humans of new york

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humansofnewyork:

“I’m starting from nothing. I lost everything back in Venezuela. I had my own natural soap factory but the crisis made it impossible to get ingredients. Then the government began to take 70% of my earnings. I had to close it down. Things got so bad that I couldn’t even find food for my baby. I had a little money, but there was nowhere to buy food. I’d wait in line all day for one bag of flour. We could go days without eating. When I tried to breastfeed my daughter, I’d almost faint. Leaving the country was my only chance. I’d never said ‘goodbye’ to my daughter before. She was screaming my name when I left. It hurt worse than giving birth. But I didn’t have a choice. I told her that I was going to Colombia. I told her that I was going to make a diamond, and I’d bring it back to her. Now I sell key chains in the street. When I make some money, I send packets of food back home. I’m trying to keep a good spirit. I’m doing OK. I grew up very poor. I came from nothing. So I’ve been here before.”

(Bogotá, Colombia)

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My interpreter Juan has kept in touch with Rose, and we put together a small fundraiser if anyone would like to help: http://bit.ly/2pQbI5k

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humansofnewyork:

“I have Asperger’s, but I wasn’t diagnosed for a long time. I was a polite child. I found it easy to concentrate at school. I had some problems socializing but that’s pretty normal for children. But my problem is that I’m too transparent. I kept trying to fix people. I could never just stand aside and let things be. I kept telling people what was wrong with their lives. I thought I was helping them. I just wanted everything to be in order. But I accidentally stirred up so much negativity. Now I’m sometimes afraid to talk to people. I don’t want to cause any problems. There’s no danger in what I just said– is there?”

(Montevideo, Uruguay)

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humansofnewyork:

“Don’t get me wrong. I want everyone to get along. And I don’t want to sound racist. But they’re coming into our country. If you ask me, that makes them racist. There’s something going on with the Muslims. There’s something going on there. There’s a lot we don’t know about. They have a game plan. They want all the businesses. They want control. They want my grandchildren to work for them. I’m hoping he can do something about it. We need somebody to say no.”

And she didn’t even have the courage to attach her face to that.

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humansofnewyork:

“I think a lot of people live on the borderline of racism. I work in a machine shop with about thirty older guys. I don’t think there is one bad guy in the group. You’d like them if you met them. All of them love their families. But I’d say that I’ve heard eighty percent of them make racist comments of some sort. A lot of the older guys drop ‘n bombs.’ But if a black guy walks up, they’ll be friendly. They’ll even go out to lunch with him and share a meal. I honestly don’t think they see themselves as racist. Every one of them will deny it. They’ll point to the black guy that they’re friendly with. They won’t point to the things they say when he’s not around.”

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humansofnewyork:

“My mom died of lung cancer on my sixteenth birthday. My birthday is actually coming up—this Saturday. Before she passed away, I was a good student and everything. I was probably going to get a scholarship for singing. But I stopped caring after that. My mom was my biggest fan. Even when she was really sick, she came to my singing recital in a wheelchair, with her hair falling out of her head, and she sat on the front row. I quit singing after she died. There was nobody to sing for anymore. My Dad raised us. And he was wonderful. You want to know how awesome my Dad is? He went to court and tried to legally change my birthday. Just so I wouldn’t have to go through it every year. It turns out you’re not allowed to do that. But he tried.”

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robotlyra:

lostkeyproductions:

manafromheaven:

rifa:

humansofnewyork:

He described himself as a “Professional Muse,” which caused me to laugh a bit. But he wasn’t smiling: “I give people guidance,” he said, “I’m going now to meet my first client of the new year.”

I didn’t want to ask more questions, because some things are better left a mystery.

Jesus christ.

Can this man please be a character.

no omg can he be a character holy shit

There was no contract, no one ever hired him, no fees were ever discussed. He simply arrived when needed and left when he wished.

The bag was empty.

Yet when he sauntered in (never knocking, never needing anyone to unlock the door and always knowing exactly how to navigate the house he’d just entered), setting his fedora on the coat-rack that was there regardless of whether there had been one before his entrance or not and straightening his fur lined coat with a flourish of his gloved hands THEY were suddenly there.

The words, the notes, the design, whatever it was his new client needed, like a glorious flood, and all they had to do was be fast enough to catch them as they crashed about their minds.

And it was then, and only then, as his client would rush around in euphoria, CREATING.

Only then did he smile.

It was soft and easily reached his eyes as he sat sipping the tea that had not been there a moment before, watching as they worked, chuckling lightly as they frantically scrabbled to find their favorite pen or the charger or paint brush.

Then – after minutes, or hours, or days, and whether his new client was finished or not – he would quietly stand.

Cross the room to his bag.

And snap it shut.

With one final nod he would place his hat back on his head (the coat-rack vanishing if it had not been there to begin with) and calmly saunter out just the way he had come.

I’m waiting by my door.

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humansofnewyork:

“The War In Chechnya was going on during the time I was in law school. I remember watching a news report where a young boy walked up to a journalist and asked for help waking up his grandfather. The grandfather had just been killed by a bomb. I decided then that I’d be a human rights lawyer. I went to work at the United Nations. I pictured myself drafting stronger human rights laws. I thought I’d meet with heads of state and convince them to form better laws and better institutions. And those meetings did happen. I did my research and made my presentations. You should have seen me— I was so passionate and confident and sure of my reasoning. The leaders would nod their heads, and say ‘thank you very much,’ but then nothing would change. Unless there was an economic benefit, nobody cared about protecting children, or empowering women, or stopping genocide. And it wore me down. My colleagues were worn down too. After ten years I had to quit. Last week I opened this bar. It’s not human rights, but at least now I can drink for free.”

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humansofnewyork:

“I always wanted to be someone in the fashion industry. Maybe a stylist for the magazines. Instead I’m working as an office assistant at a pharmaceutical company. Though I must say, I think the office looks better because of me. I’ve been handing out tips. People are sprucing up a bit more. Some of the ladies are trying new lipsticks. We’re loosening up.”

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