My Photo scholarship 2011 entry
Worldwide | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 5 photos
This journal tells a story of my first and only night in Mombassa, and my experience of Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the religious fast Ramadan.
Having found and settled in to a 'luxurious' room I set out in to the warm, welcoming city of Mombassa. "Where to go" i asked myself, "Where else", i replied, "straight to The Old Town!'. Upon entering The Old Town I was enveloped in silence, I was alone and unsure. I saw a girl, apparently looking after a stall, her eyes and thoughts elsewhere, turning and looking straight at me she smiled, I was as welcome here as i was in the rest of Mombassa! I walked on lighter, more confident, moving deeper in to the unknown, the deeper I got, the noisier it became, children laughing, playing games, adults seemingly non existent. Arriving at one of the mosques I met a young man called Kes, the eldest son of a big family, we walked and talked for a while, when he turned to me and invited me to his home! Reluctant at first, not wanting to miss the celebrations, i then realised what an honour he had bestowed on me, and i accepted with a warmed heart. We entered his home through a curtain door where both he and I were hugged and welcomed by his family, and offered water and food by his mother. I was going to break their fast with them...who was I? A stranger, a non believer, sharing their food, tradition and laughter..I was part of their family, that is who i was, that is how they made me feel and i have felt it ever since!
I believe that i would be a great choice for this scholarship because I adore taking and looking at photographs, i love the fact that i can feel what i felt, and very often what others have felt just by glancing at a photograph. I am fit, fun, intelligent, and willing and able to absorb what ever the world throws at me!!
