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Acknowledgement 

I would like to start by express my deepest gratitude to all the individuals who supported me throughout my journey in creating this photo book.

First and foremost, I want to thank my girlfriend, Leonie, for being an amazing source of support since the beginning -- from the time I applied to Ringling College-- all the way to guiding me around the winter streets of Berlin for this book (with her beautiful smile and enthusiasm). I cannot imagine how my life would be without her love and support.

I would like to thank my family for always believing in me and supporting my decision to pursue my passion. I am also grateful to all my friends, both from Ringling and outside, who supported me, showed their appreciation, and provided feedback on my work. Your validation definitely helped me move forward.

Of course, this book would not exist without my education at Ringling College of Art and Design. I am truly grateful for all the instructors I had the privilege of learning from; it has been a journey of self-discovery since day one at Ringling. 

I would like to extend a special thanks to Noelle McCleaf for her advice on the book-making process and for teaching exceptional photography classes with care and insight. All 26 images featured within the book were selected with her assistance.

I would also like to extend a massive thank you to Claudia Cumbie-Jones, Joe Fig and Marina Shaltout for making the Visual Studies program as awesome as it can be. Your creativity, flexibility, selfless support, and extensive knowledge in various areas have made the program truly remarkable.

I am also grateful to Michael Wyshock and Nathan Skiles for reviewing the book and providing me with ideas to further develop this project in the future. Additionally, I want to thank them for their support since my time in the Fine Arts Department.

While the process of obtaining a visa to visit Germany was tedious and highly frustrating, I would not have been able to do it without the help of some amazing people: Paul and Katja Wolterstorff, my lovely host family and some of the kindest and most loving people I have ever met. Thank you for making every visit feels like coming home. I would also like to express my gratitude to Leonie's family for being so generous and kind, allowing me to stay with them and join in their Christmas celebrations as if I were a member of the family.

Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have supported me on my journey, both directly and indirectly. I am truly lucky to be surrounded by kind, sincere, and compassionate people like you. Thank you all for your support.

This photo book is the beginning of a journey, a journey to explore the relationship between people, places, and their sense of belonging. It is a journey that I have embarked on, and one that I will continue to document alongside my life. Each image in this book is a piece of a jigsaw puzzle in a massive final piece that I will never fully complete. Similarly, I acknowledge that I cannot represent or capture the world in its entirety through my photography or any other medium. Instead, I strive to tell stories about the world through my own personal perspectives—one piece at a time.

“In Search of Belonging: Berlin” is a photo book that features 26 selected images from my one-week stay in Berlin. I chose this title because I visited the city to imagine what my life would be like if I were to move to Germany after graduation. Through this search, I realized that the people I met on the streets might also be searching for the same sense of belonging. Berlin is home to a diverse group of people, and I wondered, where are they coming from? How did they get here? What are they searching for? Do they feel they belong, and what makes them feel that way? While 26 images cannot reveal all the answers, they offer a glimpse into understanding other people and, in turn, understanding ourselves.

I chose street photography as my medium to capture the spontaneity and flow of life. It allows me to blend in and become a part of the street, to be a part of the people walking around and living their lives without intervening and disrupting the candid moments that reveal a fraction of truth.