The Worlds I Live In
Wuhanese international student Xinyi makes an anxious, memorable trip to the supermarket during the first nationwide lockdown in March 2020.
用简体中文阅读这篇漫画 (Simplifed Chinese)
用繁體中文閱讀這篇漫畫 (Traditional Chinese)
Click the expansion arrow to open this slideshow in full-window view. The panels in the English-language comics have a descriptive caption for screenreaders.
Panel 1
An aerial view of Dunedin. It’s Monday 6th April 2020. “It’s been almost two weeks since Aotearoa first went into lockdown…” Xinyi narrates.
Panel 2
“…and I have not stepped outside of my house since then,” she concludes. Xinyi sits at her computer. She’s talking with her Mum.
Mum: “How are your studies, Xinyi?”
Xinyi: “They are ok, but it’s all online now and I find it’s harder doing it this way. How are you and the family doing in Wuhan, Mum?”
Mum: “I hope it will get better for you as time goes on… and you don’t need to worry too much about us...”
Panel 3
Close-up of framed family photos. Mum: “We managed to buy some food and masks from the group purchases in online chats. We think Uncle just got a cold, it’s not Covid. He is getting better.”
Panel 4
An aerial view of Wuhan, China. Xinyi: “That’s so good to hear. My friend’s parent and grandparents weren’t so lucky… They’ve passed away from Covid. I don’t know what I would do if I was in their situation, to be honest, but I just tried to be there for them.”
Panel 5
A screenshot of Xinyi’s phone. We see a chat app showing various offensive messages about Wuhan from Xinyi’s friends. The message “Xinyi has left the chat.” is displayed at the bottom of the messages.
Panel 1
A montage of three images. The first is of a mobile phone indicating a video, with the words “Covid-19 update”. The second shows Dr Ashley Bloomfield addressing the camera. The third shows a man in a hospital being attended to by two doctors.
Xinyi continues to narrate:
Dr Ashley Bloomfield’s update at 1pm: “67 new cases. Today there are 13 people in hospital, including 3 in ICU. 1 in Wellington, 2 in Auckland, 1 is in a critical condition. Many doctors and nurses have been infected themselves. Across Italy, roughly 8,300 have tested positive for the virus. More than 60 have died.”
Panel 2
We’re inside a bus. A male passenger yells “Go back to China or else we are all going to die!” at someone. A text box says offers a news headline from New Zealand: “Chinese Kiwi woman on bus told to go back to China”.
Panel 3
A man attacks a woman wearing a mask. A text box provides a news headline from a social media feed: “Chinese woman gets attacked for wearing a mask in New York City.”
Panel 4
A man punches a woman. Another text box. This time with a news headline from China, which translates to “Chinese woman physically assaulted in Berlin”.
Panel 5
Xinyi looks at a stream of news articles on her phone. “This is terrible,” she thinks. “And it’s the Asian women that seem to be targeted.”
Text box with an American news article: “There are currently more than 337,000 confirmed coronavirus patients in the US… The total number of cases worldwide topped 1.2 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll is more than 68,000.”
Xinyi stands in the queue at a supermarket.
Panels 1–3
A long queue of people. “The first time I left the house was to go to the supermarket…” Xinyi narrates.
Woman in queue: “How long have you been waiting?”
Xinyi: “Sorry, what?”
Woman: “How long … have you … Oh! Nevermind!”
Panel 4
Xinyi, looking despondent, to herself: “Am I the only Asian-looking person here, is that why I can sense that they are looking at me? Will they says something racist to me? Ugh I just want to get this over and done with… Now what is it that I have to buy?”
Panels 1–5
Xinyi picks an apple from the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket.
Xinyi, to herself: “Oh apples! We’ve run out of those… Just look carefully first, Xinyi. Don’t pick the apples with your hands… otherwise someone will say something…”
She grabs an apple.
“Dang! It’s rotten! I just have to take it, because I can’t put it back now… I’ve already touched it. Just gotta accept it for what it is, I guess. Can still eat the good bit.”
Xinyi places the apple in her basket.
Xinyi finishes her shopping and heads to the checkout.
Panel 1
Xinyi passes an aisle of empty shelves. She thinks to herself, “Wow, so it’s just like what my friend told me… People have been buying our bread and flour. And why do people like to hoard toilet paper? So weird.”
Panel 2
Xinyi approaches the self-checkouts. “I’d better check out my own groceries,” she thinks.
Panel 3
Xinyi selects an item on the checkout screen.
Panels 4 and 5
Xinyi reaches out to grab her basket, but knocks it over.
Panel 6
“Oh no!” exclaims Xinyi, aloud.
Panel 7
Xinyi’s basket of groceries is spilled on the ground. In the background people stand and watch.
Panel 8
As Xinyi picks up her items, a hand appears, holding an apple. “Kia ora, let me help you with that…,” a voice says.
Xinyi finishes up at the supermarket, before walking home.
Panel 1
The owner of the hand in the previous panel reveals himself to be a supermarket employee named Jay. “Oh did you realise one of your apples was rotten? I can go and get a new one for you,” he says. “Okay, I’ll be right back!”
Panel 2
Xinyi waits at the checkout while Jay gets a new apple. “What a nice guy,” she thinks. “It’s super busy… But he still went the extra mile to bring me a new apple… Maybe I shouldn’t assume the worst in people because of the racist incidents I read about.”
Panel 3
Jay produces an apple. “Everyone is different,” Xinyi thinks. “…And I can see that there is still kindness around me.”
Panel 4
Jay waves goodbye to Xinyi. “Thank you for the new apple, Jay!” Xinyi says. “No worries! Take care!” Jay replies.
Panel 5
Establishing aerial view of a quiet suburban scene.
Panel 6
Xinyi looks at the autumn leaves on a tree. “How beautiful,” she thinks. “If my mother and sister were here I’m sure they would love it.”
Panel 7
Xinyi walks down the street, passing a tree with a bright crochet-bombed trunk.
Xinyi is back in her apartment.
Panel 1
Xinyi talks to her housemate. “Thanks for doing the grocery shopping today!” He says. “How did it go? I know you were a bit nervous. If we weren’t in Level 4 I would have gone with you!” “Yeah, it was alright!” Xinyi replies. “Good for me to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I needed a break from the computer anyway.”
Panel 2
Xinyi receives a notification on her phone. We see a messaging app, containing a photo of the crochet-bombed tree trunk.
Panel 3
Xinyi’s Mum in Wuhan is looking at the photo on her phone. “That’s so beautiful!” she says. “Kiwis are so creative… Makes me feel inspired to pick up my knitting again.”
Panel 4
Xinyi’s Mum looks at a framed photo of her and Xinyi on the shelf. “The colours of the yarn remind me of the T-shirt I gave you,” she says. “When you wear it, you light top the room with beautiful colours.”
Panel 5
A closer look at the photo, showing Xinyi and her Mum smiling. “I would love to see you wear it again sometime,” he Mum says.
Panel 6
“Of course, Mum…” Xinyi replies. She turns off her phone.
Panel 7
Xinyi relaxes on her couch, looking out the window. A man walking his dog passes. “I want to share it with the world,” she says.
