LOVE MADE ME DO IT
After two cancelled flights I managed to land safely albeit almost eight hours later than expected at around 2am. The driver I had hired to drive me to a hostel I found online was gone and I had no idea how to get around. The air was thick with smog and the smoke from burning fields and the streets were still buzzing with life well into the middle of the night. I managed to hail a cab and the driver agreed to take me to the address I had scribbled in the little moleskin notebook I’d kept in my pocket. We drove around for what felt like an eternity down dark alleyways, past three legged dogs, and run down buildings. This was all a huge departure from the films and photographs I’d seen in Nat Geo. We finally pulled up next to a seemingly abandoned building when the lights turned on and several men came out and approached the car. “Give me your phone.” One of them demanded. I immediately positioned my hand to grab the knife I’d had stashed in my boot for these types of situations back home. I supose they could see the concern on my face as they backed up a few steps and assured me that they weren’t there to “steal from me”. An odd statement from someone who hadn’t thought of such a thing. I handed one of the men my little notebook and pointed to the address. They huddled around it and briefly discussed what to do when a different man agreed to take me to my destination. I figured my options were limited in a new country where I don’t speak the language and just showed up without a plan so I decided to just go with the flow. He eventually dropped me off at the little hostel I had booked and told me that most tourists don’t stay in such dangerous neighborhoods. I nodded and thanked him for the advice. It didn’t look any more dangerous than the neighborhoods I grew up in- how bad chould it be?
Truth be told, it wasn’t bad at all. Well… there was the day I decided to investigate a reported “mafia front” that doubled as a travel agency where the owner threatened to pour gasoline on me and set me on fire and the time a group of kids tried to steal my camera right out of my hands but that all felt like sesame street compared to where I was from and what I was going through at the time. Beyond that, I was taken in by some of the most hospitable families, made new friends who I still speak with years later, and made some of the most important photos on my early career. There was just so much I didn’t understand about the world but understanding that I know nothing was one of the best things I could have experienced.
Learning to let go of preconceived ideas, plans, and pain, I began to realize what it means to fall in love with the world and appreciate the love extended to me when I feel like I’ve got nothing left.
