Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 232

“My husband passed away eight years ago. His death ruined my...

“My husband passed away eight years ago. His death ruined my life. I couldn’t pay rent anymore. The people in the neighborhood tried to help me at first. Every day they would arrange two or three hundred rupees to pay my bills and send groceries to my house. But eventually their charity ran out and they told me it was time to seek help from God. Now I sleep on the floor of a relative’s house, and during the day I sit here and beg to pass the time. This is the fate God has chosen for me. When I talk about these things, my heart begins to sink. If I stay quiet, I feel OK.”

(Karachi, Pakistan)

“My father was killed in a suicide bombing in 2003, while he was...

“My father was killed in a suicide bombing in 2003, while he was attending Friday prayers. We were at home. We’d prepared a lunch for him and were expecting him any minute. Suddenly our relatives began calling to ask if he’d been at the mosque. He left us a small, sweet message before he died. He said: ‘I love you all and follow what I taught you.’ The ambulance driver told us that he refused to be taken away, and that he insisted they treat other people first. We believe he was martyred. And we believe that those who are martyred never die. We think he’s still with our family and shares our concerns. Whenever I am tense or nervous, or achieve something big, I smell him. He had his own smell. I don’t know how to describe it.”

(Karachi, Pakistan)

“I’ve been complaining about a good friend to my colleagues...

“I’ve been complaining about a good friend to my colleagues recently, and I need to stop. This is someone who’s been like a brother to me. When my pockets were empty, he stepped in to help me out. Recently he’s done some small things that bother me. And I’ve somehow allowed those small things to blind me from all the big things that he’s done in the past.”

(Karachi, Pakistan)

“He’s my only grandchild. Every time he does anything, I enjoy...

“He’s my only grandchild. Every time he does anything, I enjoy it. The other day he pulled down the TV set. I didn’t even mind.”

(Karachi, Pakistan)

“I want to be a teacher, like my...

“I want to be a teacher, like my mom.”

“What’s the key to being a good teacher?”

“Don’t hit the children.”

(Karachi, Pakistan)

“On her sixth birthday, two of her friends came over and...

“On her sixth birthday, two of her friends came over and brought her presents. One of the presents was big, and the other was small. The friend who’d brought the big present was laughing at the smaller present. It was so hard for me to not intervene. I was so used to telling my daughter how to act and what to say. But I decided that this time I’d sit back and see how she responded. “I like both my presents the same,” she said. And I remember feeling so proud, because I knew that what I’d been teaching her was working.”

(Karachi, Pakistan)

“The last business I worked for got attacked. It started with...

“The last business I worked for got attacked. It started with phone calls– making threats and asking for money. My boss refused to pay. Then one day, two men on motorcycles pulled up and started shooting. The security guards ran away. My friend was shot. A few days later, the calls started again. My new business is too small to get extorted, but I still feel the effects. All my materials cost more, because the cost of extortion gets passed all the way down the supply chain.”

(Karachi, Pakistan)

“My father made this business and I took it over from him. He...

“My father made this business and I took it over from him. He was a self-made man. His own father died young, so he only studied up to fifth grade. He quit school and started delivering food and tea when he was ten. Eventually he bought this small table, and grew it into a restaurant with 27 tables. He wanted us to have a better life. With all the work he put into us, I should have accomplished more. But I was responsible for my own destruction. He sent me to one of the best high schools in the city, but he was always at work. So I had no supervision and all I did was play video games. He worked so hard for me and I didn’t even study. But my son will be different. He’s going to be an important man.”

(Karachi, Pakistan)

“My mom is afraid of me studying abroad because she thinks...

“My mom is afraid of me studying abroad because she thinks I’ll stand out too much. I asked her: ‘How is that any different than here?’”

(Karachi, Pakistan)

“We lost by 47 runs yesterday. We’re not in good form...

“We lost by 47 runs yesterday. We’re not in good form because our moms won’t let us practice during exam time.”

(Karachi, Pakistan)