It has been a jammed pack but super exciting last seven days. Last Tuesday my two youngest children and I drove to Richmond and boarded a bus bound for DC. Just as we were getting cozy in our seats my husband boards the bus looking for us (his bus had just pulled in behind ours) and so right before we pulled off we jumped off of our bus and boarded the bus with hubby and my oldest son (whom I hadn’t seen in a week so I was super excited).
The bus was rather crowded and we didn’t get to sit together, but I’m sort of thankful that we did not. I sat next to a man whose name I soon learned was Mr Lewis. Have you ever met someone who upon meeting just truly enriches your life? Well Mr Lewis did this for me. I won’t go into the details of our conversation but at the end of that bus ride when it was time to part ways I could immediately feel the impact that that conversation had on my life. So Mr Lewis if you ever stumble upon this blog, Thank You!
We made it safely to our hotel, the Renaissance Hotel on New Hampshire Ave after a long but pretty uneventful trek from the bus stop. Actually seeing that we made it several blocks on foot and on the metro train with our luggage and three kids I say that trek was pretty darn successful.
The hotel was beautiful and the location great. We made it just four minutes before registration ended *whew*. We were able to go shower and change and get ready for the Fulbright reception.
The Fulbright reception was nice. The kids were able to attend and we all enjoyed getting to mingle (I did more so than the kids). The food was good… there were a variety of different foods from many different cultures (nice touch Fulbright). I made the kids at least try everything on their plate which they ultimately appreciated when they learned they actually liked spanakopita, crab cakes and mushroom tart. We mingled for a while longer and then headed upstairs to our room for the night… we were exhausted.
The next two days were jammed pack with Fulbright sessions. We had numerous breakout sessions (by country, by discipline, by grand type, for those taking families, etc) which I truly enjoyed. It was enthralling to hear from people that had already been and from those who, like myself, are preparing to depart soon. It was wonderful to hear how other people’s kids managed and what adjustments they required when they returned. It was exciting to hear from other anthropologists/archaeologists. It was most exciting to meet with and hear from my cohort who will be in Jamaica during the same time that I am. They are a fantastic group who I can’t wait to get to know better in Jamaica.
There are 93 of us Fulbrighters (scholars, independent artists and students) who are traveling to throughout the Western Hemisphere this year and next. Out of the many that I was able to meet and chat with ALL of them seemed to be amazing people with simple amazing projects and research interests. It was so thrilling to be able to chat with people about their research and chat about my own research and see how passionate we all are about what we are going to do.
At the end of the orientation I was (and am) “fired up and ready to go”. This orientation made this whole Fulbright thing a reality. In just about 6 short months my family and I will be packing up and moving for Jamaica *wow*.
Our return trip was pretty uneventful. We made it to Williamsburg safely. The next two days, Friday and Saturday was a whirlwind of sightseeing with the hubby and kids (we so happy to be together again). Sunday was extremely special as Kenric and I celebrated out 10yr wedding anniversary. I still can’t believe we have been married for 10 whole years, while I can’t picture life without him it seems like just yesterday we were poor, newly married college students trying to figure out life. Our anniversary was spent in a bustling day of shopping, gifts, dinner and actual alone time (which is a rarity for us). Here’s to 10yrs into forever!!!
To finish out this busy week, we woke up early this morning and headed to the beach. We all had a blast splashing in the ocean and trying to build and protect sand castles. After the beach we headed downtown Norfolk to see the Battleship USS Wisconsin (please note that I most certainly do not like the tunnel between Hampton and Norfolk VA… I do not feel comfortable travel hundreds if not thousands of feet under the Chesapeake Bay in my vehicle *smile*). After a fun but exhausted tour of the battleship and through the museum we finally headed back to Williamsburg.
Whew! I get tired just typing about all that we did this week. Next week doesn’t seem much different. My baby’s birthday is in four days (he will be nine) and my baby girls birthday is 10 days after (she will be 6). We also have to get through the fourth of July. Check back soon to see how we survived the two birthdays and the holiday!
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