Video in the works for the Vancouver Stories 125 project called “Life is a Garden”… a story written by Zuzanita Zakaria about moving from Singapore to the West Side of Vancouver, where a woman wearing the hijab is not a common sight.
Below is part of her story….
I am well aware of the double-takes I get when I am walking the streets of Kerrisdale; buying groceries on Dunbar or simply enjoying the breeze at Spanish Banks in my fully covered swimsuit…what we call a ‘burquini’. I have no problems with curious looks. But I am strange that way. Not all hijab-clad ladies are comfortable with the curious looks. For me, I just treat it as a gateway to dispense of stereotypes.
I hardly feel insecure in my hijab. I love it, it is my duty to God, and I wear it with pleasure.
I love the opportunity to instigate conversations, even if they are only in your head. When you notice diversity, even for a split second, you enrich your life.
Life is like a garden of multicoloured flowers, isn’t it?
Last week, I had a fabulous time with Zuzanita—a documentary producer and independent app producer—taking photos of her in different hijabs in her favourite spots in the West Side. We made our picks and while she’s on holiday back in Singapore, she’ll be taking a few more pictures to go in her video, and once I get them, I’ll finish up her video and put it online.
Check back in a week or so and you’ll find it soon on our project site: Vancouver Stories 125.
[...] wrote the story, chose some personal photos to use and we spent a day taking pictures around the West Side for her [...]