Came to enjoy quietness of Sammamish lake park (first time here) before the storm of lightening-speed-quarter-system academic year at UW, and found myself in the middle of grazing-our-cows-with-my-cousins-in-the-fields-of-Konibodom-like place 🥹

Since the sanctions, EU-Russia trade has been flowing thru Central Asia – trade intermediary since before the CE. Here is another historical parallel. After a border dispute, the Qing suspends the direct Kiakhta rhubarb trade with Russia (1785–1792). It results in a detour, benefiting Central Asia.

- what is your first step in reading such text?
- crying.
(c)

Snail pace progress (?) #Chaghatai paleography

This reminded me the premise of Marshall T. Poe’s The Russian Moment in World History… i.e., Russia really had to expand/be on the offense to defend herself from European imperialism…

Presented my first history research paper on slave trade in Central Asia at REECAS Northwest conference!

It’s a privilege to vote where the votes matter. #itsourvote #truenorthstrongandfree

Four books of 2024 that lingered longer in mind/ found useful

Me finishing Kang’s book on Gwangju Upraising this morning.

We call all the cruelty, brutality happened in history and happening today – “inhumane”, yet they are done by us, by humans, repeatedly… over and over…

These is how her 1 & 2 look for now ☺️

My left-handed preschooler automatically writes/reads letters & numbers from left to right. I can only imagine how natural it’d have been for her to write if we had lived in Iran or Arabic countries…