humans of london

"I work in customer service but I'm approaching 27 and what I really want to do is to pursue my passion for travelling. When you are here you see people complain about fucking shit but when you travel you see how you lucky you are."

"Is that were you see yourself in 10 years time?"

"In 10 years time I want to have achieved so much. I want to learn Spanish, play the guitar, find a husband, maybe have 2 kids. What I really want is to run my own small business in the Phillipines."

"Why there?"

"Because my mother is from there. She always talks about it to me so I do feel a connection to it. So I guess want to do it for her but also for me. It's for the both of us."

"I've been a financial adviser for 35 years. Technology has changed my job completely, it's a double edged sword. On the one hand I have an infinite amount of information at my disposal and everything is instantaneous. But finance has been made more complicated by technology, with it's increasingly complexity it's difficult for me to explain to customers exactly what is going on which can lead to confusion and disappointment.

Technology has had that effect on life in general actually. It's strange, life is so much easier with technology, yet so much more complex than when I was growing up."

"Tell me about what you are wearing today."
"There's a stereotype of how black people dress in this country, the way I dress is a a reaction to that stereotype."
"How would you describe the stereotypical black dress sense?"
"Ghetto fabulous. I'd describe the way I dress as liberal."
"Does your avoidance of being a stereotype extend to other aspects of your life?"
"Definitely. Taking that step to be something different to what surrounds you takes real bravery. You've got to be able to look at what surrounds you and say to yourself; you know what, actually I don't agree with that, and then make a conscious effort to be different. It isn't just a race issue, it's extends to all aspects of life. However, I do think there are problems within black culture, which is due to pop music misrepresenting reality. I think alot of people, particularly young black men don't understand that when the cameras are rolling and these music videos are being filmed, they are putting on a show. I was talking with my sister just a couple of days ago about how there's a lack of role models for black British people in the 21st century."
"So who are your role models?"
"Growing up Mary Seacole was a big role model for me, she went out of her way to serve others regardless of background, which is something I live by."

"I always wanted to be different. Everyone takes the same path in China; they study hard, go to university, get married, have children and then expect their kids to repeat the process. 

But I didn't want to do that. So when I was 18, I dropped out of university and took a gap year hitch-hiking from Shenzen to the Everest base camp in Tibet.

Now that I'm in London, I want to be special here and so I'm learning parkour. People seem so stressed and busy here so that I hope when they see me do this, it will make them happy."