Passports, Photo Shoots and More

Whew!  Today was a whirlwind of  a day.  Kenric had to be out of the door this morning at 645a at which time I got up to check and respond to my already full email inbox.  After his brief meeting he was heading back home to pick up me and the kids to be one of the first inline at the passport office.  We didn’t quite make it when we wanted (got there about 930) but the line wasn’t to bad.  It was an extremely easy process.  Kenric and I were required to show our ID (no youth passports without both parents there) and sign each form.  We gave him each of their birth certificates and he took their photos.  Simple as that.  We paid the $360 fee and that was that.  The nice passport processer even gave us the extra photo that he printed which I will need for visas (if they are needed)  so that is one less thing I have to remember to do.

After the applying for the kids passports we rushed back home to meet the kids music instructor.  He comes to the house on Tuesdays to teach piano, guitar and violin.  He is wonderful with the kids.  After lessons was lunch and then a wash and grease everybody down in preparation for our photo shoot.

Believe it or not the Brooks family will be featured in the July issue of Black Enterprise Magazine as the Financial Fitness Contest Winners.  We had and interview with the lady writing the article as well as a three hour discussion with a financial advisor from Merrill Lynch  yesterday.  So today they sent over the photographer!  It was actually more challenging than I thought.  He wanted to shoot outside so he gathered us all out there and then he said “OK, Act natural”.  We are all kind of looking at him… our natural is not standing in the back yard in 91 degree weather dressed casually but nice.  We all just kind of looked at each other for a minute.  As we started talking about what we could do to act natural he started snapping away.  He did have us look at the camera a few times, so I am hoping he was able to capture something suitable enough to be put in a magazine.  Now that I think about it, that was the first professional family photo session we have ever had.  Note to self: professional photo sessions for the Brooks family… um… not so much!

Once we were done and in the cool house trying to recuperate from the sweltering heat, I was kindly reminded by a friendly phone call that we were missing the kids science class.  Doh!  Even though we go every Tuesday, it completely slipped my mind today.  So I jump up and rush the kids to class.  After class, Kenric meets me to collect the kids and I head off to a boards meeting downtown and Kenric takes the kids to run errands with him.  We all meet back at home around 6pm and share a half gallon of Baskin Robbins Ice Cream (no we didn’t eat it all at once).

We watched the second to last Oprah together and everyone went to bed (which is where I am typing this right now).  Joshua has him annual state required testing in the morning, so he needs a good night’s sleep.

All in all it was a very productive day.

Life Outside of Fulbright

The family and I have been in Greenville for the past couple of days. Kenric came down for work and I came for research (comparative analysis of enslaved African and African American cemeteries).  Today I drove up to Spartanburg (only about 30 miles away) and met with Zac of Walnut Grove Plantation.  We went on a tour of the grounds and then he took me to the cemetery.  It was a beautiful site and dates to around 1765.  It is believed (or at least it is advertised) that both European Americans and the enslaved Africans are buried in this cemetery.  On first glance I have a difficult time believing that both groups share this space, but who knows.  Further surveying and exploration of historical records is needed.  After touring the cemetery on site we drove about ½ mile outside of the plantation to another small cemetery enclosed by a fence.  Oral tradition says that this is where the enslaved Africans are buried… and that I believe.  This small site was amazing and exhibited several characteristics that may suggest burial by and of enslaved Africans. 

I am excited to work with the Walnut Grove Plantation on this project. Being out there today brought me back to the present.  I have been focusing so much on Fulbright and moving to Jamaica that for the last month I have neglected things going on currently.  My walk around the cemetery reminded me that I have a life to continue (and a dissertation to write) when I return from Jamaica. Today inspired me to stop reading all of the Fulbright and “moving to Jamaica” blogs and pick up one of the textbooks I will be reading this fall (yep, my first semester in the PhD program). We'll see how long this eagerness to read ahead lasts *smile*

Advice from the Experienced (Thank You)

Last week I decided to reach out to some scholars who have previously completed a Fulbright in Jamaica.  I was a little apprehensive about contacting these individuals… I didn’t know how I would be received or what to expect.  Boy oh boy, I am so glad I did reach out to them.  Both individuals responded immediately and were both extremely kind.  I spoke to one former Fulbrighter on the phone and she was extremely informative.  That conversation really put my mind at ease.  We discussed Jamaican culture, students at the university, crime, driving, housing, options for my children, etc.  I learned so much from our brief discussion and I am so thankful that she took the time out of her day to call me.  I will certainly make sure that when I am a former Fulbrighter I will make myself available to all the new Fulbrighters that contact me, when that time comes. In the meantime I will take the advice that I received from a wise former Fulbrighter today and just sit back and enjoy this ride.