A cute refugee girl from Myanmar grabs some watermelon while sporting some Thanaka on her face.

(Yep, that’s me in the mixing bowl, as I photographed the little tyke.)

This was taken on the playground of the apartment complex where I once lived in Salt Lake City. To be honest, that place was pretty rough and riddled with crime, drugs, homeless traffic and lots of people living on the edge. However, the rent was cheap, and given the skyrocketing rent prices of Salt Lake City, it was my best option at the time.

Sometimes I felt extremely depressed that I was living in this environment, but then I discovered that the place also had a bright spot. (At least for me.)

As it turns out, a large number of international refugees had been relocated there. From Southeast Asia, Latin America, Afghanistan and Africa they came, and on most evenings they ventured out to the playground with their kids to congregate and socialize. And for them, living there was the best life they ever had.

On hot summer evenings, I occasionally served up watermelon slices to these refugee kids who played out there, or anybody else who was nearby. The kids were always a hoot, and their overall zest for life inspired me to no end.