It became a story about me, a reaction to loneliness and homesickness.
'I’ll be back tomorrow'
Photographer & words : Magda Benda
My childhood girlfriends decided to stay and build their life in our hometown of Raciborz. It is a typical Polish, Catholic town, located at the Czech Republic’s border, identical to about 200 other small towns in Poland from which almost everyone decides to leave as soon as they finish high school.
This is about a time when young adults are starting new social roles; such as becoming parents or full-time employees.
I shed light on the changes taking place in their lives, on motherhood and women’s romantic relationships (or lack of them). I observe how their bodies are evolving, how they express themselves through cosmetic changes like tattoos, plastic surgeries or piercings.
I was going through the same process.
It felt easier in the place where I grew up;
a place that I demonized
and wanted to leave very much.
I do this by accompanying my childhood friends in their everyday life as well as what Polish cultures consider their sacred and most “important moments”: childbirth, baptisms, weddings, and birthdays.
The idea of happiness depends only on individual needs.
I wanted it to be a story about people I value; showing that each personality is significant and interesting.
Huge thanks to my characters, who let me document their life over those months.