WORLD ADVENTURES PART 3
As I said in World Adventures Part 2 I was just sitting here trying to figure out where my next vacation would be. Oh and how I didn’t think I was ready to leave the country? Let me explain that a little bit. I have heard many times from friends and family, “Don’t Forget Where You Come From.” I don’t see that ever happening since I’ve hardly been able to go anywhere. Since I started doing my little adventures I now hear the term, “Traveling While Being Black.” Now I’m not trying to be facetious by any means but, how else would I be traveling. This term has always brought up red flags for me in the attempts to scare me or turn me away from people, places and things I might otherwise enjoy. The one thing I learned about growing up the way I did was that if your black and as dark as I am. You will have to be a little bit thick skinned.
In World Adventures Part 2 I talked a little bit about my time growing up and traveling back and fourth every weekend from Poughkeepsie to Beacon NY. Oh, and mind you my attitudes and behaviors at that time was not welcomed by family. I couldn't help it. I kept getting the feeling that I was back in the deep south waiting for the slave trader to show up any minute. I guess this all was appropriate considering this was in the 60s to late 70s and the Civil Right Movement in the South was about to make such a big change on this country. But, you know what? I was too young to know what that was all about. I just knew I hated going to Beacon!!
My mother was born in raised in Troy Alabama. She was a very dark skinned woman with noticeable African features. She always reminded me of those black actress like Hattie McDaniels in the 1930–40s. She was a remarkable woman with attractive African beauty. She was tall, strong and remained the head of the household up until her death on Dec 16th 1999. I met my uncle Monroe for the first and last time at her funeral. I remember his southern accent being so strong I could barely make out a word he said. It was all of this what inspired my Second DreamTrip with WorldVentures to Atlanta GA. I was able to Visit the Center for Human and Civil Rights as well as the home of Dr. Martin Luther King. I booked a tour you can find on the DreamTrip APP or WEB SITE that allowed me to visit those places as well his home church the original Ebenezer Baptist where he had given his sermons. On this tour I was able to pay my respects to the grave site of Dr. King and wife Coretta Scott King.
Growing up here in Poughkeepsie NY and never traveling had one thing going for it. The IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) This company was strong back then and was held the highest paying jobs in several surrounding counties. There was even one of those plants operating directly across the street from my house. Of course none of my family members ever worked there. They seem to operate so top secret there it wasn’t until I was an adult looking for work myself did I find out what type of business it was. They were huge in the manufacturing for computers. This opened a flood gate for a multi cultural environment for neighborhoods and schools in my area. This is where I met so many people from different countries that spoke all kinds of different languages. Some of those kids, well most of the kids were just as difficult to get along with as I was back then. So it worked out well. Remember this was in the 60s-70s The Civil Rights Movement Still In Action and most of these kids did not want to really get too involved with blacks kids or students at the time. I’m guessing there parents didn’t want anything political jeopardizing their great fortune they were here to find in America. But, you know kids they just hated going to class every day.
I remember hanging out with my friends from Haiti. Their parents moved into our neighborhood and lived upstairs from some kids I used to play with. After about a year or so, they told us they were bringing their children over from Haiti to live with them and asked us if we would like to meet them? We all said yes and when Joel arrived we took him everywhere. He didn’t speak a word of English but, he learned faster than anyone I ever met. It was almost impossible how fast and fluent he became. He had to have been studying the language in Haiti . He and his sisters would tell me all of these wonderful stories about how beautiful Haiti is and amazing the beaches are. After hearing all those stories I really had the travel bug. How those stories made me daydream for hours. The would tell me about how magic really existed over there and magical ways the people had to make wishes come true. I tell you all I could think of is going to Haiti. For years they had me going until Youtube came along and I eagerly put in Haiti in the search box and pulled up its sad true story. Although, they never lied it is a beautiful country with amazing beaches. They just never told me about the poor conditions of the people living there and the wonderful magic was the dark practice of Voodoo.
