Cemetery Research

28 Feb 12

Ok! I had my pity party yesterday and today I am hitting the ground running.  After a frank talk with my hubby who snapped me back into reality I am motivated and eager to get going. 

I was able to visit 3 cemetery sites today.  My wonderful driver Mr Dennis picked me up after class at 10a.  We spent the next several hours looking around the Old Cholera cemetery, May Pen cemetery (which we were ran out of), and the Chinese cemetery.  All of these were uniquely wonderful.  I was able to get a good idea of what I can expect when it comes to exploring cemeteries in Jamaica. 

Chinese Cemetery Entrance

Chinese Cemetery

Chinese Cemetery

Old Cholera Cemetery (bodies dumped in mass grave and a mound of dirt piled on top)

May Pen Cemetery (right before we were chased out)

It sounds weird but after being in the cemetery trying to “read” these sites today I am renewed and reinvigorated.

29 Feb 12

Hooray!  My hubby is coming today!  I can not wait to see him!!!  So far today has been good.  I was able to get up this morning and get some grading done for my Anth 220 class that ended on Monday. Mr Dennis came to pick me up around 1030a and we headed to the National Library of Jamaica.  On the way to the library Mr Dennis told me how he was still thinking about our visit to the Chinese cemetery yesterday.  He then proceeded to tell me of some the supersitions many Jamaicans believe regarding visits to the cemetery and some of his own personal stories of spirits that he has encountered. It was very eye opening to hear some of the beliefs held by many Jamaicans regarding death and burial, and it also explained a lot regarding the reactions of people toward me once they find out why I am here.

Once at the library it was a smooth transition into research.  I located several sources that I found useful, made copies, viewed maps, etc.  I was fortunate that an archaeologist that I had previously met happen to be at the library.  She and her colleague were a HUGE help in helping me located resources, offering suggestions of books I should read, and asking tough questions that now has me considering revising my research question.  What was supposed to be a one hour trip to the library turned into a 4 hour stay.  By the time I got home I was to tired to go through any of the information I gathered.  It will have to wait until Monday since Kenric will be here in just a few hours!

My hubby, mama, kids and I are heading camping in the Blue Mountains tomorrw.  I’m not sure what to expect up there but I am so excited. Can’t wait to post pics from our trip. 

Movies and Rashes

25 Feb 12

We had a great time at the movies.  We saw a movie called Hugo.  We chose that one really because it was the only thing playing during the afternoon (I don’t want to be out with the kids at night).  It turned out to be a really good movie.  We enjoyed popcorn and soda and just for an hour and a half we forgot we were so far away from “daddy” (Kenric) and relaxed and enjoyed ourselves.  After the movie we walked around the “mall” where granny spoiled them with toys they don’t need and then we headed to the food court.  After getting a hefty portion of Japanese food granny splurged on the kids and bought them the largest, richest, softest, gooeyist brownies I have ever tasted.  While we waited for the taxi we browsed the grovery store and picked up a couple of things for the house.  It took the taxi a little while to arrive and after seeing the traffic I understand why.  I finally got to see Friday afternoon (and payday) traffice in Kingston Jamaica. Insane!

A great day, so far, today. I woke this morning to another beautiful Jamaican sun.  Ms Cicelin was at the house early this morning to cook us breakfast.  After we got up and got dressed, Nay, mama and I walked next door to Mrs Williams house where Ms Cicelin was waiting for us.  Then she walked me through step by step on how to cook the famous ackee and salftfish dish with fried dumplings.  We walked the food back to the house were we all enjoyed it.  The food was WONDERFUL and I learned how to cook it.  I’m not sure I will try ackee as I’m still scared of doing it wrong and killing my family J but at least now I know how it is done.  I will definitely cook those dumplings though.  The kids loved them and they were pretty easy to do.

Ackee and Saltfish and dumplings

After breakfast Joshua, Averie and I headed off to art class at the National Gallery (Nay stayed home with granny).  I dropped the kids off and Mr Charles, our driver, dropped me off in the market.  I had said I wasn't going to venture to the market today but once I was there I couldn't help but to shop J.  I got a few things we needed at the house (including umbrellas) and headed back to the gallery to  wait for the kids.  At the gallery I sat and was very productive… I brought my computer and was able to get a lot of work done while I enjoyed the most amazing cup of coffee in the coffee shop.

27 Feb 12

What a tiring day.  Averie woke up with a rash (covering her body from head to toe) and a fever yesterday.  I monitored her and she was fine but she woke up with it again this morning and also complaining of a sore throat.  We caught a taxi to campus and I took her to the health clinic.  We endored the same long process we did with Nathaniel.  Fortuntely my mom was there and was able to sit with them while I went to teach class.  When I got back they were still not threw.  After about another hour we were able to leave with nno more knowledge of what is wrong with her then when we came.  She came home and fell asleep and slept for a long while.  After dinner my neighbor happen to call to check on her and offered me a ride to the pharmacy to pick up Averie’s prescription (the local version of some benadryl and some Panadrol).  I was SO greatful.  I was able to get her her medicine and now she seems to be feeling a little better. While Averie was napping my mom became ill. She complained of a sharp pain in her side.  The pain is so unbearable for her that she has not gone to bed L . Last week we battled Nathaniel's illness, this week is my mom and daughter… I’m afraid of what next week has in store. 

Unfortunately I have not been very productive in my research.  With teaching responsibilities and home responsibilities I have not been able to find any time for the very reason I came here… I know I’m having a pity party, but I’m beginning to question what I am doing here at all. 

On the bright side, Kenric will be on his way here in less then 24 hours.  YYYAAAYYY! I can’t wait…

My Mom is Here!

23 February 2012

Wow! So much has happened since my last post.  I won’t begin to try to recap everything but I can tell you the best thing that happened.  My mom arrived!  She arrived on Tuesday (21 Feb) afternoon after an early morning flight from Charlotte.  As soon as she got off the plane she was up to her shenanigans but I was relieved to see her in good spirits. She made herself at home and we are all settling in.  It is going to take some adjustment living with my mom again after so many years but I’m so glad that she is here.

Granny's here!!!

At the neighborhood park with granny

Look who was watching us from up in the tree while we played

We had our first power outage last night.  I don’t know why I scared me so much… I guess waking up in total darkness (no lights outside as far as the eyes could see was a little unnerving).  I was not able to go back to sleep for the next hour and a half until the power returned. I guess I felt the need to stay up and keep watch over my family or in case the kids woke up scared (which they didn’t… they didn’t even budge).

I went to the salon today!  It was the first time I have gotten my hair groomed in years (I like what my hair naturaly does J so I never bothered to spend the time or money at the salon).  Wow!  It hurt… I have apparantly developed a tender head.  She used a method called sister locks, where she took a “needle” and retightened my hair.  It is supposed to last for several months even with washing it regularly.  I actually like it (outside of my head being so tender) and will probably get it done one more time before we leave here.

View of my head after it was "sister locked"

After my three hour hair appointment the kids, mama and I walked across campus for some lunch.  They ate at KFC and I was lucky enough to get a homecooked meal.  I forgot I had donated some money to a student for a fundraiser for her dorm.  As we happened to be walking past the dorm she called me and reminded me that I had lunch waiting.  I enjoyed some fish and sauce, festival and bami.  I’m still not sure what festival and bami are besides some type of bread.  One was hard and crunchy and the other was soft and doughy.

My lunch of fish (with the head still on) bami and festial

After spending hours in the Jamaican sun we spent the rest of the day at home in front of the fan.  We walked to the corner store for ice cream where my mom made some new friends.  She was invited to go dancing and I’m trying to convince her to go J.

24 Feb 2012

Today is a do nothing kind of day.  The kids are up and playing with granny.  I’m sitting at the computer getting some work done (and blogging of course).  We are planning to venture out to the moviees today.  The theatre is located at the Sovereign Center (a shopping plaza with an amazing food court) so it should be a fun outting).  I’ll post more later…

If life gives you a lemon... make lemonade!!!

19 Feb 2012

Do you know what I absolutely LOVE about Jamaica?  The abundance of fruit trees.  I know I keep harping on that but I truly love love love being able to eat fresh fruit daily from our yard.  Our new thing is making lemonade from the “lemon tree”.  The fruit looks just like an orange but when you cut it open there a many more seeds then what you find in a “typical” orange.  When you bite into the fruit it is instant jaw locking sourness. So naturally we decided to squeeze the juice and mix it with water and sugar.  I swear, Chick Fil a can learn something from these “lemons” here as this is the best lemonade we have had. I’ve decided to stop wasting money on fruit juice at the store (which is anything amazing thing as the juice is made from fruit puree and that’s it… it’s not loaded with water and sugar, just fruit and preservatives (for freshness)) and just start picking these “lemons” regularly and making lemonade.  The kids love it, it is refreshing and I know exactly what is in it.

"Lemons" freshly picked from the tree

The kids making lemonade

 In addition to picking “lemons” and making lemonade we also enjoyed playing with playdough.  On Friday the kids and I walked to campus to check out Caribbean Day.  The university had several booths set up each representing a different country in the Caribbean.  It was nice as we walked around learning about the different countries (or at least the ones that were there).  After that we headed to the campus bookstore where the kids enjoyed the children section and read some new books.  On the way out I spotted the playdough behind the counter and inquired about the price.  To my surprise it only cost JA$155 (about US$175) for the three cups.  That was the best money spent as it kept the kids entertained for hours.  Thank you play dough, thank you!

Playing with play dough

My play dough creation... you can tell what was on my mind lol

More play dough playing

Belated Valentines

15 February 2012

Happy Belated Valentines Day.  Our valentines was pretty uneventful as it is not a holiday that is much celebrated here.  A couple of people mumbled “Happy Valentines” as they walked past but I did not see one heart shaped balloon, box of chocolate or teddy bear.  I must admit that was kind of refreshing… I’m not a big fan a valentines and its consumeristic ideal. I would have LOVED to have woken up beside the one I love… my husband… on valentines though.  I won’t complete though, as I did wake up to a wonderful scene here in Jamaica… blue skies, green fruit trees blossoming, gorgeous mountains.

This week has been pretty uneventful as we fall into our routine.  The kids are finally in the groove of their school work and now wake up eat breakfast and get started working  without me even having to tell them.  We did have our first rain on Sunday.  It was amazing… the smell, how warm the rain drops were, how the sun still shined. We really enjoyed the rain.

One of our banana trees soaking up the rain

Our mango tree soaking up the rain

Shortly before the rain the kids had fun playing in the water outside.  There new friend came over to play and they all had a blast getting wet using empty juice bottles.

Kids playing in the water

Class on Monday and Tuesday went great. My students continue to be engaged and involved. The class is increasing in size as well as more and more students (who are in fact enrolled in the class) start to show up. The past couple of days have been really good for Nay at preschool as well.  What’s not so good is when he comes home… I pick him up after lunch, around 1230p each day, right after lunch but right before nap… he is tired and cranky.  His new thing is not letting me put him down for a nap, only his ‘bro bro’ can.

Joshua putting his baby brother to sleep

Today we did splurge on some delicious snacks.  We tried some new juice made from a citrus fruit known as June Plum.  The taste is really hard to describe.  I can’t compare it to any American fruits. The juice was really good while after walking in the hot Jamaican sun, but I’m not sure I could just pour myself a glass of it and enjoy. I also bought us some doughnuts from the bakery in the bookstore.  They were really good but really thick. The icing was melted also… I’m not sure why they even attempted to to put icing on any pastry considering how hot it is here.  Unless you plan to enjoy your pastry in the bakery (which you can’t by the way because there is nowhere to sit) you are just going to have melted mess like we did.

New juice we tried today

Melted icing goodness on our extra thick donut

We learned today that a lizards squeak is a very unpleasant sound AAACCCKKK! You have to hear it to understand I guess. I used to tolerate the lizards but having this one squeaking right now is seriously making me rethink that.

I look forward to seeing what the rest of our week has in store for us.  We received and invitation to go up into the mountains this weekend.  I hope that pans out and I look forward to telling you all about it.  Until then.

Our Saturday: art class and some shopping (for food)

11 Feb 2012

Another great morning in Jamaica.  The kids went to art class again and while they were there I decided to tackle the market all alone (well with Nay in tow).  It went surprisingly well.  I still was not able to get pictures… pictures could not capture what it is like in the market anyway.  It is truly an experience. So this is what I got and you tell me if I did okay (prices not to different from home, just fun to shop this way… and sometimes you do get some great deals):

·         3 green peppers

·         1 small head lettuce (ab ½ the size of a head at home, but it is hard to come by so I got it)

·         8 white onions

·         1 bag green grape

·         1 bag red grape

·         ½ lb strawberries (these were JA$600 alone. I was either cheated or they are ridiculously priced)

·         6 gala apples

·         4 cloves garlic

·         1 bag red beans (gonna make peas and rice from scratch instead of canned kidney beans)

·         2 bag juice (yum!... enough said)

·         1 small pillow (kids size)

·         6 pairs of socks for Nay (don’t know why I came here with only 2 pair of socks for him)

·         1 ball for Nay

·         2 packs of gum

Total JA$2300 (US$26)

After the kids got out of class we decided to walk down to the harbor to see the ships and the beautiful water.  We were entertained with some local youth running full speed and diving into the harbour.  At first I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but they were simply enjoying this beautiful Saturday swimming with friends.  We watched planes take off and land as we had a great view of the airport, which Nay LOVED.

View of one of the ships from the harbor in downtown Kingston (to my right)

View to my left

Further to my right

View right in front of me

Our driver arrived about 20 mins late (which we didn’t mind since we were enjoying the harbour) and we headed to the grocery store.  I was able to get essentials like chicken (not lives ones like I could have gotten in the market, but already dead and packaged), paper towels, juice and waffles.

Once home we ran to the corner store to get the last few things we needed.  EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays here and we learned the hard way not to be well stocked on Saturday.  I have to pause here to say how much I LOVE THE CORNER STORE here.  That is going to be one convenience I truly miss when we leave.  The other day I got:

·         A soda

·         A bottle of cleaning solution

·         A flask of “adult beverage” (I just had to try the Jamaican rum I had heard so much about)

·         2 onions

·         And 3 ice cream cones (of the most amazing grapenut flavor I have ever had)

Total JA$800 (ab US$9)

The items I purchased were completely random and if you could see this “store” you would love it to.  Imagine a drive-thru window… that’s it… that’s the “store”, except it is made from wood and can fit about 2 people in the space. She have EVERYTHING though.  You name she can pull it out from under the counter.  I LOVE it!

Right next door to the corner store is a small little place to eat.  It just opened but the cook is amazing.  For JA$300 (US$3.45) they give us enough food to feed me and the kids. We are so lucky to have found these spots and they are within walking distance (maybe 4-5 minute walk from the house).

After lunch we lounged around for a while and then the kids decided to go see if their friend is home.  I just received a call from them telling me they made it to her house (she lives around the corner and down the street a little) and that they are walking to the park (which is about 3-4 more houses down from their friend).  My heart was pounding and I was a nervous wreck waiting on them to get home, but I am trying to give them a little freedom so they won’t feel like prisoners here in Jamaica, locked up tight all the time.  The neighborhood we are in is under constant monitoring and  patrolled by campus police regularly and you have to go through a guard gate to get in here so I know they are fine (along with the dozens of other kids running and playing outside.  I’m still not sure how often I will give them that little piece of freedom… we usually get up and walk as a family to the park but they wanted to see their friend and it wasn’t a good time for Nay.

We will probably hang out the rest of the evening watching tv and trying some of our new snacks we picked up at the grocery store. 

Oh and before I forget, my mom’s passport came yesterday!  YYYYAAAYYY  I’ll keep you posted!

First classes, Nay's cough, and Joshua's golf

8 Feb 12

What a GREAT first day of teaching.  Class went really well. The students received me and and were engaged and interactive.  We learned about material culture and setting up an archaeological grid.  The students asked questions and answered them and seemed genuinely ok with being there with me :-).  I look forward to the rest of the semester.

9 Feb 12

Today was a LONG day (well between breakfast and lunch anyway). Nay woke up with the same cough that he has had the last three days.  He wan’t able to keep his breakfast down (the fourth day in a row not being able to keep a meal down… usually lunch) so I was concerned.  I called his peds in the states and they suggested I have him seen.  I took to to the health center on campus and was so glad when they agreed to see him. Then the waiting began… we had to wait in multiple lines and talk to numerous people (and explain over and over that we have no insurance but I am prepared to pay cash).  We were finally able to see the dr.  She was wonderful and confirmed that he only has a severe allergy case (whew!) . By the time we saw the dr, Nay was extremely restless and all over the place.  I know people were wondering why I couldn't control my child, but I was giving it my best effort.  He has gotten really good an throwing fits since he turned two J . After we saw the dr we had more lines to wait in until we finally made it to the billing line where we paid only JA$3092.00 which is only about US$35 (that included the prescription and visit) and left. Next we head to the fruit stand for a snack.  Joshua decided to try something new and chose a jack fruit and some sugar cane.  The jack fruit reminded me of a papay, a pineapple and a banana all in one.  The sugar cane was really good and refreshing.  Basically you chew on it and suck out this super sugary juice.  The kids really liked that.

Jack fruit and sugar cane

After our snack I had to run up to the History and Archaeology dept to retrieve my mail and print off a document that I must get noterized. After that we headed across campus for lunch at Juici Patties. Yum!

megasoy patty and coco bread

After lunch we got Nay to sleep and the kids finished their school work. I received a voicemail from a department I consult with on forensic matters and boy did it feel good to be back in the forensic frame of mind, even if just for the moment.  Around 330p our driver arrived to take Joshua to golf class. It was on the other side of town at Constant Springs Golf Club.  What a beautiful site. 

Joshua learning to swing properly

After the hit

Joshua really enjoyed the class and will continue for the next 7wks. Nay on the other hand not so much.  He had another coughing fit and spit up all over himself.  I had to strip him down to his diaper and of course I forget to through an extra change of clothes in his bag. It was 45 min after class before our driver arrived so the kids were able to make some new friends.  On the way home our wonderful driver was concerned about Nay’s cough and stopped us by the store to get some honey. We came home had dinner and hung out until bedtime. We don’t have much planned for tomorrow with Nay being under the weather, so I won’t have much to post. Until next time…

Mistakes and Snaggle Tooth

6 Feb 2012

Wow! Today was a phyically and mentally draining day, but all in all a good day.  I received an email on Sunday telling me that I needed to be prepared to start teaching on Monday (today).  I was completely NOT prepared as I was not supposed to begin teaching until the 27^th of this month.  The cemetery project has grown into something rather large and is now demanding all of the time of the campus archaeologist, and because of this the principal of the college said that he should focus all of his time on this project. I and another Fulbright will be taking over the archaeology classes until everything settles down. So today was the first day.  I ended up not having to teach but sat in on the archaeologists lecture and was introduced to the class.  After having sat in on the class I am very confident about teaching the course… this course is very similar to the intro course that I teach at Winthrop.

After class we parted for lunch and then I met the campus archaeologist in the arch lab.  In the lab we had a very, how shall I say it, frank conversation about my skills and abilities.  Remember those mistakes I made in the field that I mentioned in my last blog, well they came back to bit me.  I completely understand where he is coming from considering the magnitude of this project but I still can’t help feeling a little… well, bad.

After that conversation we took a look at the bones recovered from the site.  I was able to provide a preliminary assessment… finally back in my comfort zone. Feeling slightly rattled by our earlier conversation I was hesitant to give my opinion about a couple of the bones.  I was able to think about it on my way home and by the time I got home I was able to email the campus archaeologist with a confident opinion on those bones in question.

At home I received an email from the head of the department about another project going on with a potential slave cemetery.  I emailed the contact person and he responded almost immediately.  I plan to travel to the village where the site is located to have a look around.  There is a group trying to “save” the site and I am not sure how much I should be involved considering my short amount of time here.

The kids and I ordered pizza dinner, I couldn’t even imagine cooking. After dinner we headed to the park where they played with the neighborhood kids for a while.  We came home, talked to Kenric on the phone and then I got about 1/2hr of work done before we called it a night.

7 Feb 2012

Today I made my trip to the US Embassy.  The building is beautiful, but they don’t allow cameras so I can’t show you. It was so refreshing to see that big eagle on the side of the building and the American flag flying in the embassy yard.

My meeting with the Fulbright cooridnator when great.  She is a great person who has been extremely helpful during this journey.  It was nice meeting her face-to-face. I did learn that I may not be able to extend my stay here until the first week of June.  It is completely out of my hands and in the hands of the department I am working with here at UWI. I’ll keep you posted…

After I left the embassy I headed back to campus to the arch lab where I finished looking at the bones from the site on campus. Still nothing definitive as this is a preliminary look but I was able to confirm some suspicions I was left with yesterday.

It took me about an hour in the lab and I headed home to find my baby girl waiting for me at the door.  She had something to show me:

The kids and I vegged out for a while before we headed to pick up Nay from preschool. The walk wasn’t so bad today and Nay was happy to see us all. We spent the rest of the evening watching ‘My Shocking Story’ about these different diseases people are inflicted with and how they deal with them and that really made me hug my babies.  I’m so grateful to have given birth to three healthly babies.

My snaggle tooth

Tomorrow is my first official day of teaching so I will let you know how that goes!

Hair cuts and goodbyes

February 3, 2012

Today was a good day.  I was out in the field from about 830a until 1130a.  That went well, although I kept making these little mistakes (mistakes I should certainly no better) that cost me time and energy. I still can’t divulge any details about the project, but hope to be able to post some pics in the future. 

Kenric called me just as I was wrapping up to tell me he and our driver were on campus and could stop to pick me up. Once I was picked up we headed to get Nay from school early. The boys had to get a haircut so we headed to the salon on campus at the student union.  This was Nay’s first hair cut by a barber and he did phenomenal.  See pics below:

Nay in the chair with daddy

After it is all said and done... so fresh!

A close up... look at that lineup!

Another close up

 After hair cuts we headed home and stopped at our favorite corner store/ resturant to get a scoop of ice cream. The night got pretty depressing after that as we all anticipated Kenric leaving tomorrow.  We stayed close as a family and watch our family tv shows and followed Kenric around the house as he tried to pack his suitcase. Not much more to tell except I am SO not looking forward to tomorrow!  I didn’t think it would be this hard…

February 4, 2012

Ok! I’m better now and am able to write this blog.  Boy was today rough.  I woke up in tears and remained in tears until we finally got Kenric to the airport at about 130p.  This morning was our usual morning with breakfast and chores.  Our driver arrived at 930a to take us down to the National Gallery for the kids art class.  While the kids were in class Kenric, Nay and I walked to the craft market.  I loved it there but know I could never go without my hubby… he knows how to bargain. After the craft store we walked through the street market to get something to eat.  We found a Mother’s and ate there… the food was pretty good but I was just not able to eat. Then the time finally came to take Kenric to the airport. Talk about gut wrenching saddness when he got out of that van. Then I looked back and saw how upset the kids were so I had to suck it all in and be mommy for them.  They (we, secretly) cried about half way home until our driver was pulled over by the police.  He hadn’t down anything wrong that I could see.  While one constable talked to him the other opened the van door and talked to me.  I’m not sure if he was attempting to distract me from our driver but he was very nice, asking where we are from and how we like it so far and wishing us a pleasant stay.  Our driver got back in visbly unhappy and we continued on our way.  Once home I had to go and lay down immediately to nurse the huge headache I had brought on by being so upset. After the headache had subsided mommy duties called.  The kids were hungry and wanted a snack.  We made some delicious smores in the toaster oven and that seemed to make everything alright! We are good now… the kids are playing and I am able to write this blog.  I know we will be fine, Kenric was able to get us completely comfortable while he was here.  I is just going to take me a little while to get over missing my husband.  I’m sure once Monday comes and work resumes all will be back to normal.

View of the fishing boats from the back of the craft market... Nay actually took this pic! Future photographer?!?!

This amazing tree... never seen a tree like it!

Nay's 'Rasta grandaddy' as he calls himself.  He made that necklace I have on.

waiting on 'bro bro' and 'sissy' to get out of art class at the National Gallery

still waiting

 

so cute!

Hope Gardens and Cemetery Fun

February 1, 2012

We had a great day today.  I walked Nay to preschool this morning and he was not so happy.  He cried when I left him and that broke my heart. When I got back to the house the kids were almost done with their school work and we headed out to the Hope Gardens and Zoo.  The view was amazing… here are some pics:

Kids blowing bubbles in Hope Gardens

Averie (probably tired of me making her pose for all of those pictures )

Joshua (probably feeling the same as his sister)

The cutest little parrot that jumped down and walked right up to the cage

An Indian Mongoose

A gorgeous view in the Gardens

The snake put on a show for us.  He 'danced' for several minutes for us.

This was the fastest turtle we had ever seen... he was running

The most spectacular view of the day

Yet another beautiful sight

After Hope Gardens and Zoo our driver dropped me off on campus for a meeting and took Kenric and the kids to pick up Nay from preschool.  I had lunch with a wonderful professor in the department who was extremely helpful in regards to my research and just getting adjusted.  He took me around and introduced me to others and plans to share my information with other faculty that may be able to help.  For lunch I had stewed vegetables, salad and peas and rice.  Those stewed vegetables were amzing.  I don’t know why I hadn’t tried them sooner.

Kenric told me that Nay had another great day at school, so I was relieved and happy to see his little face running up to me as I approached the house. After coming home and getting some more work done (which I was quite productive at) we took the kids to the park, came home had dinner and after chores were complete put everyone to bed.

Tomorrow is a big day.  A huge archaeological find (well huge to me anyway) was discovered on campus today and I have been called in to help. 

February 2, 2012

I am exhausted.  I have so much to tell about my day but not enough energy to tell it.  It was a great day… a cemetery was discovered on campus and I was asked to assist in the recording of what was exposed.  In addition to my being exhausted, the project is so big and I am so low on the totem pole that I probably should not say to much anyway. So with that, Good Night (maybe… the music outside is so loud I can clearly hear every word through my concrete walls L )!