Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 78

“Life was easy as a child. I grew up in Burkina Faso. My...

“Life was easy as a child.  I grew up in Burkina Faso.  My father was a primary school teacher and we had everything we needed.  But he died when I was eleven.  And three years later my mother passed away, so I became an orphan.  I was left with my brother and sister.  They were very young.  Almost too young to remember.  And we had nothing.  I had to learn how to take care of them.  My brother especially was very traumatized.  But I swore, swore, swore: we would never leave school and we’d never be separated.  I dropped out of seminary and enrolled in a technical school.  I fought hard.  I sold small things.  I started a theater company.  We were contracted by NGO’s to perform educational skits in remote villages.  Then I studied social media and learned how to be a community manager.  I have my own business now.  I help artists and organizations with their digital presence.  I have eight clients.  Through all of this my brother and sister have been allies in my fight.  We talk all the time.  Even though I’m in Europe right now, I know everything that is happening in their lives.  I paid for their education.  I taught them what my parents taught me.  Be honest.  Work hard.  And never give up.  The best thing to do is never give up.”
(Rome, Italy)

(2/3) “The Americans offered me work in a laboratory, but I...

(2/3)  “The Americans offered me work in a laboratory, but I didn’t want.  I was nostalgic for Italy.  I missed the artistic tradition.  I missed the warmth of human contact.  I missed the laundry hanging in streets and people singing from open windows.  So I proposed to continue my research in Rome.  I specialized in silicon carbides and sent all my data back to NASA. I’m not sure how they used it because those are secrets of NASA.  But I know they used it, because they pushed me very hard and gave me plenty of money.  Then 1969 came around.  Apollo 11 landed on the moon, and returned to Earth with a collection of lunar samples.  But none had been given to Italy.  Fifteen of our laboratories made a proposal with no luck.  Everyone wondered: ‘Why not Italy?’  So I asked myself: ‘What can I do with a lunar sample?’  And then I had an idea.   If I vaporized the sample, perhaps I could learn the molecular composition of the primordial nebula.  The origin of the solar system!  But people thought I was crazy.  Vaporize a lunar sample?  Who would suggest such an idea?   But I made my proposal anyway.  Then one morning I opened up the newspaper and saw a headline: ‘Lunar sample to Italian scientist, Giovanni De Maria.’  And later that day I received this telegram, inviting me to pick up my moon rock at the American embassy.”
(Rome, Italy)

(1/3) “I was born in an ancient town in the hills of Southern...

(1/3)  “I was born in an ancient town in the hills of Southern Italy.  Science and technology were unknown there.  But I was not created to do repetitive things.  It was my nature to learn and create.  When I received a pen for my seventh birthday, I didn’t use it to write.  I went into the bathroom and took it apart.  So I developed a bit of a reputation.  Everyone said: ‘If you give Giovanni a gift, he will destroy it.’  I grew up wanting to do experiments.  Real experiments.  So I studied hard, majored in chemistry, and eventually received a Fulbright scholarship to study in Chicago.  Those were the most interesting and beautiful years of my life.  Five of my professors had Nobel Prizes.  If you didn’t have a Nobel Prize, you were nothing.  These men were like gods to me, and suddenly we were eating in the same cafeteria.  I decided to focus my efforts on an apparatus called a mass spectrometer, which allowed me to individuate atoms and molecules in the vapor phase.  And my experiments were very successful.  We were discovering new molecules and some of them were quite interesting.  They were resistant to high temperatures.  The US government became very curious about my molecules.  Because of course they were quite competitive with Russia back then.”  
(Rome, Italy)

“It’s a beautiful place by the sea. There’s a big beach just...

“It’s a beautiful place by the sea.  There’s a big beach just behind the house.  It has a vineyard.  There’s a garden in the atrium.  My grandmother designed the house herself, and she loved it so much.  We have so many memories there.  The whole family would gather at Grandma’s house for every holiday.  But she died a few years ago, and now my uncle wants to sell.  I’d love to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast, but we can’t afford to buy his share.  So now there’s a battle over the house.  He’s suing us.  The lawsuit has been going on for three years.  Nobody is speaking to each other.  My mother is depressed.  Meanwhile the house is rotting away.  It needs renovation.  Last winter there was a strong storm that caused a lot of damage.  And it’s been burglarized several times.  It’s like a beautiful part of my life is ending and deteriorating.  I used to feel so happy and protected there.  I felt like I could control what happens in life.”
(Rome, Italy)

“We met in the cinema club at university. Both of us dreamed of...

“We met in the cinema club at university.  Both of us dreamed of being filmmakers.  But Daniele was so arrogant.  I hated him at first: the tone of his voice, his expensive clothing, his posture, everything.  Whenever he sat down in a chair he’d take up as much room as he could.  And he’d interrupt others in class.  He was always full of ideology and weak on details.  It was the kind of confidence that didn’t come from knowledge.  And it was a complete façade, of course.  The first time we actually spoke was at a lunch table.  I’d just taken an exam and was in a very bad mood.  Daniele overheard me complaining to a female friend about the conflicts in my life.  ‘Everyone either loves me or hates me,’ I told her.  That’s when he leaned in and said: ‘Personally I’m completely indifferent to you.’  After that we slowly became friends.  Day by day.  And forty years later, he’s like my brother.  He’s very kind.  Very empathetic.  He’s been by my side through tough times, losses, illnesses, and many surgeries.  I’m not sure where I’d be without him.  He’s one of the reasons I’m still alive.”
(Rome, Italy)

“I’ve wanted to be a mother since I was eight years old. I...

“I’ve wanted to be a mother since I was eight years old.  I always dreamed of starting a family.  But we’ve been trying for three years now, and we can’t get pregnant.  We keep going to check-ups, and the tests are fine, and everyone says that there’s nothing wrong, but still nothing happens.  It’d be easier if we had a reason.  Right now I feel powerless.  I’m already thirty-five.  I can feel the clock ticking.  And it gets harder and harder as time goes by.  It’s especially difficult during that time of the month.  I usually isolate myself on that day.  I don’t want to talk to anyone.  I don’t want to do anything.  He usually orders us a pizza.   We watch movies and cuddle.  And he reminds me that the most lucky thing has already happened.  We were born in the same city, and we went to the same school, and we were able to find each other.  What are the odds of that?  We are already so lucky.  And no matter what happens, we’ll always be here.”
(Rome, Italy)

“What do you want to do when you grow...

“What do you want to do when you grow up?”

“Swing on an adult swing.”

(Rome, Italy)

“He’s starting to be less dependent, but so far it’s been pretty...

“He’s starting to be less dependent, but so far it’s been pretty relentless and repetitive.  A lot of changing diapers and feeding.  The same mundane task over and over again.  It can be exhausting and depersonalizing.  Dad will be staying home and I’m returning to work full time.  I’m an emergency room doctor, and that’s where I think I’m most useful to the world.  It’s great to be back.  If some people love parenting, that’s very lucky.  There are certainly moments when it’s wonderful.  But to believe motherhood is the most important job in the world, you’d have to believe your child is the most important person in the world.”
(Rome, Italy)

“I used heroin for ten years. It wasn’t a very good life, as...

“I used heroin for ten years.  It wasn’t a very good life, as you’d expect.  I had my son taken from me. I lost my job at the Fiat factory.  I spent all my time trying to find money, find dealers, and stay away from police.  I hated myself.  I couldn’t face anyone.  Then one day my friend’s dog had puppies.  I’d never had a dog before, but I always liked animals, so I told him to give me the smallest and ugliest one he had.  The one nobody else wanted.  And that’s how I got Joe.  Joe was the angel of my life.  We understood each other.  There was no need for words.  He followed me around all the time.  He slept next to me on the street.  The moment I opened my eyes in the morning he would lick my face.  He gave me self-esteem.  I was a complete loser but at least I could take care of Joe.  I could bring him to the park.  I could bring him to the vet.  I could raise enough money to get his medication.  He’s the reason I was finally able to quit heroin.  Because if something happened to me, what would happen to him?  So I got clean.  It was hard but I got clean.  Joe lived for another thirteen years.  He got a tumor in 2012 and held on a few more months.  I barely survived it.  I was able to stay off drugs, but I promised myself that I’d never get another dog.  It’s just too painful.  But two years ago I found Leica beneath a mobile home.  She was all skin and bones.  She’d been abandoned.  I didn’t have a choice.  For the first few months I called her Joe.  But I had to stop.  Because Joe’s gone.  And the name doesn’t really matter, anyway.  It just matters that I love her.”
(Rome, Italy)

Today in microfashion….(Barcelona, Spain

Today in microfashion….
(Barcelona, Spain