(this was supposed to be posted Friday night but I didn't get to post it before we boarded)
Well here I am, sitting at the airport here (Dubai):
ready to head out to this beautiful place (Vishakapatnam):
I can't believe it's actually here... I have been looking forward to this day for many years!
I feel like I need to thank everyone who made this trip possible... especially my parents. I owe literally my entire life to them, and everything else. They sacrifice SO much for me so that I'm able to have incredible life experiences and accomplish my dreams and goals.
Soooo why again am I going to India? Well, basically to study, and share what I learn. I am a Photography major and an Anthropology minor. The project I will be doing in India mixes the two... it will be a study through observation and conversation, and a portrayal of this data through photographs, videos, and writing.
I want to learn truth. When someone learns truth, they want to share it. That is why I love photography... especially anthropological photography and photojournalistic photography. When I learn something or see something or feel something, I am changed. And I can portray that thing that changed me in an interesting way through art that touches people and causes a change in them, too. Thus, my photography, I hope, is a testimony of all the things I believe in, hope for, feel for, and know. I photograph people because I believe they are the most incredible of God's creations. It is my testimony that God not only exists, but that he loves us and has given us an incredible amount of responsibility, power, and divinity. Because we are made in His image, and have the potential to be like Him. Each and every one of us.
I think that people need to be listened to. When we allow ourselves to be humble and selfless and start to recognize the worth of each human being and the value of their experiences, their complexes, their personalities, the things that they believe and love and know and have to say, I think we learn more about God and His plan--why we are here, what our purpose is, what our potential is, and really how connected we all are.
So, I love documentaries. Seriously, love them. Especially those that try to be less biased and are really just open to whatever truth there is (don't get me wrong, I love all of those Nat Geo documentaries too despite the hokey dramatic music and how much they push their theories--whether they be true or not, haha. There are things to be learned in everything!). My favorite type of documentary are the social/cultural ones... the kind that make you take a step back and look at humanity and the world and the things that go on. I may need to write a list here soon of my favorites. However, I watched one the other night... (well, I watched like 6 within the last couple of nights, but this one was my favorite!! haha) it's called 'The Listening Project'.
This guy goes all around the world to ask people what they think of the United States. For a country that occupies only 4% of the world's population but uses 40% of the world's resources, we sure can be selfish here in the EEUU and it's so easy to not even realize what goes on outside. Ok ok I'm not trying to be trite here and say 'there are starving kids in Africa'--despite the truth to that phrase. We all hear it all of the time, but do we really do anything about it? Well, sometimes we do, sometimes we don't, I think most of the time we are just too overwhelmed with the countless number of ways to help people outside of the US and we never know where to start or which is the best or most effective, etc. So we go on with our busy lives, kind of just avoiding the fact that there's a whole world outside of our borders filled with people who have opinions, experiences, and things to say--just like us.
What's interesting is that most people think of the US as 'rich'. That is their response when someone asks them 'what do you think of when you hear the word America?'. I noticed this a lot when I was serving a mission in South America. The United States is filled with opportunity to progress, a better life, and rich selfish snobs. Hahaha. At least that's what a large part of the world thinks. I don't think we have the duty to help the rest of the world just because we are the United States--the 'high and mighty'. That doesn't matter. I think we have the duty to help others because we are human beings--and there are no divisions between us. Only divisions we all create on our own.
Anyway... this post is getting long and I am getting really preachy so I should get to my point, hah. In this documentary there were two lines that I really liked. The first one is this: "God has given you two ears and one mouth--to listen more than you speak". Well look at that... some truth right there. It's true. Why do we have two ears but only one mouth? God's a pretty smart guy, I'm pretty sure he could have made us however he wanted. Two ears.... the importance of listening. It is SO important. We can never change or learn or progress, if we never open our ears along with our minds and our hearts, and listen.
The second quote goes like this: "We are not just citizens of our own country, but citizens of the world". Ok so I am really big on diversity. I love it. Ask anyone who knows me--they will tell you how much I would be totally ok with marrying someone from a different country, haha. I always notice differences between people. Not because I like to segregate them... I still view them as equal, but I think we can learn so much from diversity and so I seek it out. For some reason, where a person is from causes huge divisions. Not necessarily the city or town or state... I mean, those too. But especially the country. Because that's big-scale. Look at the whole world, and it's divided into countries. To me it's one of the largest divisional groups (of course there are continents and race and language and ethnicity, etc. which all tie into this). I made so many friends from other countries when I lived in Argentina and I loved every single one of them. I never felt like any of us were unequal. We were just human beings. But we were still from totally different parts of the world. We grew up with different experiences in different situations and different languages and races, etc.... we were all humans, but we were all different. We all had our 'home' or the place where we belonged. This phrase.... "citizens of the world", takes down that division. I never looked at it that way. Traveling to other countries I always recognized that 'I am from the United States'. Have you ever thought of taking that division down, and seeing yourself being from 'the world' instead? I am just another citizen of the world.. just like the rest. In the same category as everyone else. What a connecting trait! I am not just a citizen of Farmington, or Utah, or the United States. I am not even just a girl who also sees Argentina as a home, and will soon see India as a home too. I am a citizen of the world. The whole world is my home, and it is everyone else's too. We are all so different, yet SO alike. Incredible how things work out, right?
So anyway... that is why I'm going to India. I have never met these people before, I don't know them at all. I am going to die every time I don't understand their accent and feel so bad when I ask them 7 times to please repeat themselves, haha. I know I am going to experience great things and also be exposed to shocking situations such as extreme poverty and cultural differences. But I am going because these people are citizens of the world, just like me, and I believe that they deserve to be listened to because they have something important to say that can benefit me and the rest of the citizens of this world. And I just can't wait to hear what exactly it is that they have to say. :)
p.s. here are a few treasures... some of my favorite photographs of all time by some of my favorite photographers of all time, in one of my favorite places of all time! :) Can't wait to get to know and photograph these people and places myself!
MARK TUCKER
MICHAEL KENNA
STEVE MCCURRY
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