Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 386

"I went home to my country after I graduated. I thought I was...

"I went home to my country after I graduated. I thought I was going to be a change agent. Things were so corrupt there, that you had to pay a bribe to even get a driver’s license. I set up community organizations. I thought if people had information, and knowledge, the culture would change. But nothing changed. It’s so hard to build a democracy in a country with no history of democracy. Nobody cared about changing the country. They only wanted to enrich themselves. ‘Everyone has to eat,’ they would say."

"I took a gap year. And a half. I was feeling a bit lost and...

"I took a gap year. And a half. I was feeling a bit lost and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do."
"Do you know now?"
"Not really."

Seen on Upper East Side

Seen on Upper East Side

"What’s your favorite thing about your...

"What’s your favorite thing about your brother?"
"Nothing!"

"Yet they won’t sleep in different beds," said Dad.

"One time when I was a kid, I came home from band rehearsal and...

"One time when I was a kid, I came home from band rehearsal and my grandmother told me: ‘Something’s happened. But don’t overreact.’ Then said that my mother was being held for ransom, because she owed somebody money or something. We had to call everybody in the family to get the money together. Then a couple days later she came home."

"I’ve been eating a lot more lately, which is good.""Did...

"I’ve been eating a lot more lately, which is good."
"Did you have an eating disorder?"
"I never had an eating disorder. But I always had really bad eating anxiety. I always felt like people were watching me when I was eating, so I couldn’t eat in front of people. Anyway, I’m getting past it."

"I want to die in Poland."

"I want to die in Poland."

"We don’t even know her. She just jumped on."

"We don’t even know her. She just jumped on."

"I’m first generation. My parents moved here from China....

"I’m first generation. My parents moved here from China. My older sister’s in a good college, and knows exactly what she wants to do. And I’m… not doing as well. I think I may be a disappointment to my family."

He had a couple of coworkers hovering around during his...

He had a couple of coworkers hovering around during his interview, throwing out one-liners. At one point I asked him: “If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be?”
"Don’t sweat the small stuff," he answered.
"What small stuff do you sweat the most?" I asked.

"His balls!" screamed his coworker.