Picture Night

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

I think in a previous post I briefly discussed my pictures. I’ll talk about them a little more here. I brought along a box of pictures that has traveled with me from every place I have lived in recent time, from the dorms, Springtree, the infamous Polo Club Apt 45, Camp Westmont, Holiday Inn Express/Best Western/Hampton Inn, Mountain House, Suitcase to Suitcase, and now to Africa. It is pretty much comprised of every physical photo that I have from my senior year of high school to now. In some of the pictures, I have bleached blond hair others, I just don’t remember being taken. Basically, there is a lot of history and stories to tell surrounding each photo. Every one of them and all the people in them, I cherish. All the pictures each make me laugh or at least smile.

Well, tonight, my brother asked to see a picture of my real parents again, Mama Land and Big Tex. I don’t know why he wanted to see it, but unlike the previous time, I decided to just bring the entire box out. I was a little hesitant at first due to the nature of some of the photos…I mean, you get some pretty crazy pictures during college, especially with my friends…but in the end, I handed the uncensored box over to my brother and mom.

All the crazy pictures, especially the ones that involved the two summers at Ingraham’s Beach house and yellow lacrosse shorts, they got a good laugh at, and so did I. For the one and a half girls that I know and make up the pictures, I got grilled on who they were. I mean, you think Judge Judy can ask tough questions (and she does, cause her show was the highlight of my day when I lived in the mountains), my mom and brother definitely had me on the hot seat. But on a good note, they thought every girl that I know was “tres belle.” For those of you who do not know French, that means “very beautiful” in English, or the language I plan to teach everyone in Dakar so I don’t have to learn Wolof or French. Because I don’t want to offend my guy friends, my sisters are in Dakar for school, so I don’t know what my family’s verdict is on you yet. I apologize but keep waiting on the edge of your seat.

Any picture with a car in it, they asked if that was my car. I was able to find a picture of my mom’s Tahoe and told them it was her’s. I found a few of the LS and pointed it out, although they were alittle confused with the picture of me driving with a football helmet on. It was kinda funny though, pictures that had random cars in the background, they asked if it was mine. I said that they weren’t mine, until we got to a prom picture that had the Stretch Escalade Limo in the background and I told them that was my car too. I didn’t really for those of you that don’t get my sarcasm at times, but it would have been funny if I had, instead, I had to explain the concept of formals and proms to my family. Trust me, I didn’t give them justice, cause I don’t know the premise of them, especially for someone who can’t dance.

In the end, picture night went well. It was nice to let my family here into a little piece of my life back home. To me, that is very important. I want them to understand who I am. It is tough coming here and them not knowing whom you are or what life is like back in the States. Tonight was a rewarding experience, I think for myself and for my family.