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“When one of the biggest earthquakes in Haiti took place, I was studying in America. As soon as I got back from school and saw the news, my initial reaction was to call home. But all the lines were dead, so I couldn’t get in touch with anyone. Imagine for two weeks, you have no contact with your family, what do you do? Are you going to remain positive or will you go down that negative route and prepare for the worst? So many scenarios played in my mind. Two weeks later, my phone rang in class, which is prohibited but they made an exception for me. On the other end of the line was one of my siblings in Haiti, who told me everyone was fine. I burst into tears that day. Then my mom spoke to me and said something that still resonates with me today: ‘What’s going on in Haiti is what’s going on in Haiti. We sent you to America so you can get a better education and life. Why are you worrying about the things in Haiti that are out of your control? You’re just causing yourself problems. Focus on what you need to do. If you can help us, then great. But if there’s nothing you can do about our situation then don’t even think about it.’ This is how I learned the ability to focus to the point of being cold. Now I’m actually trying to unteach myself that because I’ve been doing it for so many years that I’ve started to forget how it feels to not be cold. It’s a balancing act.” . . . . . #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #gaijinlife #gaijin #humansofjapan #lifewelltravelled #tokyo #東京 #Japanlife #lifeinjapan #agameofportraits #Haiti #portraitstream #immigrant #ポートレート #japan #街撮り #ig_japan #カリブ #portrait #expatlife #chasingemotions #attacktheshot #portrait #Caribbean #expat #diversity #diversitymatters

“Before coming out to my friends, I was very confused. Not knowing what to expect, especially how my friends would react, held me back. With my family, it’s different because it may hurt them, upset them, or make them worry about my future. Fortunately, a friend of mine in Hong Kong came out to me first, which gave me the courage and inspiration to do the same. Even now, I appreciate how much he trusted me. So after a few months in deep thought, I started to come out to my close friends in Hong Kong and Japan. Then later on to my co-workers. Turns out my friends were very supportive. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. That was seven years ago. Today, I’m part of my company’s LGBT ally community. Its purpose is to foster a comfortable environment for all employees so that they can be themselves without fear of being judged. This can help everyone reach their full potential at work. They know they’re safe, they can talk about anything, and they won’t be discriminated against. It’s a long way to go, especially in our Tokyo office, where some people still aren’t aware of its existence. Some think it’s got nothing to do with them, but I want to raise this community’s visibility so that anyone who wants to be supported can get together with people who will accept them for who they are. They’ll know where to go and whom to turn to in times of need.” . . . #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #gaijinlife #gaijin #humansofjapan #LGBT #tokyo #東京 #Japanlife #lifeinjapan #agameofportraits #HongKong #portraitstream #gay #ポートレート #japan #diversity #japan_daytime_view #香港 #portraitphotography #expatlife #chasingemotions #attacktheshot #portrait #Comingout #expat #urbanromantix #lgbtpride

“When I was 11 years old, my high school in Haiti got attacked. People literally came with guns and started shooting. My mom got scared and sent me to America. I thought I was on vacation, so on my return date, I was packing my bags but then my uncle told me I’m not going back anymore. That’s how I started living in America. I didn’t have a choice. When my parents got divorced while I was growing up in Haiti, I also didn’t have a choice. Unlike a lot of people who want to study abroad or be an expat, I was pretty much exiled to America because Haiti wasn’t safe. Another difference is the fact that I was an immigrant, not an expat. It’s not like I asked for it. I just got shoved into that situation. I couldn’t even speak English at the age of 12. Also, I was only allowed to stay in America because I was a minor under the care of my guardian, my grandmother, who’s a naturalized citizen. As soon as I turned 18, I became an adult and was in danger of becoming an illegal alien. So, when it came time for college, I had to go with universities that could give me a full ride. This meant I could only make it to the top schools with private funding, which happened to be Ivy League schools. Public schools are cheaper, but you must pay out of state or country taxes. Early on, I learned that there are no safety nets. This is how I got the drive to always want to strive." . . . #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #gaijinlife #gaijin #humansofjapan #lifewelltravelled #tokyo #東京 #Japanlife #lifeinjapan #agameofportraits #Haiti #portraitstream #immigrant #ポートレート #japan #街撮り #ig_japan #カリブ #portrait #expatlife #chasingemotions #attacktheshot #portrait #Caribbean #expat #ivyleague #urbanromantix

僕はエクアドルから来ました。ここ15年、ずっと日本に住んでいますね。妻は日本人で、彼女とは、僕がダンスレッスンをしていたサルサクラブで出会いました。彼女が僕と付き合うまでの半年、そこでずっと彼女のことを追いかけていましたね。今、二人の子供がいますよ。上の子は普段から僕ら二人から習ったダンスをたくさん踊ろうとします。時々、彼女は僕にどうすればいいかを聞いてはくれないんです。だから少しそれについては悩んでしまいますし、親になるということはどんなに忍耐が必要なものかということも実感しますね。毎日が、交渉事のやりとりのようですよ。下の子はものすごい速さで成長していますね。この間までほんの赤ちゃんで、ご飯を食べさせたり、遊び相手になったり、あやしたりする以外は、何もする必要はなかったんですよ。今は彼女は、時々食べてくれなかったりしますね。また、自分から興味を持って動き回ったり、何かを表現し始めることでしょう。難しいことも出来るようになっていくと思います。一歳の子供と向き合うという経験はすでにありますが、それでもこの子達の性格はかなり違っていますね。下の子の方がもっと活発で、時々元気いっぱいにそのエネルギーを爆発させています。 #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #gaijinlife #gaijin #japanlife #humansofjapan #南米 #ecuador #attacktheshot #lifeinjapan #ilovejapan #artofvisuals #エクアドル #エクアドル人 #igersjp #familyfun #visitjapan #diversitymatters #mixedrace #chasingemotions #ハーフ #ラテン系 #スペイン語 #国際結婚 #candid #instagramjapan #ポートレート

“My dad is Venezuelan; my mother is French, and they met in the U.S. while they were exchange students in Philadelphia. They got married and moved to Venezuela together, where they had my big brother. Now things aren’t going so well there in Venezuela. Prices are skyrocketing. You must wait a long line to get food from the supermarket or buy from the black market. It’s ridiculous. A pair of sneakers costs as much as a house. You also need an ID card to make purchases because everything is rationed. So if you want to buy eggs, you can only buy eggs once a week. The worst part is that they won’t ask for help from other countries because they don’t want to acknowledge the fact that they have a crisis. I came here when I was 19 since it was my dream to live in Japan at the time. After 10 years of living in Japan, I want to move back to Europe. For the better part of the last decade, I’ve been working in sales and marketing for Japanese and Chinese companies, just paying the bills and my student loans. But for my next step, I want to do a job that I actually like, where I feel useful and help people in need or countries in need. That’s why I’ve been thinking about doing something more humanitarian. Funny thing is, even though Venezuelans have nothing—and I mean no water and no electricity half of the day because the country doesn’t function anymore—they’re still super generous and happy to help you, put food on your plate, and never ask for money in return. On the other hand, I’ve seen Japanese people having a great life, with everything they want, and still not be happy.” 📸 @saudkh . . . #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #gaijinlife #gaijin #humansofjapan #lifewelltravelled #tokyo #東京 #Japanlife #lifeinjapan #agameofportraits #フランス #portraitstream #フランス人 #ポートレート #japan #街撮り #ig_japan #スペイン語 #portrait #expatlife #ベネズエラ #ラテン系 #chasingemotions #attacktheshot #portrait #フランス語 #french

"I come from Ecuador. I’ve been living in Japan for the last 15 years of my life. I met my Japanese wife at a salsa club, where I was taking dance lessons. That’s where I pursued her relentlessly for half a year before she finally fell for me. Now we have kids. The older one likes to dance a lot, which she got from both of us, obviously. Sometimes she doesn’t listen to me, so I get a little upset and I realize how tough parenting can be. It’s like a negotiation every day. This little one grew up so fast. She was just a baby and I didn’t have to do anything except feed her, play with her or make her laugh. Now she sometimes won’t eat, or she’d start acting up. It’s getting harder for sure. Good thing I already have experience dealing with a one-year-old, although their personalities are so different. Little one is more athletic and can sometimes burst into pure energy." . . . #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #gaijinlife #gaijin #humansofjapan #Ecuador #エクアドル #Japanlife #lifeinjapan #agameofportraits #南米 #everydayjapan #国際結婚 #ハーフ #portraitstream #family #ポートレート #japan #街撮り #diversity #ig_japan #Nagoya #スペイン語 #mixedrace #expatlife #エクアドル人 #ラテン系 #salsa

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