“I grew up too fast and was made small and helpless and now I have become an adult again”

I can’t remember exactly where I read that quote but I know it had something to do with a young woman after she had gone through the tortures of an obstetric fistula. The words really spoke to me. I guess it can be the words of many people who have gone through so many different things, we can all relate. Perhaps that’s the point and what resonated with me. Often times we as people are faced with things that can break us and sometimes they do break us. What counts is getting yourself back together again. Maybe you lose someone close to you or maybe it’s a job lost, it could be an accident or a mental breakdown. It could be one of a zillion things that does it to YOU.

I have been so lucky in my life to see and experience so many amazing things and people both as a photographer and just as an everyday guy.

I’ve had about a month to think about how my trip to Ethiopia has affected me. I’m not the type of person who has the “aha moment” it’s more the slow revelation. I was talking with the founder of SalaamGarage today and we were discussing how the trip had affected me. She wants to make a difference, I think we all want to make a difference. I told her that She had made a difference to me by simply starting SG. Had I not heard about it, obviously I would of never gone on this trip and met the girls to take home. Of course there would of been no photos to show anyone. It would of ended right there. It did not though and even though as of right now the photos have just been seen by those who look at this blog or my Facebook page it has already made a difference. I can tell when people respond to them. I’ve heard someone say they had goose bumps from nose to toes. That was pretty cool. Making a difference and encouraging a change. That’s all I can hope to do. I’m so grateful for the experiences I had in Ethiopia. I learned about the hospital and the people that run it. To me what is more important is the human connections I made. We may live thousands of miles apart but in more ways then you can count we are all as one.

-david