Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 340

Sometimes, in busier neighborhoods, a crowd begins to gather...

Sometimes, in busier neighborhoods, a crowd begins to gather when I conduct my interviews. In this case, it was a particularly large crowd of 15 or 20 people. As the man recounted his happiest moment, the crowd laughed along with him. He told about a wild night out with his friends, and the crowd shouted encouragements. Some people were patting him on the back. Then the interview turned to sadder moments. And he began to talk about the death of his mother. Tears began streaming down his face. And seeing this, the crowd respectfully disappeared.

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"He’s only five years old, but he acts like an old man....

"He’s only five years old, but he acts like an old man. Just now, he was just telling us that he was tired of our immature jokes. He doesn’t even like to play. After school, he usually comes straight home and reads."

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"Her father and brother died in the same month. She developed a...

"Her father and brother died in the same month. She developed a very bad problem in her head after that. For months, she would barely move. I was so worried about her that I took her to hospitals, and nothing worked. It was the hardest time of my life. But now she is better. She’s the greatest wife. Every time I come home, she makes me tea and thanks me for working all day."
"How did she fix her sadness?"
"None of the hospitals could help. But we just kept praying together."

(Naivasha, Kenya)

"She shares her yogurt with me."(Nairobi, Kenya)

"She shares her yogurt with me."

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"I first learned that I was crippled when I was eight. We played...

"I first learned that I was crippled when I was eight. We played a game in the yard where we would race and do somersaults. When even the youngest kids beat me, I knew I had a problem. Then when it was time to go to school, I was the only one who couldn’t go, because it was a very far walk."
"Do you remember the saddest moment of your life?"
"When I turned twenty, I had this moment where I realized that I hadn’t been able to get any education. And suddenly I knew that I’d probably never have a family."

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"My happiest moments were when my mom was still...

"My happiest moments were when my mom was still alive."
"What’s your fondest memory of your mother?"
"One time when I was six years old, we went to pick up my father at the airport. On the way, my mother explained to me the concept of boarding a plane and taking a trip. And then while we waited for my father, we sat in a nearby restaurant, and we planned out all the imaginary trips that I wanted to go on."

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"What’s your favorite thing about your brother?""He does...

"What’s your favorite thing about your brother?"
"He does all the work."

(Limuru, Kenya)

"I was about to leave for work the other day, so I stopped in...

"I was about to leave for work the other day, so I stopped in her room to wake her up. And the first thing she said was: ‘Dad, I need a surprise.’ 
I said: ‘You need a what?’
She said: ‘I need a surprise.’ 
So I ran to the store and got her a doll, brought it to her, and went to work.”

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"When we graduate, my friend and I want to start an organization...

"When we graduate, my friend and I want to start an organization to teach people in rural areas how to read. I was volunteering at a clinic last year, and I saw a child die of Cholera because the mother couldn’t remember the prescription instructions."

(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"What’s your biggest dream?""To be the mother of a doctor,...

"What’s your biggest dream?"
"To be the mother of a doctor, the mother of a minister, and the mother of an engineer."

(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)