The Return

So I flew back on the 20th. Now it is very cold again, very cold…

On a warmer note at least people will stop worrying so much (as if anywhere is really “safe”). To be honest I did do quite a number of foolish things while on the road, just for fun let me list some (in no particular order):

- I visited areas contaminated with toxic heavy metals in the air, water, soil, and/or food.
- I walked unprotected in/through toxic waterways that are causing health problems.
- I walked barefoot over a 7.5 km stretch of toxic heavy metals that are causing major health complications.
- I ate seafood that live in toxic waters.
- I drank water that is no doubt dangerously high in heavy metals.
- I breathed. [this is just plain a bad idea in many places in the Phils, though probably worse in those places with blowing particles of toxic heavy metals.]
- I travelled alone with expensive gear that I waved around in peoples faces [sometimes at night, often in areas with high crime rates].
- I spent time with people who have reason to fear for their lives (ain’t the photo-gig exciting?!). In one such place there was a guard dog at every door/exit, seven in all. There were previous attempts on people of this place, and colleagues had been hit—one night there was a murder next door which caused only minor worry (this being such a ‘normal’ event).
- I stood in between angry protestors and riot police in battle gear – even after the Media Advisory by Dept of Justice Secretary Gonzalez’s warning journalists that police will use necessary force if the media get in their way. I also enjoyed pushing cops out of my way through the police line.
- Then of course there are the non-risks that people back in Canada always freak about: drinking the tap water (the ice, random street liquids, etc.), eating random streetfood (esp. in places like junkyards), sleeping in random homes/porches/whatever, placing my life/safety in the hands of people I just met, etc…
- And there were others…

I don’t know why I find all of the above to be so non-worrisome. I guess its part of the reason I do this sort of thing. I identify with these people, and I can’t stomach living differently from them when I am covering their stories. This is what many do, and it stinks of arrogance to me.

Good ol’ Catholic guilt is there too I guess. I didn’t come from a money family. My relatives are still street vendors just scraping by. By pure chance I got out, they didn’t.

I won’t be that balikbayan that only speaks English, wears nice new designer clothes, and basically lords it over the lazy dirty masses. I prefer to be the guy in ill-fitting stained clothes that rich Filipinos shout their orders to because they think I’m a vendor too.

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This was a good trip. Lots of images made, now to live up to commitments to get those images out there and to let as many as I can know about what’s happening in my homeland.

Despite being back in Toronto there will be more images put up on this blog, there will be more text entries about this trip (I didn’t have consistent internet there).

And there will be exhibitions, I hope some of you will make it out to them (and if there are any out there with contacts to help me tour some images, or media contacts I’d be happy to hear from you).

More to come folks, more to come…