Maria and I went to RISSE this afternoon to see Farmaz and some of the other children at the afterschool.

Farmaz forgot to bring the new camera we brought him to school this afternoon, he’s going to e-mail me some photos tomorrow. His mother and sister say that he has barely let the camera out of his hands since he got it more than a week ago. He has taken countless selfies and family photos and pictures of his stuffed dogs.

A camera was the only thing he wanted for his birthday, it was a joy to give one to him. We got him a beginner’s V-Tech digital camera for $45, thanks to the Army Of Good.

Farmaz and I had some fun today. He is too shy to talk but he did agree to thumb wrestle with me, he won two of out three games. He is very shy and has not yet spoken directly to me, apart from nods and shakes of the head, but we are making progress communicating. He smiles and laughs a lot, he has a wicked sense of humor.

He speaks English well, and he certainly gets a joke

His mother has invited Maria and I to dinner as soon as she gets a night off. We have gratefully accepted.

He says he wants to be a scientist but he loves photography very much. We met his sister Farkhonda, she is outspoken and charismatic. She wants to be a singer.

Farmaz is from Afghanistan, his father was killed there, he lives with his sister and mother. I am coming to see him next week, I’ll be watching closely to see if he is ready over the next few months for a better camera, perhaps a small point and shoot.

Farmaz will need some support, his family is poor, his mother works day and night at several jobs, all of them minimum wage. They are gifted and motivated people, they are no threat to us in America.

You can support my work with Farmaz by sending a contribution to The Gus Fund, c/o Jon Katz. P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or to me, via Paypal, [email protected]. Thank you. I hope to have some of  his photos tomorrow.