The Love Around Us

Different countries, different people. All lining up into a single love story. Because love is all around us. And if we haven't found it yet, then it's definitely somewhere there, awaiting.

Love starts in different places--sometimes at school...

Kathy Wang / Via humans.photo

“Back in high school, he used to give solo concerts in one of the classrooms.”

“And she used to secretly climb over the campus gates just to get some extra snacks.”

Shanghai, China

...sometimes… in another place.

Luca Semprini / Via humans.photo

“How did you meet each other?”

“In a bar. That sounds really tacky!”

“What’s the thing you like the most about each other?”

“There’s too many things! His beard,” she then said.

“What about you?” I asked him.

“I’m not good at this… We share a lot in common, really.”

Queenstown, New Zealand

It may need a lot of help growing into something bigger...

Ali Malik / Via humans.photo

"Once I went to a library where I didn't go often. I saw a girl. She was very beautiful. I really started to like her. Now I go there everyday, study there and stare at her. The good thing is I improved my percentage after I started going there."

Ankara, Turkey

...but when it eventually overcomes the initial obstacles...

Humans of Dhaka City / Via humans.photo

''He is my stepbrother but I consider him to be my best friend."

"When I first met him I was not very nice to him. I was seven years old when my mother passed away, and soon afterwards I found myself with a stepbrother who was five years younger than me. And the relationship between my step mother and me wasn’t that good. She wasn’t very welcoming. For that reason I took it out on my stepbrother at times. But he never got angry or upset. He always thought of me as his big brother, and always came to me with a smile and always tried to cheer me up. His love and respect for me is what turned my hatred into the love I have for him today."

"Nowadays we share everything. We talk to each other about our problems and spend quality time together. We are not only brothers, but also best friends.''

Dhaka, Bangladesh

...it transforms everything.

Saman Sharif / Via humans.photo

"My husband is my everything. Ever since I met him, I feel like my entire existence has been transformed. And it’s not simply because I am insanely in love with him that I think so -- it’s just his impact on me, you know? His companionship has brought more culture into my life. And I treasure it."

Florida, United States

And although it may complicate your life a little bit at the very beginning...

Tehreem Nihar / Via humans.photo

"I got married at 19, and took my high-school final exams during the first year of my marriage. Although I have always loved the sciences, and it was always my dream to do medicine, my first child was born shortly after graduating from high school, so I couldn’t continue with my studies."

"Now, several years later, I am a mother of two beautiful daughters. But I am also preparing for the medical school test. My husband and my family are wonderfully supportive."

"It was been pretty hard during the last couple of months to start studies all over again, but I am trying my best to absorb as much as I can. The test is three weeks away and I am very nervous. But I am still passionate about medicine so I can’t let it go without giving it a try. Because I believe opportunity opens doors for both luck and success if you take advantage of it. And I know I would regret it if I didn’t try."

Gilgit, Pakistan

...in the end, it makes all your fears fade away.

Humans of Malaysia / Via humans.photo

"Tell me something interesting about each other."

"He is a survivor of the Taliban bombing in Kabul. He works for the United Nations and went to Afghanistan for a cyber security awareness program. The hotel where he was staying was bombed - there were rockets flying in left and right, one was even 30 meters away from him in the lobby."

"He is a lawyer. Go figure."

"Is there something you want to say to each other?"

"You have one of the most beautiful smiles, your eyes twinkle every time you smile."

"You have a wonderful hug. You are a very lovable person, someone I can always rely on. You are one of the few people who can cut down all my fears and troubles immediately, all with a hug."

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Of course, there is no guarantee of a happy ending...

Humans of the Gold Coast / Via humans.photo

"I don't know how to put it. I'm trying to deal with a break up after a nine-year relationship. I've been with my friends, riding a motorbike, trying to get my head and life back together...there's a lot more to it, but I'd rather cut it short. I just turned fifty so I'm just trying to deal with how my life is going to get going for the next... whatever years lie ahead. I'm trying to cope with the realisation that I'm not going to be with the person I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Sometimes I think about taking her back, I really don't know if I want to take her back, it's hard to come to a decision due to circumstances."

Gold Coast, Australia

...but even the unhappy kind can change your life for better.

Anna Maria Jaskiewicz / Via humans.photo

"Twenty years ago, when it turned out I would not be with a certain girl, a void appeared which I knew I had to fill in. Until then, my life was about sports, but somehow I got this idea that maybe I should start reading to fill the void. For a long time I was wondering where to begin. Reading was for me a totally foreign territory. I knew how to kick a ball but didn’t really know how to deal with a book. So I joined a class about the history of literature. We began from Homer’s Iliad. Suddenly, I saw an entirely new world emerging from my empty space. Reading enchanted me. Then came several years of heavy reading, hundreds of pages a day. Because, you know, this void was a big one."

"I realize now that if she had agreed to be with me, I wouldn't be in this place right now. And I think it’s a good place to be in. Perhaps I risk sounding a bit pompous, but I do believe that love lies at the basis of everything that’s important in life. Even the unhappy kind."

Warsaw, Poland

And if it does happen to have a happy ending...

Humans of Londrina / Via humans.photo

"We've been together for over 40 years. We met at the end of 1972. Although we were studying at different colleges, we took a few classes together. In May of the following year, we started dating."

"In 1981, I began selling products to people in their homes, and also in schools. We decided to expand and in 1992 we opened this store. We raised three children too."

"In February 2005 my husband had a stroke. It was our most difficult time. It shocked us and from that time on we decided we would always do everything together. Fortunately, things are getting better now. I am very grateful."

"Over time we have made a lot of friends - people come to visit us, it’s very rewarding. Today, the children coming here are the children of the children who used to come here when we were starting. That's really nice. We try to treat everyone with utmost attention. We like to know the names of the ones who come here regularly. I think love and friendship are enough for everything to work well."

Londrina, Brazil

...then you know that everything will be just alright.

Pham Diem Hang / Via humans.photo

"Thirty years from now, I would like to have someone standing besides me, holding my hand and saying 'Everything is going to be alright.'"

Ayutthaya, Thailand

All the photos and stories come from humans.--an online street portraiture platform.