Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 306

“What has been your proudest accomplishment?”“Surviving in...

“What has been your proudest accomplishment?”
“Surviving in America. I’ll be honest— I crossed the border about eight years ago. I had no job, no money, no place to live. I spoke zero English. I started as a dishwasher, then eventually got a job working behind the bar. I taught myself English. Now things are going pretty well. I want to open up my own coffee shop one day. I just want my son to have it easier than I did.”
“Were you scared when you were crossing the border?”
“No. I had nothing back then. And it’s hard to be scared when you have nothing to lose.”

“I look up to my father more than anyone else. He taught me the...

“I look up to my father more than anyone else. He taught me the value of hard work. He came over from India, and used all his savings to start a small clothing business. Then he took the money from the clothing business and opened up his own gas station. But when the economy got bad, his gas station went out of business. So he had to start driving a cab to pay the bills.”
“Did he seem embarrassed to drive a cab after owning his own business?”
“I don’t think so. I certainly wasn’t embarrassed to call him my dad.”

“My oldest son has a learning disability. Probably the saddest...

“My oldest son has a learning disability. Probably the saddest moment of my life was when he failed second grade. He’s smart, but he just has trouble getting information into his brain. Once it’s there, it’s there. When he finally understands something, he’ll understand it forever. But it just takes longer for him. When he was growing up, the hardest part for me was when he’d be afraid to tell me that he didn’t understand, because he wanted me to be proud of him.

“I grew up on an island off the coast of Honduras, and I came to...

“I grew up on an island off the coast of Honduras, and I came to America on a banana boat when I was very young. I’m the superintendent for some of the apartment buildings around here. I always try to collect the clothing and junk that the tenants throw away, and every couple of months, I pack it into barrels and send it back to Honduras. I especially try to find medical equipment. If a crippled man in Honduras has nothing but a stick, a crutch will change his life.”

“What was your greatest moment of firefighting glory?”“A car...

“What was your greatest moment of firefighting glory?”
“A car went into the Bronx River upside down with two people trapped inside— so we jumped in the river, broke the windows, cut the seat belts, and got them out. The water wasn’t too deep. Just about three or four feet. And by the time we got there, a passing jogger had already jumped in the river and gotten one of the people out. But we jumped in and got the other person out.”

“What do you feel most guilty about in life?”“Well, life’s not...

“What do you feel most guilty about in life?”
“Well, life’s not over yet. But as of now, I don’t have anything saved up to leave behind for my family. And I wish I did. I stayed at home with my two daughters when they were growing up. They turned out great, so I’m happy with that. They’re such awesome girls. If they were here right now, you would love them. But I was home with them for ten years. And they were at school everyday from 8:30 to 4:30. I’m thinking that maybe if I had used that time more productively, I’d have something to leave them. I had my real estate license, so I could have been looking for business or networking with other brokers. Instead I usually came home and played guitar, or tried to write a song.”

“I’m trying to finish a short story for my writing class. I’m...

“I’m trying to finish a short story for my writing class. I’m basing it on a couple that I saw on the subway a few weeks ago. Both of them were dressed in black, and they were leaning against each other so peacefully. They seemed to be in their own little world, even though the subway was packed. Of course the story needs to be interesting, so I gave her a really bad drinking problem, and made him feel morally obligated to stay in the relationship.”

"I’m a retired school principal. More than anything else,...

"I’m a retired school principal. More than anything else, I wanted my students to understand just how big the world is. Because I didn’t want them judging the world by the ten block radius around their house."

"I’m coming up on five years of never missing a...

"I’m coming up on five years of never missing a Sunday."
"How have you changed during those five years?"
"Before I met my creator, all I did was smoke and drink and party. Then five years ago, my aunt dragged me to church with her. I started following God, got off the streets, and stopped hanging out with my old friends. Church helped me to surround myself with people who were committed to changing themselves."

"My favorite teacher is Miss Middleton. She’s really nice....

"My favorite teacher is Miss Middleton. She’s really nice. And she gives us treats on Friday unless you get 5 X’s during the week. Sometimes I get X’s for getting out of my seat or talking, but usually I only get three or four. And if you’re having trouble with your homework, Miss Middleton lets you call her."