I love old photos, don't you? (Although I often wonder why no one ever smiled.) I particularly love this photo because it's of my great-grandmother and great-grandfather (and their children) on my mother's side. They were from Barbados and ultimately moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts where my mother - a Barbados citizen by descent - was born and raised. This elegantly framed picture hangs prominently in my mother's dining room in Los Angeles...which is where I was raised.
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| My uncle and grandfather in the early 60s. |
My mother and her brother are both multiracial. People often mistake my uncle as Hispanic and my mother as either Hispanic or a tanned European of some sort. (I always get a kick out of that.) I guess that's because their father - my grandfather (also from Barbados) - was either of Scottish or Irish descent. No one really knows for sure because no one in the family ever talked about it. In fact, no one really cared. You just love people because you love them, right?
Next month, I'm going to Barbados and I'm staying at Elite Island Resort's newest property - The Club, Barbados. I'm going to relax on the beach, take in some sights, and just belong. I'm also going to try to pick up some documents from one of the government offices (I forget which one) on behalf of my mom. Ancestral documents that she requested 2 years ago (and paid for) and never received. You might have to be a Caribbean to understand that. But, hey, maybe not. LOL
Between now and the time I leave California headed to Bim, I'm going to share a little more of my Bajan family with you. Something about going to Barbados always makes me nostalgic. I was married there. But mostly it brings up memories of my grandmother Ivy (pictured above center) who I miss a lot...
Personal Fun Facts: My mother lovingly teases and calls me a huckster because my grandfather's mother's Certificate of Burial identified her as a huckster. Guess I get it honestly. Also, Keenen Ivory Wayans used to tease me because I always had a lot of jobs...which is often a common characteristic of hard-working West Indians.
5 comments:
I love old photos too! I have a picture of my grandparents wedding day in St. Vincent, there's not one smiling face in the 30+ people in the photo. Caribbean culture is rich in cultural diversity and it also explains your love for travel and diversity, it's in the blood. I can so relate. :) Keep writing and sharing!
Aaaaah, I bet that photo is a treasure! I wonder if people looking at our smiling faces in our family photos 100 years from now will think WE look nutty. LOL
Thanks for the comment love...
Your Caribbean sister...
Tracey ;-)
I adore old pix and the history they reveal. Personally, I always think they never smile in old photos because life was so much harder. It was probably a much needed time to relax and smiling on que is not relaxing! My best friend is Bajan and she always goes for the big race this month.
Aren't old photos the coolest?
That's an interesting perspective, Rosalind. I'm not sure that everyone "back in the day" had a hard life since every single vintage picture I've ever seen has no one smiling in it and it's hard to believe that EVERYONE was suffering. But, hey, wuhdoiknow? They're cool either way. =)
I grew up with this photo too! And I love it because it also reminds me of Grandmother. This photo is a legacy that I will always cherish, along with the name that I've been given.....Ivy :-)
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