Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 339

“My father was very strict growing up. He’d never give me any...

“My father was very strict growing up. He’d never give me any space. If I tried to cut school with my friends, he’d call my teachers to ask how I did in class that day. I resented it at the time, but today I’m thankful for it. Because all my friends who never got caught are not doing too well today.”

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"She gives lots of kisses when she comes home from...

"She gives lots of kisses when she comes home from school." 

(Nairobi, Kenya)

“What’s surprised you most about being a parent?”“The feeling of...

“What’s surprised you most about being a parent?”
“The feeling of being called ‘Dad.’ It’s the best feeling on earth. The first time my daughter called me ‘Dad,’ we were playing hide and go seek. I was pretending that I couldn’t find her, and I kept searching and searching, until finally she screamed: ‘Dad!’ It almost made me cry. It made me feel like Superman.’”

(Nairobi, Kenya)

Camera Shy(Nairobi, Kenya)

Camera Shy

(Nairobi, Kenya)

“Everything was fine at breakfast. We talked normally. I went to...

“Everything was fine at breakfast. We talked normally. I went to work thinking that it was just a normal day. Then when I came home, the door was locked, which was strange, but I didn’t think much of it. Everything seemed to be in place when I went inside the house. So I sat down and watched TV, expecting them to come home any minute. After awhile, I went upstairs to the bedroom. And that’s when I noticed all her clothes were missing. Then I ran to the children’s room, and all their clothes were missing too. After seventeen years, she left me without saying a word.” 

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"She likes to read, so I take her to the library for 2 hours...

"She likes to read, so I take her to the library for 2 hours every day. We mainly read books about animals."

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"My mother died when I was three. I don’t remember much...

"My mother died when I was three. I don’t remember much about her. But I do remember, when she was very sick at the hospital, she said to me: ‘Never let a man steal your life.’"

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"I’d been studying German for a few years, and I met this...

"I’d been studying German for a few years, and I met this woman who gave me the opportunity to go to Germany for a full year. The brochure looked very nice. The program included hikes, volunteer work, singing in church. It was very expensive, but my family thought it would be a great experience for me, so all my relatives chipped in to pay the program fee. I was so excited for months. On the day that I was supposed to leave, I went to the airport, and waited in line to check my baggage. When I got to the front of the line, they told me that my ticket was a forgery. When I tried to call the woman’s phone, it had been disconnected." 

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"We just sit here and watch everything.""What’s the...

"We just sit here and watch everything."
"What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen?"
"Nothing too weird. We go inside before the sun goes down."

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"Do you want to hear a funny story from when he was a baby? We...

"Do you want to hear a funny story from when he was a baby? We were a little worried about him, because the neighbor’s children were the same age, and they were already walking. So we tried to encourage him by buying some tiny shoes and putting them on his feet. He didn’t walk, but he did say his first words: ‘Take them off!’"

(Nairobi, Kenya)