Month: March 2020

I have always thought of foxes as some of the most elegant creatures on earth. They are cunning and sly and quick. Not to mention, they are just aesthetically pleasing.

However, it seems that in Chinese culture, foxes are not seen that way. In many stories, foxes are seen as beautiful women that make men fall in love with them because of how beautiful they are.

In many discussions with my classmates, we discussed the role of women in Chinese myth. In the story of Miss Ren, a man falls in love with a fox woman because of her beauty. This is a bit frustrating because women are so much more than what they look like and this story boils a woman down to a pretty face. My classmates also noticed that women are treated as more sexual objects than anything else.

Foxes in Chinese culture are really interesting. It is unfortunate, however, that the stories featuring foxes end up sexualizing women and making them seem like they are only good for being pretty.

I’ve kind of been going crazy these last two weeks. I like to have a plan and know exactly what I’m doing and now I don’t really know if I’ll ever actually feel secure in what I’m doing for the rest of the semester. I’m honestly already behind on work because I’m easily confused and I’m starting to lose my motivation. Which is dumb because I really do love all of the classes that I’m taking, I just hate being stuck in one place all the time.

            I liked being at Muhlenberg because I was constantly doing something, even if it was just going down to the practice rooms after a stressful day. Now I am just really stuck in my head. I am starting to get the hang of it, though.

            I had two successful zoom sessions this week with almost no problems except my power went out in the middle of one and I lost internet for a few minute, but I manages to fix it and keep relatively calm. I learned how to decoupage eggs with my mom which was fun. Now we do crafts together when I get too stressed put which is nice.

            The homework isn’t as difficult as I thought it was going to be. The problem is, I keep forgetting that I’m in another time zone so I keep turning stuff in an hour late, but I’m putting the correct times in my calendar, so I’ll get there soon. It’s a work in progress, but I’m getting there slowly but surely.

            The one thing that sucks the most is not having choir. That was the highlight of my week and I hate that I can’t sing with the women’s ensemble anymore this semester. On top of that, I can’t go to my voice lessons here because my parents won’t let me leave the house. Which I totally understand, music is just a good stress reliever for me.

            This had been a big change that I haven’t exactly enjoyed, but I have a great family and supportive people around me. I am confident that I will finish the year strong, no matter what happens.