My bedroom, the one place I called my own as a child. A place where each item symbolized who I was as a person.
A blanket, my friend that was there for me when I was cold, scared and sad. The warmth of my sheets welcomed me on a cold, winter day. After watching the video, I have realized that I took these basic items for granted.
The Room in the Cabinets
In the Philippines a young child, not much older than the age of five, showed me where she slept since she was four. We were outside in an open market and I watched as she went inside the cabinets of the table, like in the picture below. In this stall her mother sold vegetables and herbs outdoors. Her tiny plot had no sheets, no pillows, just little ants for company. I was bewildered and felt such pity. Having no where to go, she is frightened and forced to sleep there, cowering from security officers at night. However, to my amazement she was still thankful, saying that without this stall she would've been sleeping on the street, where it's more dangerous. For me, warmth and comfort was always there when I grew up. Although it is a basic human right to have a bed and shelter to stay in, many children do not have this.
 |
| Picture of a Market Stall |
Children's rights
When one thinks about Children's rights, they usually do not think about bedrooms. However, children should be able to know that they can peacefully and safely sleep in a place without being scared. Multiple times we provide food, toys, games, etc. But we never think about giving children a bed or a room they can stay in. Which is ironic because I felt that as a child, decorating my bedroom was the only way to express myself.
Where Children Sleep
 |
Roathy, 8, Phnom Penh, Cambodia: A young boy in poverty |
Where Children Sleep
The video and pictures are all from a book called Where Children Sleep by James Mollison, who wanted to show the different ranges of Children's rights through bedrooms. Mollison took pictures of their rooms from all around the world. Although I would love to know their stories, these pictures do not need their descriptions, they tell a story on it's own. From looking at their bedrooms their personality resonates because people are able to change the contents of their room to show own interests, aspirations and identity. In multiple pictures, the social class is also evident; clearly showing which children are in poverty. Although this video doesn't focus on children who are in poverty, I felt that those pictures struck me the most. It was definitely surprising seeing the sharp contrasts of these images. It makes me want to do something about it. I have learned to appreciate the little things because of these images.It has taught me that a picture is truly worth a thousand words.
Joan,
ReplyDeleteI especially liked the video you choose. It really grabbed my emotions! I liked how it wasn't just super poor children, it was a mixture of a bunch of different life styles. I also like how you create a personal connection in the very beginning. I would suggest working on formatting a little bit so that there is consist fonts and spacing. It might also be easier to tell what are your thoughts and what you are quoting that way.
I enjoyed reading your post!
~Abby Eades
I really enjoyed your blog post and video, it was super emotional. I felt a connection to every single photo that was shown. The video was powerful, and I liked how it showed kids and their bedrooms from around the world. After viewing the video, I was reminded of Humans of New York. In Humans of New York, the photographer shows pictures of people with a quote that they said. I enjoy it because it reminds me not to judge a book by its cover. The link to Humans of New York is: http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/bags2.jpg. This was a really great blog, and I enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDelete