The Garbage Dump

When French photographer Alex Voyer saw a chance to swim with penguins, he literally jumped at the chance. He dove into the frigid arctic water with nothing more than a wetsuit, his camera and one deep breath.

(1/7) “My parents were supportive of my education, but they didn’t direct me. My father was a farmer and my mother was a housewife. They did not know much about science. But I was determined to become a scientist through my own personal will. I graduated high school with the third highest scores in all of Syria. I worked construction in the evenings to pay for my school. Even as a teenager, I was being given construction sites to manage. I graduated from university at the top of my class. I was given a scholarship to pursue my PhD. I suffered for my dream. I gave everything. If I had 100 liras, I would spend it on a book. My ultimate goal was to become a great scientist and make a lasting contribution to humanity.”

     “The greatest reward I’ve received in life is not monetary or being in a band on stage and famous. I do a lot of street performances and I also make balloon animals for the children. Sometimes, I see the kids with the big eyes, sitting there and watching and their parents don’t have any money for balloons. I used to do this for years on Coney Island, which is a different economic class, and I don’t mean that as an insult or anything. And the kids are wearing swim trunks—they don’t have wallets in their pockets. So I always give free balloon animals to the kids. I take pride in never turning down a kid over money. So what? It’s a balloon! You can get a bag of them—144 balloons—for only $10. So my greatest reward in life is just the smiles on the children’s faces as I ramble through life singing my songs, reciting my poetry, and making my balloon animals.”