PocketCultures brings you some reading material written by our own contributors on their personal blogs. Happy reading!

Mike, our contributor from Japan, published a photo taken at the house of a priestess in Itoman Okinawa

Ski, our contributor from Hong Kong, wrote a post about the medicinal uses of snakes in Chinese medicine.

One of the earliest recorded use of snakes in Chinese medicine was the application of sloughed snake skin, described in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (ca. 100 A.D.)? It was applied in the treatment of superficial diseases, including skin eruptions and eye infections or opacities.

Marie, our contributing editor from New Zealand, wrote about her feelings towards Asia in Coming of Age in Asia

When I first got to Asia I felt like I’d come home. For someone who doesn’t have a home town, that means a lot. I remember falling asleep in my tiny Hong Kong guesthouse with the TV on. I couldn’t turn it off because it was the familiarity of the Cantonese speaking that was lulling me to sleep. Asia was letting me know that I’d arrived where I was meant to. That I had some connection or reason for landing on this continent. Had I been here in another life? Why was it so familiar?

Anu, our contributor from India, describes her visit to a forest shrine in Wayanad.

A stone idol of Ganesha, with a small stone container (probably a lamp), with a feather lying by the side – doesn’t it look like the feather might be a quill, and the container might hold ink, ready for the Lord to pick it up and write? As the one who penned down the Mahabharata as Vyasa dictated it, the sight was appropriate, don’t you think?

Celia, our contributor from Kazakhstan, writes about natural disasters and earthquakes in that Central Asian country.

If you’re read­ing this and haven’t been to Kaza­khstan, I’m not sure what image you have of the peo­ple here. But I find my col­leagues and friends very thought­ful, and sev­eral peo­ple have asked me recently how things are in Okla­homa, as well as how the krizis (world­wide eco­nomic lag of the past few years) is affect­ing peo­ple at home.

 

Read more

From our contributors: week of May 20, 2013

From our contributors: week of April 7, 2013

From our contributors: week of February 4, 2013

 

 

About the author

Ana Astri-O’Reilly is from Argentina, where she lived until five years ago. She currently lives in Dallas, USA with her British husband, but they move a lot. Previously a translator and English and Spanish teacher, Ana first started writing to share her experiences and adventures with friends and family. She speaks Spanish, English and a smattering of Portuguese.