ICYMI
It’s weird; I’m sitting on my couch in my apartment, and it feels like nothing ever changed. Did I really go to Kazakhstan for a year and a half? Was I ever really in Central Asia?
After being on the road for five months, living out of my suitcase and hotel rooms, and interviewing over 200 students, I just wanted to get home. Unfortunately, Lufthansa and Almaty International had other plans.
To sum it up, my original flight was delayed, and when we began to taxi, we needed another round of “de-icing” since we sat at the gate for so long. Almaty Int’l didn’t want to send a truck out to us, so we had to get a tow back to base. While en route back to the gate, something lodged in the plane’s front wheel well. This forced us to sit on the tarmac for another hour until deboarding. We waited two hours for our suitcases to be unloaded, and, eventually, I was rerouted to JFK via Istanbul, arriving “only” 11 hours later than initially anticipated.
After getting reacclimated, meeting my parents’ new dog, eating a bagel, and converting gained kilograms to pounds, the streets of New York feel the same; there’s been some business turnover and whatnot, but it genuinely feels like I never left. It’s wild how the brain works.
New York
The last I left you with was tentative. Plans changed, and now I will start a one-year documentary and visual journalism certificate at the International Center of Photography on the Lower East Side this August.
In January, I went to an open house of theirs to learn about the program, and they told us that if we applied, they would waive our application fee. Low stakes, I thought, and I submitted my application the next day. A few months later, I was informed that I had been admitted to the program and received a significant scholarship and grant.
I never thought I’d be the one to go to art school, let alone one of the best photography schools in the world, but after creating a nice portfolio and remaining interested in film photography and storytelling, it kind of makes perfect sense.
In addition to my photographic side, I’ve gotten back on the wheel. I’ve used an open studio pass at the JCC on the UWS. I like making something tangible and seeing the fruits of my labor; photography and ceramics work nicely for me.
Additionally, since returning, I have been eating my weight in Lloyd’s carrot cake. I’d been keen to try this carrot cake for some time now, and it really is the best of the best. If there’s one thing I don’t have, it’s an eating disorder.
Broadly speaking, my goals for this program are to develop my photographic work further and learn more about journalism and storytelling. Ideally, I’d like to use these skills in Central Asia and the Caucasus. My experience in the region, language proficiency, communication skills, and risk-taking prowess complement this adventure work field nicely.
I really think that I can carve a nice niche for myself here. My sustained interest in the region and experiences can introduce me to well-connected people and places, and hopefully get me back on the ground.
I’ve told a lot of people that if money were no object, I would love to have a truck and my camera and drive all around the Former USSR to take pictures of mosaics, houses of culture, and other facets of life. I’ve done a fair share in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and a bit of Georgia, but there is still much more to see and capture (hint, hint, tourism boards, travel & leisure, lonely planet, NYT, New Yorker, etc…) (also if any of you lovely subscribers have any connections my DMs are open :) )
I never thought that I’d be the one to end up going to art school. I mean, really, me? I studied international affairs with a concentration in security policy at school. I took courses titled military geography, arctic affairs, and nationalism. However, I also took ceramics and continued taking pictures throughout my tenure.
I’ve been brought back to my time at Hanover High School. A lonely, weird transfer 10th grader (me, in case you didn’t realize), found solace in photography. I took photo I in my first year and photo II in my second year. I was also a TA for photo I my second year. I didn’t have friends at Hanover High, but I had unlimited access to great resources, film, and photo paper. I spent all my free periods and extra time on campus in the lab and began to develop a passion.
I was awarded the school's photography award in my last year of high school (technically my 3rd year, but I was keen to leave). I wasn’t present at the awards ceremony because I had no idea I was even being considered for it, let alone a possible recipient. I wish I had been told to show up at the ceremony, but so be it. This award, though, and the nice cash I was provided, told me that I had a bit of skill. Thank you, Ms. Waters, for your knowledge and support. I hope you know how much I valued the photography department at HHS and what has come from my pursuit of photography.
It’s funny how my interests have begun to converge. My foreign affairs and whatnot background has allowed me to work in Kazakhstan, given me the opportunities to capture what I want to capture on film, and now I get to learn at the world’s leading institution for this kind of work. What the mind can accomplish is wild.
I’ll be in the city for at least the following 12 months, and then see what opportunities present themselves.
Until then, I’m on the search for the best lagman, manty, lobiani, and medovik in Brooklyn and have a couple of interesting ventures planned. I’ll share my findings and experiences along the way.
Stay tuned, and the wait won’t be so long next time.
All my best,
Hen
Great write up Henry. Looks like things are really coming together. Now if you can figure out how to integrate your love of VW Golf Rs. 😀 Looking forward to hanging out with you and Gene in a few weeks.