A Video on Social Media Shunjie Bi

Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Australia, 03/12/2018

It has been six months since my injury.

Yesterday, as I scrolled through social media, I could not continue to avoid the basketball video content. I was attracted to the background of one video. It was the basketball court in Carlton Gardens, one I had always played at when living in Melbourne. The court was occupied by a Chinese player framed as they played basketball by the trees, stands, basket and atmosphere I remembered.

From behind my screen I imagined that I was the Chinese player in the video.

I arrived in Melbourne from China with a basketball so that I could go to Carlton Garden to play after class every afternoon. I remember how lovely summer was in Melbourne as I picked my sports gear and made my way to the court from Swanston Street cutting along Queensbury and through the inner city suburb of Carlton.

But, this was a memory, and I was at home in Gejiu a town I was born and that playing basketball would no longer be part of my life.

My leg injury is a constant reminder of a joyous life in Melbourne. Every time I walk the faint pain felt on my achilles unlocks the urbane environment of small houses and discreet streets between home and the court, encouraging me to pause and remember.