Mackenzie Rollins | Weblog

m: i’m huddled beneath the single buzzing bulb in our house typing this, so as to save money at the internet cafe. its only five pesos for thirty minutes. so cheap. but i figure i might as well pinch pennies where i’m able.

i woke up this morning fully immersed in all the glory that was 1992. nirvana. pearl jam. aerosmith. cranberries. metallica. all blaring from a stereo in the shop below me.

welcome to a third world country.

its always so funny to see the impact american culture has on other cultures, especially when that impact hits two decades later.

the music reminded me of my brother, derek, during his angry adolescent days. pimples. rock bands. pamela anderson posters.

those were the days.

er, not so much.

as has probably been evident, i’ve had a few days to dilly dally before my workshop begins. i spent this morning reading on the roof of our building. i felt safely tucked in by the broken glass bottles and barbed wire which keep others out.

things with my studies commence tonight at dinner. 8 p.m. be there.

i have to say i’m nervous about this workshop. ten students from around the world, all with a love of photojournalism and a desire to “make it” in this field. essentially, its a time to prove myself. not in a, if i blow this i’m screwed, kind of way, but a rare opportunity for others from around the globe to see what i can do.

despite the nervousness, this kind of competition fuels me and i’m looking forward to what all of us will, individually and as a group, come away with. only good can come from it, right?

mary ellen mark, who’s teaching the course, has been shooting since the sixties and has published in everything and everything, from vogue to newsweek. vanity fair. national geographic. time. she also has work in permanent collections of museums around the world. has published countless books. such a wealth of knowledge is this woman, and my relationship with her begins tonight at dinner. hooray!

i hope to gain a little more knowledge about how to get from point a. to point b. (amateur to professional.) i feel stuck at point a. right now.

side note # 1: this is our kitchen, where, this morning, i successfully cooked an egg-in-a-basket (which joshua taught me to love.) he’s traveling through eastern europe right now. and when i say through, its something like eleven countries in a month. through and through. he’s shooting for a nonprofit that’s based in slovakia, and i know he’ll come away with beautiful work. it’s funny because he posted something today and also mentioned the year 1992. why is it that this year specifically comes to mind when hearing this old, what i can only call shitty music? i felt the need to re-edit this post and mention his post because of the similar music reference.

makes me feel not so far from him. i like that.

side note # 2: i got an email from a woman who’s a part of my overactive neighborhood association in seattle which read:

If you have lost a pig, I have found one…..for real.

Adrienne

pretty awesome, and would only happen in a neighborhood of seattle… or oaxaca, now that i think about it.

goodbye for now. i love you.