I never realized how difficult it is to be more than one race. For people to look at you and be confused about what category to put you in. As humans, for thousands of years, we have been trained to categorize each other by gender, sexual orientation, race, wealth or lack there of, and so much more.

I have two children and they are biracial. My daughter has always been aware of her appearance, the frizziness of her hair, and the difference between my skin color and hers. She hates her hair and she wants straight, long blond hair! It is hard work, trying to help a child develop a positive self image. I hope she can overcome these insecurities sooner rather than in adulthood. What a gift it is, to love who you are...I am still working on it.

Call the Midwife is having an amazing season. I am noticing very honest themes concerning low-income women of that early sixties that are many times painful. One that stands out are the emerging Thalidomide cases. A baby is born disfigured with hardly any limbs and no clear sexual anatomy. The choice that is made to allow the child to die rather than let it live a is very heart wrenching and confusing.  

Another story was about a single woman who gets pregnant and her life it completely destroyed by the lack of public support for her pregnancy. Also, her abortion almost leads to her being thrown in jail.

I am totally loving this season. Call the Midwife has managed to keep the show poignant and powerful despite the entrance or exit of main characters. It is a great historical case study of the low-income women's issues in the fifties and sixties...as the show continues, the producers should continue to focus on the cases and difficult situations that affect women's lives. 

I went to a book signing in my town last week. It was a signing for "The Luckiest Girl Alive" by Jessica Knoll. I at first thought that I would not be able to relate to a young girl who grew up i Pennsylvania. But of course I was so wrong.

The main character goes through some awful experiences. But she describes it in such a flippant, clumsy, and self-loathing way, that you cannot help but laugh, grimace, but not cry.

I love that style of writing. We can write about tough situations but it does not have to be depressing...that takes some skill. I would love to be able to develop the ability to write about tough situations with such lightness.

Anyway, I met Jessica Knoll at a book signing...really lovely, very personable, and well-grounded.  She said she knows she was a good writer, so she decided to focus on that. Makes sense. Figure out what you're good at and then do it well!

The story of Beau Biden's death has deeply troubled me today. Not for political reasons but due to its sadness. Life can be so inconsistent. In one lifetime, a person can experience so much pain and loss...and another person can experience none. The losses I have experienced from young age to adulthood make me bitter.  I have to remind myself of what I have here and now...which is so much. I am lucky despite my personal grief.

I know that we take life for granted in this day and age. It is expected that children outlive their parents. Usually that is the case. We live in a great time. But cancer reminds us that nothing is guaranteed, despite all the advances we make.

National Siblings Day

I never knew this day existed till people started posting pictures of their siblings on Facebook. I therefore posted a picture of  my sister and I standing with our father in Trinidad a few years before he died. After posting the picture, I realized that it was quite unfair to not to mention my other 11 or 12 siblings.

My father was a an incredibly handsome man who had many children with many women from different parts of the world. I have not met all of my siblings, but many of us are connected on Facebook. They all seem like interesting, all attractive, but deeply affected (by this man who left messes all over the world.) I think this would have happened to Don Draper if he were a real person. 

I created a collage of some of the siblings that I do know. I am proud to be related to all of them. And I hope we can meet each other soon.

It's been a long time!

So I renewed my webpage domain name. So I am back. Here are the kids. We left Astoria and live the suburban life in Rutherford, NJ. I must say that the children enjoy it. I actually think they would be happy anywhere! I promise you that I will never pretend that life is perfect! I'll be back soon! So this is what you get when you get a pot and mix Nigerian, Scottish, Trinidadian, and American together! Super cute.

My life as an educator

I have been posting about life issues on this blog. But now, I want to share about my career. I have been a classroom teacher for 9 years. I have had so many rich experiences in the classroom. For the past 3 years, I have taught in the Bronx, in a high needs school. The neighborhood in the Bronx is one of the poorest in the United States. There is a high prostitution rate in the neighborhood. Many early mornings, I have seen prostitutes looking for  clients outside outside our school building.

I have learned so much teaching in their neighborhood. The challenge has made me a stronger and more creative teacher.

It is now time for a new chapter in my life. I am about to finish a program at Hunter College that will allow me to be a principal and superintendent. As much as I love teaching, I am excited about doing something new in education

There will be many changes in education in the upcoming years as attention is turning on teachers and how children learn. It is a big political issue. I sincerely hope the best decisions are made in the best interest of children.