The Tea Girl Of Hummingbird Lane Quotes
"Every story, every dream, every waking minute of our lives is filled with one fateful coincidence after another."
"A single kernel cannot change its direction... Where they alight is fate."
"People and animals and leaves and fire and rain—we whirl around each other like handfuls of dried rice kernels being tossed into the sky."
"Dogs are not human, but they live in the human world. They are not of the spirit world, but they have the gift of seeing spirits."
"The idea of wearing A-ma’s cape makes my skin tingle with excitement, like I have ants running up and down my arms and legs."
"Rice is to nourish, tea is to heal. Always remember that food is medicine, and medicine is food."
"If I’d waited for the nima to arrive and go into his trance—"
"We Akha are meant to roam, and right now I feel anxious to escape."
"You are a woman now," A-ma says, and the others nod their heads at the solemnity of the moment.
"We Akha never use that word to describe another human."
"You must make correct choices for the world to remain in balance."
"Our friendship will go on as far as the stars."
"You will work for me instead of selling your leaves elsewhere."
"Our blood is in this earth. It has nourished these trees. You are a part of them, and they are a part of you."
"Every plant, animal, and mote of dust has a soul."
"You may not understand it here," he says with a wave of his hand, "but change is happening across China."
"You’ve been my brightest student. You’ve been the light that kept me going—"
"Once you leave here, you’ll forget about my sister. So be it."
"I zip through the intersection on my moped, the city's pulse beneath my wheels, freedom and anticipation fueling my journey."
"I glance at my reflection, a portrait of hope and readiness, my future a canvas waiting for bold strokes."
"Makeup, a mask mandated by expectations, yet beneath it, my true self whispers of dreams and defiance."
"In the heart of Kunming, where tradition and modernity collide, I find myself at a crossroads, poised to chase a future I barely dare to envision."
"Hunger, both literal and metaphorical, sharpens my resolve, turning deprivations into stepping stones towards my aspirations."
"Tea, the essence of my homeland, becomes my ambassador, bridging worlds with its subtle strength and aroma."
"The interview, a dance of anticipation and anxiety, where every answer is a step on the tightrope of future possibilities."
"Electricity, once a marvel, now a silent witness to my transformation from a village girl to a seeker of destinies."
"Pu’er Tea College, a beacon of hope, where the legacy of ancient leaves intertwines with my dreams of a future brewed in ambition."
"Amidst the chaos of change, my heart, a fortress of memories and hopes, stands resilient, guarding the essence of who I am and who I aspire to be."
"I’m dizzy with emotion as the walls I’ve built to guard my heart crumble."
"I love you, and I would love to marry you, but you may not want to marry me when you know the truth about me."
"One mistake can change the course of your life. You can never return to your original path or go back to the person you were."
"If I hadn’t taken a bite of San-pa’s pancake. If I’d only listened to A-ma when she said she didn’t want me to see him."
"Whatever happens next, I want you to know that I’ll always think of you as an honorable man."
"Tea is the second most popular drink in the world after water."
"The biggest tea-growing countries are China, India, and Kenya."
"An hour spent drinking tea is the hour when the prince and the peasant share thoughts and ready themselves for the commonalities and woes of their separate lives."
"We Akha think so much about our ancestors and the spirit world in which they reside, but our sons and daughters in the world of the living prolong our lines in the direction of the future. They will be the next ancestors."
"By the time Paul and I leave for China the following month, I know what must happen. I hope my conviction will be enough to sway A-ma."
"What is another year to the mother and sister trees? In the twenty-eight years I’ve known of their existence, they seem unchanged."
"Each year when he visits, I look at him. He’s healthy. If someday he comes to me sick, I’ll do what I can for him as I do for every person on Nannuo Mountain."
"People are looking for this place. Mr. Huang already knows where it is."
"The inevitability of what’s coming... As uncontrollable as the wind."
"The power of international Chinese adoptees all around the world could be a force to be reckoned with!"
"I’ve known worry before—those terrible nights when you nearly died and your bad spell in high school—but this is a whole new level."
"Through the tea liquor, across streams, and under moon shadows we can understand that the separation between Man and Nature is not real."