Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 262

“There was a time in 8th or 9th grade when I felt really...

“There was a time in 8th or 9th grade when I felt really alone. I lived in Virginia at the time and it seemed like I was the only Asian in the county. I was gay. I wasn’t religious. It seemed like I was the only one who didn’t have John 3:16 written on my locker. I joined the marching band and felt like I’d finally found my clique, but then not long afterward my mom told me that we were moving again. It started to feel like I didn’t belong anywhere, and of course my teenage hormones had me wondering if I belonged on earth. Around this time I made the mistake of reading my adoption papers from China. My parents had left me in an alley. They didn’t even bother to bring me to an orphanage.”

“They call me Grandma Techno. I go to electronic music...

“They call me Grandma Techno. I go to electronic music festivals and dance. I can stand up and hold onto this thing and boogie down pretty good. Sometimes the kids help me by propping me up against a barricade.”

“This is our first time meeting in person. We met on...

“This is our first time meeting in person. We met on Instagram. I posted a photo of myself with long hair to show how I looked before my cancer treatment, and she commented: ‘I think you look better now!’”

“I’ve got a PhD in classical history. I think the goal of most...

“I’ve got a PhD in classical history. I think the goal of most academics is to publish something that moves the line of scrimmage ever-so-slightly. But instead of participating in the discussion, I spend all my time comparing myself to top scholars that I’ll never measure up to. So my goal now is just to be a good teacher. I figure that teaching is about forming relationships, and that’s harder to measure.“

“I’m generally a quiet person, but I talk way too...

“I’m generally a quiet person, but I talk way too much when I get nervous. Whenever I meet someone new, I pretty much just say everything I can think of, and hope something will connect.”

“Believe it or not, I actually found God through becoming an...

“Believe it or not, I actually found God through becoming an investment banker. During my job search, I had a dream that I was standing in a dry riverbed. There were cracks in the clay and shriveled leaves everywhere. There was a bright light coming down from the sky. It was so bright that I could only stare at the dead leaves on the ground. Then I heard a voice. It said: ‘Why don’t you think I can get you a job on Wall Street?’ Then the light dimmed enough for me to see a huge, dying tree right by the river bed. After I woke up, I googled what it means to dream about trees and cracked clay, but couldn’t find anything. I thought the dream was so clear that it must mean something. Then the next day, my brother sent me a verse from the Bible, it said: ‘Those who trust in the Lord will be like a tree planted by the water.’”

“My mom grew up in a poor village in Nigeria. Her parents sent...

“My mom grew up in a poor village in Nigeria. Her parents sent her to live with her aunt, who basically treated her like a maid. She said that every day she would pray for her children to be great. Growing up, she’d always address me with the word ‘great.’ When I wanted to be a computer scientist, she’d refer to me as her 'great computer scientist.’ When I decided I’d rather be an engineer, she called me her 'great engineer.’ Then, ‘my great CEO.’”

“I got assigned to read Breakfast of Champions in my high...

“I got assigned to read Breakfast of Champions in my high school English class, and that was it for me. Vonnegut was my author from then on. I was hooked. And because I had the chutzpah of being young, I sent him a letter asking if I could make a documentary on him. And to my surprise, he wrote back and said ‘yes.’ We became such good friends while I was filming that I gave up trying to make an unbiased film. I recently decided to return to the project. I just came from a restaurant that we used to eat at. I drank a martini in his honor.”

“I didn’t really mind my parents getting divorced. I wasn’t...

“I didn’t really mind my parents getting divorced. I wasn’t mad at my father or anything. I was just like: ‘Dude, I get it. Relationships end. Just leave.’ My mom actually sent me to therapy because she thought I was handling it too well. “

“I used to transport coke between Miami and Cuba back in the...

“I used to transport coke between Miami and Cuba back in the 80’s. Those were the happiest days of my life. I used to get $6,000 a kilo. I went through millions. But I had to stop because my heart couldn’t take the stress. I was constantly watching my back, and all my friends ended up getting busted or killed. One time we were switching boats about 50 miles off the coast, and a helicopter flew by. I almost had a heart attack. Now I just do hair and makeup for girls at the strip club.”