iamdat This journal is dedicated to the people and places whom I have had a chance to come across.

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, October 12, 2010 | flickr photos

During a visit to a public school for the poor in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, I came across a classroom, in which I saw a very special girl sitting at the front row. Her appearance is very different from the rest of her classmates. Her hands and legs are deformed, while her friends are all normal. Watching how her fingerless hands hold the pen, I felt an urge to approach her family and seek permission to document about her.

Through this series of photos, I tried to tell an intimate story as I observed a little part of her daily life, how she plays and lives with her brother, mother and father. Thus, the place that I visited is Ngoc's world, where we can catch a glimpse of a childhood filled with disadvantage and uncertainty.

As I submit this entry to the competition, I hope to raise an awareness to the international friends about the life of the underprivileged people that we often overlook ourselves. I strongly feel that my life-long duty with a camera is to narrate stories that reflect the life of the people in societies. After all, I believe that it is the people who make the place. At the same time, I believe in my ability to strive on and go beyond the surface of physical aesthetics to expose the essence of beauty which lies in the human spirit, particularly of Ngoc in this story.

Personally, I would say that my adventurous and explorative personality should fit me well in what this photography scholarship requires. I have always been enticed by the experience of interacting with new cultures, new faces and new perspectives. However, it would be a dream-come-true to be with Mr Jason Edward on such an assignment to discover Bhutan.