Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 343

"I enjoy every bit of it. Every moment is precious. But, when...

"I enjoy every bit of it. Every moment is precious. But, when you get older, if I’m being honest, every once in awhile, sometimes, you just need a bit of quiet." (Amman, Jordan)

"He lived with his mother in Gaza when he was very young. One...

"He lived with his mother in Gaza when he was very young. One night, I talked to him on the phone before bedtime, and he told me he was wearing three pairs of pants to bed. I said: ‘Three pairs of pants? Why aren’t you in your pajamas?’ He told me: ‘Because I want my body to hold together if a bomb falls on me.’" (Petra, Jordan)

Seen in Sweimeh, Jordan

Seen in Sweimeh, Jordan

"He runs to me every time I come home. It makes me very happy,...

"He runs to me every time I come home. It makes me very happy, and it reminds me of the times when I used to run to my father." (Al-Salt, Jordan)

"How did I become a community leader? Every time there’s a...

"How did I become a community leader? Every time there’s a wedding, I go to say ‘Congratulations.’ Every time there’s a funeral, I go to say: ‘I’m sorry.’" (Al-Salt, Jordan)

"My brother went to college in America, and it was very hard for...

"My brother went to college in America, and it was very hard for my parents to send him there. My father worked two jobs. I’d always hear him talking to my mother about money troubles. So when I graduated from high school, I went straight to work, to help pay for my brother’s school. I never resented it, because I knew he was more intelligent than me, and he deserved it. But now he has a great job in Australia, and I wish that I’d gone to college. But you know what? That same brother married into a family with two sisters. He married the older sister. And at the wedding, I met the younger sister, we danced, and now we are married. Her name means ‘angel,’ and she is my angel. And I tell her every day that she’s better than being a millionaire. So my brother got his job. And I got my wife." (Dhana, Jordan)

"I get way too sensitive when I get attached to someone. I can...

"I get way too sensitive when I get attached to someone. I can detect the slightest change in the tone of their voice, and suddenly I’m spending all day trying to figure out what I did wrong." (Amman, Jordan)

"What are your hopes for them?""We left our hopes back in...

"What are your hopes for them?"
"We left our hopes back in Syria."
(Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan)

"One day I drove into the city to buy goods for my shop. I...

"One day I drove into the city to buy goods for my shop. I repaired antennas and satellite dishes, so I needed some replacement parts. But on the road there was a checkpoint for the Syrian government, and two soldiers came up to my car. They began to argue with each other. ‘Let’s take him,’ said one of them. 
'Let him go,' said the other. And they went back and forth, and back and forth. But finally the first man won the argument, and they took me out of my car, put a blindfold on me, and took me to jail. When I got to the jail, they began beating me with a cord. They asked me if I supported the rebels. I kept saying 'No,' but they kept beating me. They took off all my clothes. They said: 'We are going to whip you 35 times, and if you say 'ouch,' we will start from the beginning. They whipped me and kicked me and broke 3 of my ribs. 
They said: ‘Tell us how many soldiers you’ve killed.’ 
I said: ‘None.’
They said: ‘Tell us how many soldiers!”
I said: ‘None. I haven’t killed anyone.’
But they kept beating me and they ripped off my toenails and I screamed: ‘Eleven! Eleven! I killed eleven soldiers!’ So they put me into prison. But I never killed any soldiers. I never fought anyone. I’m a good person. I have a very sweet heart. You believe me when I tell you this, don’t you?”
(Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan)

"We’re trying to get to Grandma’s."(Zaatari Refugee...

"We’re trying to get to Grandma’s."
(Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan)