everywhere we go, we seen evidence of the past. it’s as if we cannot escape these signs of war which point towards the pain still lingering in this place. i wonder if they serve as healthy reminder of what was or if they hinder the future of what could be. as the green branches over take the rusted steel, i believe hope is on the way.

i wish i could see life through his eyes. i would give anything right now to enter his world to understand him more. no matter how hard i try, i will always be an outsider. kawaja, they call me… white person is my label. again and again, all day long, i am known by my skin, as one who does not belong. how i long to see through his eyes…instead, i can only see myself in them.

i am flying over the sudan and i cannot even begin to describe this moment. below me lies a network of huts, a collection of villages, a living organism of tribes, a ethos of culture. it has existed long before my time and will continue long after my visit. even from above, i can see the way they are connected, the way they are intricately woven together.

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i recently spent a month in africa and am catching up my blog with stories from my journey.
to hear more about our projects and why i was there, see HERE
to see my photos from this trip, see HERE and HERE
to purchase photos from this trip, see HERE

any food shared with the spilgers usually involves an evening of cooking together in their simple sausalito home. any conversation had with the spilgers usually evolves into the sharing of dreams of a future we can create. and any evening spent with the spilgers leaves you grateful and looking forward until the next.

thank you both for welcoming me in for the evening, listening to my stories of africa and reminding me that anything is possible.

for the entire photoset, see HERE.

though they’re first time parent’s, they seem more like seasoned professionals. they integrated darren into their world and kept things in perspective. an engineer and pharmacist, he’s already picked up their smarts understanding bits and pieces of cantonese, spanish, sign language, english… not to mention a perfect blend of cuteness. thanks for welcoming me into your home, feeding me chinese, and of course, for tucker’s ice cream!!

for my favorites from this session, please see HERE.

i am seeing africa, their africa. it is not as i imagined it. it is more gentle than aggressive. is more sincere than sinister. their skin so scarred yet pure; their eyes so piercing yet gentle. i want to meet them; i want to know them. i want to be here with them.

it’s been five years since i was in europe last. five years? really? how could it have taken me so long to indulge in this beautiful european way of life? i can hardly believe my first time here was my first time outside my american boundaries. how much i have seen and explored since then. how much more of the world has been opened and since altered my perspective. ah. it’s good to go back to where it all started.
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i recently spent a month in africa and am catching up my blog with stories from my journey.
to hear more about our projects and why i was there, see HERE
to see my photos from this trip, see HERE and HERE
to purchase photos from this trip, see HERE

i still remember the first time i met karena. she was telling me about all the great restaurants in berkeley, how she had lived close to them after she and emrys got married, and how fat that made her that first year. i knew instantly this was a girl i would get along with (and p.s. she’s anything but fat!)

she and em are moving to new haven, ct this fall for her to begin her masters in theater administration at yale. a last minute item on her list was head shots for her future famous productions and university use. i was thankful i got to do the honors and always a fun with this dear friend.

a day spent with sam and his mother in the beautiful city of san francisco. his blue eyes are pretty memorable and i enjoyed spending my morning trying to catch his movements!