[Español] La mayoría de las personas que me conocen aunque sea un poco saben que no hablo mucho, siento que solo debo decir cosas que son productivas o significativas, así que trato de hablar cuando tengo algo importante que decir.
¿Y porqué les cuento esto? Como parte de este fotodocumental debo acercarme a las personas y pedirles tomar sus retratos, pero puede ser una tarea difícil cuando no eres tan social. Sin embargo, crecí en las calles, solíamos no tener nada incluso para los servicios, así que nuestra mejor luz y calor era el sol, recuerdo a mi abuela pidiendo aventon a los choferes de camiones para poder transladarnos sin gastar lo poco que teniamos para comprar alimentos; pienso que esto me dió una conexión con las personas en las calles, es una especie de buen karma.
Eso me ocurrió de nuevo con esta mujer extraordinaria mientras estaba parado en la calle esperando a otras personas, ella estaba sentada en una silla justo atras de mi cuando escuché su voz, y esto es mas o menos lo que siguió:
F: "¿Qué anda haciendo aqui?"
P: "Tomando fotos de cosas en la calle"
F: "¿Para el periodico?"
P: "Ohhh no, solo por amor al arte"
F: "En serio, eso es muy bueno. La situación ha estado dura estos últimos años, y es bueno ver personas regresando a esta parte de la ciudad"
P: "Si, tiene razón, ha estado duro para todos. Pero esta en nuestras manos hacer algo para cambiarlo"
F: "Si, pero ahorita no hay respeto por la vida, estoy muy triste por ello. Tampoco hay trabajo por la crisis, como yo que no encuentro donde trabajar, tambien porque ya soy vieja, y nadie contrata gente como nosotros; he estado yendo al basurero municipal a buscar entre la basura cosas que todavía sirvan, para repararlas o vender algunas, botes de aluminio y lo que se pueda, y no me da verguenza decir que hago, ese es mi trabajo ahora y es lo que hago para sobrevivir..."
Al final de la plática, le pregunte si podía tomar su retrato. Así, aquí la tienen, una luchadora real. Una mujer que quiere un mejor lugar para vivir y hace la diferencia, tan solo por hacer algo honesto para vivir. ■
[English] Most people that know me at least a bit are aware that I don't speak much, I feel that we only should say things that are productive or meaningful, so I try to speak when I have something important to say.
And why am I telling you this? As part of this photodocumentary I must approach people and ask to take their portraits, but it can be a difficult task when you are not that social. However, I grew up on the streets, we used to have nothing not even to pay the bills, so our best light and heat was the sun, I recall my granma' asking for a ride to the bus drivers so that we could move without spending the little we had to buy food; I think this gave me a connection to the people in the streets, it is this sort of good karma.
That happened to me again with this extraodinary woman as I was standing in the street waiting for other people, she was sitting in a chair just behind me when I heard her voice, and this is more or less what went next:
F: "What are you doing here?"
P: "Taking photos of things in the street ma'am"
F: "For the newspaper?"
P: "Ohhh no, just for fun"
F: "Really, that is a good thing. You know how hard it has been these few last years around, so it is good to see people coming back to this part of town"
P: "You are right, it has been hard. But it is within our hands to do something to change it.
F: "Yes, but there is no respect for life, I am really sad. Also they are no jobs because of the crisis, like myself that I cannot find where to work, also because I am old now, so nobody would hire people like us; I have been going to the municipal dump to look between the trash for things still useful, so that I can repair or sell some of them, aluminum cans and more, and I am not embarrassed of telling what I do, that is my work and that is what I do to survive...".
At the end of our talk I asked if I could take her portrait. So, here you have it, a real fighter. A woman who wants a better place to live and she is making a difference, just by doing something honest to live. ■
[English] Most people that know me at least a bit are aware that I don't speak much, I feel that we only should say things that are productive or meaningful, so I try to speak when I have something important to say.
And why am I telling you this? As part of this photodocumentary I must approach people and ask to take their portraits, but it can be a difficult task when you are not that social. However, I grew up on the streets, we used to have nothing not even to pay the bills, so our best light and heat was the sun, I recall my granma' asking for a ride to the bus drivers so that we could move without spending the little we had to buy food; I think this gave me a connection to the people in the streets, it is this sort of good karma.
That happened to me again with this extraodinary woman as I was standing in the street waiting for other people, she was sitting in a chair just behind me when I heard her voice, and this is more or less what went next:
F: "What are you doing here?"
P: "Taking photos of things in the street ma'am"
F: "For the newspaper?"
P: "Ohhh no, just for fun"
F: "Really, that is a good thing. You know how hard it has been these few last years around, so it is good to see people coming back to this part of town"
P: "You are right, it has been hard. But it is within our hands to do something to change it.
F: "Yes, but there is no respect for life, I am really sad. Also they are no jobs because of the crisis, like myself that I cannot find where to work, also because I am old now, so nobody would hire people like us; I have been going to the municipal dump to look between the trash for things still useful, so that I can repair or sell some of them, aluminum cans and more, and I am not embarrassed of telling what I do, that is my work and that is what I do to survive...".
At the end of our talk I asked if I could take her portrait. So, here you have it, a real fighter. A woman who wants a better place to live and she is making a difference, just by doing something honest to live. ■
