Nothing could more swiftly and effectively impede Megan Zhang's work as a freelance journalist and host of "Travelogue," an international travel show, than a global pandemic.
Before COVID-19, Zhang was in Chongqing, China, documenting its modest but vibrant culinary scene and in a city in Inner Mongolia, where temperatures dip to -22 degrees Fahrenheit and yet still feel right for daring athletes who race on snowmobiles or compete in Mongolian wrestling.
But like many of us, Zhang is stuck at home in Palo Alto. It's hard to tell when she'll be back out in the field.
"Throughout this whole pandemic, I've definitely felt very lost and uncertain," Zhang said in an interview with the Palo Alto Weekly. "The future kind of looks blank, almost."
Still, it hasn't stopped Zhang's passion for telling other people's stories. Since April, a month after California's lockdown began, she has collected stories of people from all over the world — China, England, the Czech Republic and Jordan, to name a few — and cities across the U.S. and shares them on her new website, TalkingThroughWalls.com.
In brief articles, she gives insight into the lives of a student, a teacher, a musician, a hotel owner — even a Florida resident who dresses in an inflatable unicorn costume and gallops around her neighborhood to spread joy during times of social distancing.
No story told in her project is the same, but they all serve a similar purpose.
"I just thought, maybe by bringing these stories to the surface, it might help people feel a little more connected or hopeful," Zhang said. "It's a little bit of a reminder that this fight is everybody's, and there are so many people trying to make a difference."
Using her journalism skills, and with the help of Zoom and her phone, Zhang has been able to seek out stories of resilience from all walks of life.
In Detroit, for example, Asha Shajahan, a medical director turned COVID-19 unit physician, told Zhang about the emotional toll of working five consecutive nights of 12-hour shifts, constantly treating infected patients.
"Dr. Shajahan recalls sometimes simultaneously covering 50 patients, many of whom were having difficulty breathing," Zhang wrote. "On some nights, she would see five patients pass away — usually with no loved ones at their side."
Even after being surrounded by so much death, Shajahan felt a sense of optimism, though "measured," when the influx of patients slowed down.
In a small town in Slovenia, just by the northern Italian border, Tina Čič told Zhang about her work on a historic stud farm, where the nearly five-century-old tradition of horse breeding has survived World War II — when American soldiers helped save thousands of horses on the farm from being potentially slaughtered by Nazis — and continues during the pandemic.
Each story shows how someone's life was suddenly disrupted by the global health crisis and how they have learned to adapt to a fluid situation. For Zhang, it's not only her passion project, but also her own source of hope.
"It's been just an amazing reminder of how much resilience and resourcefulness and strength is out there," Zhang said.
Zhang was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but moved through five different states and two different countries before her parents finally settled in the Bay Area. During her nomadic childhood and onward, Zhang always loved storytelling, whether through writing her own novellas or exploring her growing interest in videography and filmmaking.
"Some part of me always knew that I wanted to tell stories," Zhang said. "I just didn't know necessarily in what capacity."
That became more clear as she pursued her degree in broadcast journalism at New York University. As a journalist, Zhang realized she was free to do what she loved using many different avenues.
As a part-freelance journalist and part-presenter for China Global Television Network's "Travelogue," Zhang has traveled the world to share the stories of other cultures as she experiences them. One day, she hopes to visit Africa. But in the meantime, Zhang continues to look for her next story from home.
"I do very much believe that everyone has a unique perspective to share and that everyone is the protagonist of their own life story," Zhang said. "So if there's anyone out there who knows of someone who has a particularly inspiring, relatable or interesting story to share, I would love to hear it."
Anyone with a story they'd like to share with Megan Zhang can contact her at [email protected]
Find comprehensive coverage on the Midpeninsula's response to the new coronavirus by Palo Alto Online, the Mountain View Voice and the Almanac here.
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