since I spent a summer in Spain which changed my life forever…
At my friends’ apartment in Madrid, 2005
Playa Segundo in Santander, June 2005
Santander has a special place in my heart as I made life-long friendships here, along with my (now)husband. This will be the 20th year anniversary of our meeting!
I was in a study abroad program from Lehman College, CUNY, funded through an AmeriCorps grant, where I studied Spanish at Universidad Menéndez Pelayo (just 5 min walk from the beach) to fulfill credits for my teaching degree.
View from the daily walk from my host family’s home in Santander, 2005
This trip was also a transition from living in New York for many years and a beginning of my return home. Home also in the sense of where my heart was. I decided that instead of teaching, I would dedicate myself back to photography full-time, starting in Spain.
I started documenting a group of homeless immigrants, mostly from Morocco living behind this large church in Madrid. I spent time listening to their stories and observing their way of life. They invited me to eat with them, breaking bread and they would often make a meal out of tomatoes and tins of tuna. They let me in their space and I realized I was in a different kind of living room.
Behind the Iglesia de San Francisco Grande, Photographic collage, 2005
exhibited at Menos Uno gallery, Madrid, January 2006
“Emergence,” Photograph, Maui, December 2021
Fast forward to today as I’m returning back to Spain this month as a recipient of the 24th Julia Margaret Cameron Award for my image “Emergence.” It feels like coming full circle, to be recognized from the place that restarted my photography journey 20 years ago.
It’s particularly meaningful this image was chosen with the Hawaiian green sea turtle–– a symbol that helps us recognize that we are home wherever we go, a reminder to surrender, trust the present and invite the flow into your life.
When we open our hearts to lead us, we will always be directed to the place we are supposed to be. To learn more about the story behind “Emergence”, click here:
The exhibition reception will be held on July 3rd at Fotonostrum gallery in Barcelona where I’ll be showcasing a collection of twenty of my underwater photographs.
Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey!
What has been 20 years for you? How have you followed your heart and where has it lead you? I’d love to know…