Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 235

“He’s a very respectful husband. He’s different from a lot of...

“He’s a very respectful husband. He’s different from a lot of the men in this region. He never stops me from voicing my opinions. And if he ever notices me walking down the road, there’s always hot tea and apricot cake waiting when I arrive.”

(Passu, Pakistan)

“My life is on repeat, every day. This area is surrounded by...

“My life is on repeat, every day. This area is surrounded by water, but my village has no access, so every morning I make a two-hour trek to the glacier so we have something to drink. During the day I work to maintain this road. I get $100 a month. In the winter, I make daily trips to cut wood so we can stay warm. I can’t leave this land because it’s all I have. There is no happiness or sadness in my life. Only survival.”

(Passu, Pakistan)

“I just found out we’ve been evicted. Right after...

“I just found out we’ve been evicted. Right after you leave, I’m going to start packing up. I’ve got to find my family a new place to live by tonight. The landlady is a good woman. She’s just in a tough situation. Her disabled son lost his home. I’ll handle it. I’ve been through worse.”

(Hunza Valley, Pakistan)

“Sorry, my English is not good. I’m here to climb mountains. I...

“Sorry, my English is not good. I’m here to climb mountains. I left my husband and sweet childrens back in Austria.”

(Hunza Valley, Pakistan)

“When I’m bored, I call up Radio Pakistan and...

“When I’m bored, I call up Radio Pakistan and request a song, then I start dancing. I’ll even dance on a rainy day. It’s my way of expressing how grateful I am. I am the happiest man in Pakistan.”

(Passu, Pakistan)

“When I was working on my doctorate, I discovered on the...

“When I was working on my doctorate, I discovered on the last day that my thesis was ten pages short, and he left his own office to run whatever errands I needed. He didn’t even have a car. He took a rickshaw. I had a dream when I was deciding whether or not to marry him. I was falling through the air, but I didn’t feel any fear, because I knew that he would catch me.”

(Hunza Valley, Pakistan)

Today in microfashion….(Hunza Valley, Pakistan)

Today in microfashion….

(Hunza Valley, Pakistan)

“I grew up in the village behind me. It’s very...

“I grew up in the village behind me. It’s very beautiful here but there are few opportunities. Whenever I think about my children’s prospects, I grow sad. I have nothing to provide for them so they’ll probably end up like me, taking whatever work they can just to survive. My parents died when I was ten. I went to live with my aunt and my uncle. They never gave me grief. They never made me feel bad. But they were also poor, and every time we sat down to eat, I felt like I was stealing from their family. The guilt grew so bad that when I turned 15, I tried to build a shed for myself. I lived there for about six months. But then the winter came. And eventually the cold grew stronger than the guilt.”

(Hunza Valley, Pakistan)

“I want to be a chef.”“What’s the best...

“I want to be a chef.”
“What’s the best part about being a chef?”
“You can make your own dessert.”

(Hunza Valley, Pakistan)

“What’s your favorite thing about your...

“What’s your favorite thing about your sister?”
“Her happiness.”

(Hunza Valley, Pakistan)