Video Blog: Land of Contradictions

Video Note: Please excuse the quality of this video. It is by no means a professionally done piece. I'd like to try something new so I shot this with a flip cam and edited on my laptop.

Video Transcript:

So I've been here for almost three weeks now, and no matter how I look at India, it is to me, a land of contradictions, of darkness and beauty, pain and reward--to those who call her home and those who come here to seek a profound understanding of the world upon her shores.

This is my fourth assignment in India in less than three years--and every time I'm here, I am forced to become someone I am not, someone who--in the midst of trials and tribulations on everyday life, some how, finds it extremely difficult to survive in India being the person that I am groomed to be. The clothing I wear, the hue of my skin--and even the whiteness of my teeth makes me different. The way I walk, eat, sleep, and look at people clearly dictates that I am an outsider. The fact that I am a photographer pointing an unknown object in people's faces is only a fragment of what divides me and India. And to me, it makes me uncomfortable.

I am always one to believe that the world is one. A mere microcosm of our universe abundant with people and beings that define the very essence of our planet. And no matter how unique or different we are from one another, I believe that our dreams are many, yet our goals are one--and because of that, I keep telling myself that the discomfort I am feeling is merely a phase and as the days go by, with every sunset and and sunrise, that feeling would slowly dissipate.

Sadly, after three weeks, it hasn't.

Being here takes your breath away--literally and metaphorically. The sights and sounds of everyday life here is enough to wake your senses--but the poverty and struggle of most Indians that live in the most sordid conditions is enough to wish you were only dreaming. With every one thing beautiful includes an equal amount of a reality that holds no mercy on what is opposite to beauty.

The divide is unmeasurable. The rich and poor, the new and old, the normal and the paranormal all collide in a sea of unforgiving truth that speaks a language I cannot understand.

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I am here for one more week to finalize my assignment--upon which I will be heading back to Haiti for my second tour. I hope this finds you well and I apologize for not having the chance to write more often. Lately, my days have been starting early and ending late--but I do manage to update via Facebook with a few lines ever so often. Please feel free to join me and follow me via Facebook.