing and even treating [such] diseases” (5). 2 | Turmeric applied topically can help with many external bodily ailments. As a part of what might be called ‘folk medicine’ in modern and scientific times, applying turmeric powder or paste to the body can cure ailments such as “sprains, cuts, injuries, swellings, skin infections, bites of insects… [and] wounds” (6). 3 | Turmeric has many digestive benefits. Used in many Indian foods, it’s safe to say that turmeric is pretty much a staple in the diet, as a spice added to cooking vegetables, lentils, curries, and more. This is because turmeric aids the digestion of food and “is said to be effective against flatulence, indigestion [and] diarrhoea” (7). 4 | Turmeric helps treat common colds and other ailments. In many Indian households, there is a tradition of drinking hot milk with turmeric in it (haldi doodh translating as ‘turmeric milk’) when one is suffering from a common cold or other ailment. Previously considered a home remedy or old wives’ tale, recent studies have shown that turmeric has “antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties which may help prevent and fight infections” (8). Haldi doodh doesn’t taste particularly good (speaking from personal experience), but it works. My grandmother has been a medical doctor (not of alternative treatments, rather as an actual physician with her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery), and she is just one of the many professionals that swear by the benefits of turmeric. It’s evident that the medicinal properties of turmeric are undeniable, but what about the other aspects of this spice and its route into Western
We’re not jealous that haldi doodh didn’t get as much fame before it got a name-change to turmeric latte (that, too, with a dropped ‘R’ so it’s somehow pronounced ‘toomuric’). Rather, we’re upset that the same thing about which kids from brown households would get made fun of, has now travelled into quaint, hipster coffee shops across North America and made it ‘big’ in social media and pop culture. It’s cultural appropriation… is what it is. References: Jayaraman, K. S. “US Patent Office Withdraws Patent on Indian Herb.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 4 Sept. 1997, https://www.nature.com/articles/37838. Chengappa, Raj. “Patents: India Wins a Victory over Turmeric but the War Is On.” India Today Magazine, Living Media India Limited, 14 May 2013, https://www.indiatoday.in/ magazine/science-and-technology/story/19970908-patents-india-wins-a-victory-overturmeric-but-the-war-is-on-832438-1997-09-08. Jayaraman, K. S. “US Patent Office Withdraws Patent on Indian Herb.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 4 Sept. 1997, https://www.nature.com/articles/37838. Chengappa, Raj. “Patents: India Wins a Victory over Turmeric but the War Is On.” India Today Magazine, Living Media India Limited, 14 May 2013, https://www.indiatoday.in/ magazine/science-and-technology/story/19970908-patents-india-wins-a-victory-overturmeric-but-the-war-is-on-832438-1997-09-08. Gunnars, Kris. “10 Proven Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin.” Healthline, Red Ventures Company, 13 July 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidencebased-health-benefits-of-turmeric. “Chapter 28: Turmeric, Section 4.2: Uses in Folk Medicine.” Handbook of Herbs and Spices, by Bhaskaran Sasikumar, Second ed., Woodhead Publising, 2012, https://www. sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780857090393500281. Chapter 28: Turmeric, Section 4.2: Uses in Folk Medicine.” Handbook of Herbs and Spices, by Bhaskaran Sasikumar, Second ed., Woodhead Publising, 2012, https://www. sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780857090393500281. Petre, Alina. “10 Benefits of Golden (Turmeric) Milk and How to Make It.” Healthline, Red Ventures Company, 12 September 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/golden-milk-turmeric. Kudva, Sonali. “Brown Girl Magazine.” Brown Girl Magazine, 17 May 2016, http://www. browngirlmagazine.com/2016/05/turmeric-latte-craze-amusing-south-asians/. Kudva, Sonali. “Brown Girl Magazine.” Brown Girl Magazine, 17 May 2016, http://www. browngirlmagazine.com/2016/05/turmeric-latte-craze-amusing-south-asians/. Glassman, Keri. “Tumeric: Why This Spice Is a Good Medicine.” WebMD, https://www. webmd.com/food-recipes/features/why-ls-turmeric-good-for-me.
How Being a Peace Co Me for Isolation During
Written by Sara Wei is a current Peace Corps Volunteer in China. She is serving as a visiting English professor at a Medical College. Prior to serving in the Peace Corps, Sara was the Chief Administrative Officer for the Department of Family Medicine and the Division of Geriatrics at UC Irvine Health. She has over 10 years of healthcare experience in hospital administration, finance, operations, strategy and innovation. For fun she became a certified yoga instructor and enjoys learning how to cook new healthy recipes. You can follow her adventures in China: WEBSITE: https://sarawei.com
Being a Peace Corps volunteer in China by far was one of the hardest and the most rewarding things I have ever experienced. Isolation was one of the biggest hardships that the China volunteers faced because of the large geography of the country. Traveling from city to city wasn’t always convenient and with a meager stipend, we didn’t have the means to travel often to visit friends. The volunteers were placed in 4 different provinces or municipalities in southwest China- Chongqing, Sichuan, Gansu and Guizhou. We were given the task of teaching English to college students. Some of us were lucky and we had a site mate (another volunteer) and while others (like myself) we were the only volunteers in our assigned schools. I had three other Peace Corps volunteers in my city and I relied on them whenever I wanted to speak in English. At my school there were approximately 12,000 students, 950 employees, and exactly one foreigner- me. I had no idea what I was in for, and I was completely alone. What proceeded over the next few months were lessons in street smarts, emotional intelligence and survival. Things that they don’t teach you in school. I was adjusting to a different language, culture and a new way of life. Being an Asian American volunteer had its own challenges. I was the first foreigner that people had ever met and nobody believed that I was American. It made me feel like I was an invisible foreigner. I wrote about that experience in another piece for Overachiever Magazine here. Initially, I didn’t realize it, but reflecting back on my experience, I discovered that I was far more flexible and resilient than I ever thought. During my first semester, I became very ill and had to travel over 300 miles to the doctor by bullet train. In addition, I also missed important family events back home. Throughout my time in China, I kept a diary of my experience and here are some excerpts that I wrote during those difficult times:
orps Volunteer Prepared the COVID-19 Pandemic
y Sara Wei October 2018Diary entry shortly after I became sick. My computer and phone aren’t working. I couldn’t even pay for my lunch today without my phone. The vendor took pity upon me and told me to pay him next time. There is no way I can connect to the outside world. I still can’t figure out how to use my TV because I can’t read Chinese. I can’t catch a break. But I know that I am stronger than this. I have gotten myself out of worse situations than not being connected to technology and being sick. I am not scared of my own thoughts.
November 2018- Diary entry from when my nephew was born. My nephew was born today!! We have a new person in our family! I am so excited and so sad at the same time. When I saw his picture for the first time I cried….I cried really hard. They weren’t just tears of happiness but also tears of sadness. The homesickness is really hitting me hard. I want to go home. I can’t believe I’m missing this. I really miss my f a m i l y .
October 2018Diary entry after being sick for so long. I’ve been sick for 45 days now. It’s always so cold here. My cough still hasn’t gone away. I pulled a muscle last week from coughing so much. I had to go to the hospital. I hate being alone. I just want to get better soon. I promise I won’t take things for granted anymore.
Living in a foreign country, navigating a new culture, learning a new language, while volunteering, being sick and being disconnected from the outside world was indeed very challenging. I had time for deep self reflection and an opportunity to reset myself. It was during this time that I developed some strategies on how to cope with isolation, uncertainty and stress. I learned to be my own best friend and found out that I really enjoyed my own company. It was also during this time that I learned that as a natural extrovert I could tap into my inner introvert. And ultimately, I finally understood what it meant to be alone but not lonely. The Peace Corps taught me what it meant to be resilient when faced with new unexpected challenges. I was able to find meaning during those difficult times. I thought about my nursing students who needed me to teach them English so that they could gain full nursing scholarships to Singapore. As I was the only foreigner teacher at the school, I couldn’t let them down. I thought about my nephew who was about to be born. Which would mark the first time that I wasn’t physically next to my brother for a major life event. But I told myself that being far away from my loved ones and going through these challenging experiences would be worth it. Because when my nephew is old enough I will tell him about my adventures in China, and I will teach him about the land of our ancestors. The light at the end of the tunnel was realizing that my strong bonds with other people would pulled me out of darkness. It was the self actualization that a meaningful life was going to be a life of serving other people. In essence, my Peace Corps service was a healing experience because it taught me how to be a better and more compassionate person. Right now, we have been asked to socially isolate ourselves for the good of humanity. Many of us are at home, some are alone and some are with other people. Each with their own challenges. Nonetheless, feelings of loneliness can be difficult during this period of isolation. We are living in a connected society where the 24/7 news cycle can be overwhelming and social media is a love/hate trap of comparison and connection to the outside world. Human beings are social creatures that rely on social connections to survive. In the past, humans with the strongest social ties were more likely to survive predators in the nomadic hunter gatherer societies. Emotional connections give humans a desire to want to protect and work together to survive. The feelings you have of loneliness, longing, and connection are valid. The feelings of loneliness are like a built in biological alarm system telling us to find people. It’s similar to our brains telling us to eat or drink water when we are hungry and thirsty. These feelings have evolved to push us to want to be in groups- to want to survive. To be honest, I feel like my life right now in social isolation isn’t so different than my life when I was in the Peace Corps. I am still separated from my loved ones and still spend most of my time alone. I surprised myself by how quickly I was able to adapt to my new lifestyle in America. Below are some self care techniques I used in the Peace Corps that have continued to serve me well during the current self isolation. I hope they provide you with some comfort and ideas during this difficult time. Who knows, maybe one day you might even look back fondly upon these memories. To be honest, I feel like my life right now in social isolation isn’t so different than my life when I was in the Peace Corps. I am still separated from my loved ones and still spend most of my time alone. I surprised myself by how quickly I was able to adapt to my new lifestyle in America. Below are some self care techniques I used in the Peace Corps that have continued to serve me well during the current self isolation. I hope they provide you with some comfort and ideas during this difficult time. Who knows, maybe one day you might even look back fondly upon these memories.
1.
Creating a routine will help prevent depression and will keep you busy. It doesn’t need to be an exact routine but a general guideline of how you want your day to look like. Make sure it’s something that works for you. For example: don’t say wake up at 7am when realistically you wake up at 9am everyday. Create small wins and give yourself things to look forward to. I made a calendar for myself and would input things I would look forward to doing for the week. This could be something as small as a workout to my favorite music or cooking food that reminded me of home.
2.
It’s important to take care of your physical health- exercise improves your mental well being. Create your own home practice. Do stuff that YOU enjoy otherwise you’ll never be interested in it. If you don’t like yoga don’t do it. If you like dancing, find online videos. Many dance studios are even offering online classes right now. If you’re a competitive person- start a challenge with an online group. The internet has endless types of workouts based on your level and interest. Try things out to see what fits best for you.
3.
Stay present and recognize your feelings and thoughts. This is probably the first time so many of us have had so much alone time. Embrace it, meditate on it. Our minds are usually wandering in the past or in the future. Learn to stay present. It’s ok to be scared- I actually wrote in my daily routine that I give myself time to feel scared, sad and anxious about everything that is going on. Remember to take things one day at a time, your feelings are temporary and they will pass. And at midnight every night, you get to reset and start your day all over again.
4. 5. 6.
Practice gratitude- I also kept a gratitude journal during my Peace Corps service. I found that the act of writing down what you are grateful for everyday does wonders in changing one’s perspective on things. I was grateful for the sun, I was grateful to be able to move my limbs, I was grateful for food. What are some things you look forward to doing after this is all over? What are things that you once took for granted? How will you be a better person once this is all over? Reflecting will give you the opportunity to reset. Create your own village- Socialize virtually with your loved ones. While I was in the Peace Corps I realized the quality of my relationships, not the quantity was what made me happy. I made sure to reach out to my friends and family to have meaningful conversations with them. If video chatting or phone calls aren’t your thing you can always write emails or letters to people (and you don’t even need to send them if you don’t want to). The act of focusing on communicating with someone else can help improve your mood. Do something for someone else- Acts of kindness are a way to still feel connected to the world. For example you could write a nice comment online, check in on a friend, deliver groceries for a neighbor, say something nice to someone over the phone. If you contribute to another person’s happiness it will help with your own resiliency. Studies have shown that serving and thinking about others contributes to your own happiness. Make kindness your new habit.
7.
The Arts: Having so much solitude made me appreciate the arts so much more. Read or reread some of your favorite books – When I was younger I loved to read and then college hit and I stopped. After college came my job and everyday after work I was too mentally exhausted to want to read. This time of solitude felt like the perfect time to read and reread some of the books I once loved. It gave me a newfound appreciation for books as I felt like I could go on an adventure without ever having to leave my house. I eventually made a running list of all of the books I read during service along with some of my favorite lessons from all of them. Listen to music and take the time to read the lyrics. I guarantee it will make you respect the artist more and you will feel more connected with the world. I used music a lot to learn Chinese and it connected me to my students who were trying to learn English. We would laugh at our grammar mistakes together and I learned that music really does transcend cultures. Listen to podcasts/audiobooks- As an auditory learner, hearing a familiar voice tell a story or laugh made me feel more connected to humanity. And honestly, it helped me reconnect with English because I was using so much Chinese that I had started to forget certain English words.
8.
Monitor the type of media that you consume- The opposite of panic is education but you need to have the right type of information. Too much exposure and misinformation can affect your mood. I’m not saying to disconnect (you could too) but just be mindful about your intake. Maybe set aside a couple times per day where you’ll check the news instead of every hour. It will require some self discipline but I promise you it will help your mood.
9.
Learn something new! Stay curious! Take an online class, now would be the time to learn that thing you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time to do. Take up a new hobby-learn a new language? sew a quilt? learn an instrument? write? try and cook new recipes, maybe have a cooking competition with your siblings? friends? The possibilities are endless as long as you stay creative and curious.
10.
Have compassion for yourself – If you are feeling alone think about advice that your friend give you. There are millions of people going through what you are going through now. If you feel like you are alone, know that you never walk through life alone. You will make it out on the other side with a better sense of who you are and hopefully with more compassion and appreciation for human kind.
As we go on this journey together, we don’t know what the future holds but what we do know is that our world will be different. We will be different. This epidemic will be part of humanity’s collective memory. Human beings are resilient creatures and we will adjust to a new world.
June 2019Diary entry written one year after I started my Peace Corps service I realized that I’m okay being alone in a new city in a foreign country. I’ve learned that I will always figure things out.
“All this C will give you a
ANDY
COUGH
”
and Other Lies I Thought my Chinese Mum Told me Written by Natalie Brierly Leveraging candy and sweets for good behaviour is a classic parenting technique used to condition children all around the world. But growing up in Hong Kong, arbitrary diet changes were very much the norm. My mum, like every Chinese aunty I knew, periodically took away my sugar privileges, drowned me in ginger tea or other concoctions as part of a seasonal illness prevention, and I accepted her remedies as doctor-approved facts. My sister and I rarely questioned any of it, and did not receive an apt explanation when we did. Growing up in London, I spent years challenging, rebelling and fact-debunking my mum’s recipes and beliefs to only find myself now wrapped up in what I thought were a bunch of old wives’ tales, hidden agendas and lies. Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, has an entirely different belief system to Western Medicine. Rather than using evidence-based theories on chemistry and anatomy, TCM focuses on the human body as a connection of mind and body systems, and uses herbal products, acupuncture or physical remedies such as ta chi, to seek and facilitate harmony in the body. A body whose system is in harmony represents health and wellbeing, and therefore disharmony brings illness and disease. Through a set of theories, applications and herbal remedies practiced over 3000 years, TCM has formed a rich and sophisticated system with a huge diversity of medicines and applications, and the herbs and treatments today are widely used. A treatment that seeks ‘harmony’ may seem like an outdated pseudoscience, but the sophistication and complexity of these theories shouldn’t be discredited just because of this. A system, according to TCM, is an invisible energy pathway connecting and responding to various ‘Meridian’ connections. There are 12 Meridian pathways, responding to an internal organ, such as the Liver Meridian, carrying energy, blood and information. The vital energy which flows through these pathways is called ‘Qi’ (pronounced “chee”.) The blockage or clogging of the Qi, therefore, affects the whole bodymind-spirit and ultimately disrupts the harmony of the body expounded in the offset of Yin and Yang. In short, there are six external factors which disrupt the free-flowing ‘Qi’. First is “Wind”, characterised by sneezing, headaches or chills. Then, ‘Cold’, which in excess can damage pathways causing the stagnation ‘‘qi’ and blood flow. The third is ‘Heat’ which damages your ‘Yin’ and is characterised by thirst or fever. The final three, ‘Dryness’, ‘Dampness’ and ‘Summer heat’ are less common. More localised popular remedies have grounded theories in these six ‘evils’. The cures are usually always a unique mix of a great grandmother’s recipe and a loosely passed-down anecdote from the auntie’s Wechat group chat.
Once I understood these theories, popular sayings such as ‘candy will give you a cough’ started to make sense. Candy and sweets are a ‘heaty’ food, damaging the Yin, yin deficiency therefore leads to inflammation of the lungs due to the blocked pathways in the Lung Meridian, the inflammation then leads to a cough. During the colder months, ginger is taken to heat up the ‘Cold’ in the body, this can be taken alongside loquat fruits or African sea-coconut tonics to cure the heat in the lungs. My mum’s favourite hack was making us sleep with white flower oil –a liquid ten times stronger than your classic Vicks vapour rub all over my pressure points. This potion actually created heat in the body to unclog the blocked Qi in the body which helped cure achy bones and flu symptoms. The list of potions and herb mixtures to aid and protect each Meridian is endless. Other sayings follow the same thinking, Chinese women are told not to wash their hair when they’re on their period as this exposes the head, the beginning of most meridian systems, to ‘Wind’. Days after the menstrual cycle, women should focus on replenishing the blood to avoid ‘Qi’ stagnation, and drinking the infamously bitter ‘Dong Quai’ tea or red dates are hugely helpful. My growing confidence in my British Chinese identity, along with crippling hypochondria and a ten-year struggle with acne finally led me to research into TCM myself. The education of an entire medicine theory, including the systems, concepts and herbal concoctions, from my bedroom in English-translated sources meant that finally I could unpack my mum’s lies. Every visit to my Chinese aunties and uncles, I was told repeatedly that the amount of candy and lack of exercise was causing my acne no longer seemed like lies, superstitions or hidden agendas, and in reality, had some sort of TCM core backing. After 8 years of pumping artificial hormones and antibiotics into my body, my self-proclaimed expertise in Chinese medicine helped me regain control of my skin. Living in London today these herbs have never been more accessible. My monthly dose of ‘Dong Quai’ can be purchased at a local Holland and Barrets or Wholefoods, and some supermarkets sell a range of tinctures and tablet forms of ginseng and other herbs. I have even insisted that my non-Chinese friends practice some of the basics of TCM. After boasting the results of acne clearing teas, my housemate claimed that if it really works then why hasn’t Western doctors prescribed it? Western appropriations of TCM rely on anecdotal evidence, seen as an alternative and more benign approach to healing. There are claims to cure cancer, untreatable diseases and less tangible issues such as depression and anxiety a simple influx of chemicals or antibiotics just can’t plaster over. Although these practices have become more and more popular, alongside homeopathy and other more benign trends, it is, simply, the fact that using one antibiotic to systematically kill of all the bad (and good) bacteria in the body can cure an illness in around a week. There is a plethora of evidence, testing and strong scientific proof, there is even legal and institutional backing. Even though, antibiotics begs a host of underlying problems and side-effects, we have been normalised to endure this for fast results. Chinese medicine relies on the trials and tribulations of different herbs, unblocking of Qi through acupuncture, and overall lifestyle changes to harmonise the body’s Meridian systems. Sometimes there isn’t the luxury of time for this long-winded approach, and other times they, like me when I was younger, lack the discipline to simply accept ancestor’s teachings as the truth. It is a shame that it took me multiple Western prescriptions and unequivocal desperation for an acne cure to finally believe my mum’s claims, but no doubt will my children also drink all the herbs and potions I had to, with no explanation either.
Are Mainstream Outlets Ignoring Us? Written by Mie Murasa
Mie Murasa lives in the UK and has just graduated from high school. She loves reading, travelling and Asian cinema. INSTAGRAM: @mie.murasa Media coverage of the coronavirus has been invaluable in keeping us updated with the ever-developing situation we all find ourselves in. However, we cannot ignore the fact that mainstream news networks remain silent and fail to recognise the true extent of racial incidents against Asian Americans. News reports have tended to verge on the possibility that the current climate could lead to increased xenophobia against Asians. Less attention (if any) is paid to actual incidents. This unconsciously reinforces Donald Trump’s rhetoric which blames the Asian community whilst suggesting at most, that there has been “nasty language” used against us – a blatant understatement. The Asian American new site Next Shark, reports and fact checks rapidly increasing incidents of violence and discrimination including attempted murder and online hate posts on a daily basis. As a British Asian, these reports have truly disturbed me. The silence from mainstream media outlets is simply deafening. Media representation of Asian stories has always been incredibly scarce, yet the past few years showed promise of positive change. The popularity of BTS has furthered the interests of Asians worldwide and Hollywood movies like Crazy Rich Asians have defied expectations. Even at the start of this year, Parasite ruled supreme over the most prestigious award shows. The tide felt like it was turning. Mainstream media was all too happy to share in the success of the Asian community worldwide. However, news networks who supported these victories now seem disingenuous, given the lack of stories and reports that highlight the true impact of this current crisis on Asians across the world. Now more than ever it is vital that we all call upon news outlets and publications to highlight our stories. We cannot remain ignorant as people are discriminated against for a pandemic out of their control. The pressures on everyone’s daily life are undoubted. But as Asians, on top of that we carry the burden of fear and heartbreak as we see what is happening to our community. Silence only allows hatred to grow. Mainstream media must be held responsible and use their platform to highlight this current plight in order to prevent hate and protect the Asian community.
om.