Talking To Everyone

One thing I have noticed this trip as compared to other trips, I am talking to everyone, in the past it was sort of a person here or a person there thing. This trip (maybe because I am a bit of a known curiosity in the slum and people approach me), I have talked to people of all ages and types. I have talked to young men, young women, old men, old women, children (much more than in the past) and also to mentally handicapped people. Today I talked to 2 different mentally handicapped men who came up to me and started conversations (there seems to be a higher percentage of mentally handicapped people in the slum, linked to drug abuse?)

My Thai must be improving because the conversations seem to be lasting longer and longer, sometimes I talk to taxi drivers for almost the full 1 hour cab ride through Bangkok traffic to the slum. Another sign things are improving is it hurts less to speak, I do not need to try as hard and it flows more easily and effortlessly.

Its loads of fun speaking another language, I wish I could speak 5 or 6. Knowing the language of the people you photograph helps open doors, in real life and in your personal understanding of the people and the culture.

Today when I was with a Thai family near their slum shack, I asked a young grandmother about a baby laying on a wooden platform, the baby was only 1 month and 8 days old. I am not sure why but after I learned of the babies age I told the grand mom a long story of my favorite photo of all time. The photo is of me as a 1 month old baby, laying on a bed with my father gently reaching out and touching me, he has a loving tender smile on his face. It is a beautiful photograph that shows a fathers love for his young baby son (I have never seen my father happier). I told the story about this photo to the Thai grand mother, and she told it to the other people in the family. I think that's the real power of sharing a language you can also share personal human experiences.