by Li Lu (Sherry)
Fall 2022
Last year, I followed the video uploader, Sparrow Zhazha and her series called “Wild Journey.” Sparrow is my favourite uploader and the first time I saw her video I was curious about the image of a woman with a swollen and tired face. I thought to myself which silly uploader deliberately did something beyond her ability in order to attract attention? However, the content was completely unexpected.
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Fifteen fully charged power banks, three solar panels, a drone, a GoPro, a satellite phone and a smartphone were all she had when she entered the jungle. She then took off her clothes, put them in a bag and buried them in the soil, beginning the 100-day expedition.
In the early days, she ate wild persimmons and dug thatch roots, and tied herself to an olive tree with a rope to sleep. The next most important thing was making a fire. “Making fire is the most important part of this survival challenge. I dare not start at will, for fear of the blow of failure. I had to start because it was the key to the success or failure of the challenge," she said. After a series of difficulties and failures, she finally ignited an important spark.
Nonetheless, the biggest difficulty in surviving alone in the jungle was not the threat of the external environment, but the inner loneliness. The famous character Robinson Crusoe, who lived on an isolated island, had Friday's company, but she had no one to chat with. What impressed me the most was that, in order to dispel the loneliness, she incarnated the Nuwa, a goddess in Chinese mythology, who created human beings by making clay figurines. She used clay to make a cute little companion to accompany her. It was her optimistic spirit that moved me and spurred my deep admiration for her.
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All her videos are real documentaries like Survival on a Deserted Island. Apart from herself, there are no photographers, no professional or prop teams to arrange prey. It was all adaptable, and she had to take into account everything as much as possible, which was very difficult. Her videos bring a very real feeling, and the audience can follow the camera to experience the kind of calmness, perception, and awareness she has when facing nature alone.
She is an excellent survivor and has many excellent qualities that I can learn from. Her strength, independence, optimism, and curiosity about the world inspires me. She made me realize a lot of life principles, and that knowledge cannot be learned in textbooks alone. I want to be brave like Sparrow!
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