Indonesia
This photograph was taken in July of this year. The photograph depicts a “petani padi” (or rice farmer) harvesting rice in the foreground, with acres of rice patties visible in the backdrop. Every 100 days, rice farmers take to the fields to harvest and sift the rice by hand, a process that takes several weeks to complete. This was a life-defining moment for me because, before this day, I felt like an outsider looking in. For the first time, I felt as if I viewing the world from the same lens as a local, which elevated my level of appreciation for the individuals who contribute to this laborious process, as well as the Indonesian culture as a whole.