Sister Power! Part 2.

So, the year that I turned 13, I had the ultimate summer vacation.  It started off with a 6th grade graduation ceremony from the Montessori School I'd just aged out of (yes, it was still called graduation back then, not promotion or moving up or completion like we do now with any non-twelfth-grade achievement).  We started out with a one day cruise to Freeport aboard the Sea Escape. Ugh, the absolute most miserable day of my life - except for the few hours we got to spend on that lovely solid Bahamian soil... how I wish we could have stayed, but eventually, we did make it back to good ol mainland USA. Thankfully!

Me, my sister Adrienne and my late cousin Sharane eating tamales at the Belmopan market, still my favorite food.

Soon after, we took a whirlwind trip to Belize, not uncommon for us in those days, while Mom and Dad were both working, we took a family trip home most every year.  This one was a bit shorter than most, as we had my cousin Sharane along, it was her first time to Belize. It was pretty funny, the process of her acculturation - apparently her dad wasn't as adamant as my Mom when it came to passing on the subtleties of Belizean language and culture.  "What's a shilling?" and "There's not even a 7-11" were the two most memorable Sharane quotes of the trip.

And then finally, to round out the summer, I still got to take my annual trip to my own hometown of Scarborough to visit with my grandparents and aunt and uncle.  I loved those trips more than anything else in the world.  The connection to the land that I experience in Belize and in Canada are so similar and yet so different.  My return to "real life" in Scarborough was always an experience in going home to my grandparents.  Those beings who exuded so much unconditional love for me, that I can still feel it today, decades after their passing.  

That year, an amazing thing happened.  I got to stay in Canada.  My options were bus to Miami Lakes Jr. High, or walk to Carol City Jr. High. This was the 1980s - the advent of gun violence in schools was just starting to top the news charts, and metal detectors had just arrived at the front entrance of the latter. I got accepted to Pace too, but that seemed way too far from my reality to be a good fit.

So, my aunt, Andrea Chadwick-Maguire, extended an invitation to my parents to consider allowing me to stay in the Toronto area that year and attend Fern Hill School in Oakville where she would be teaching.  I was ecstatic.  I could not believe that my parents said yes!

That year, I studied Latin, learned Ukranian dance, got a steady job babysitting, and spent every weekend with my beloved grandparents.  For my birthday, I got my first ever hair cut at a barber shop. Mullet head. I was so proud! I even started wearing eyeliner for the first time... much to my mother's discontent.  It was a momentous part of my life journey, now looking back. That ability to forge an identity outside of my parental expectations allowed me to grow into the determined, rebellious, hopeful idealist that I still am today.

On the set of the HMS Pinafore demonstrating Ukranian dance with 7th Grade Math teacher Christine Puhach

At the conclusion of my school year, maybe around this very time, I got a call from my mom, not unusual, I did miss my family and my baby sister Adrienne quite a lot during the year, even though I loved being where I was.  But this call was quite different.  My mom had something to tell me... and she was hesitant, like she didn't know what to say or how to say it.  If you know my mother, this is a trait that is quite uncharacteristic of her. I owe my blunt, undiplomatic, say-it-how-it-is nature to her.

Finally, she said, "I'm going to have another baby." I was floored, flabergasted, completely in disbelief. I think my reply was something like, "What?! You didn't even ask me!"  Ha ha. Pretty funny now thinking back. But honestly, I could not even fathom the possibility of my 37 year old mother even being able to still have a baby.  A baby!!!  OMG.  This changes everything!

So, another trip to Belize that summer! This time, with Mom waddling around in her Yucatec-style huipil... that was the year she took us to Xunantunich and declared, "You know you're part Maya too, right, Tara."  Another "WHAT? How could you not have told me this," response from me. 

And of course I, as the big sister of the family, felt obligated to return to my family and take up my daughterly duties.  Reina was born on the first month of the year.  She was noisy!  I got up and brought her into bed with me every morning at 2 am when I could not bear to hear her crying anymore.  After her, I never wanted to have kids. Or at least not for another 13 years anyway. But I learned how to be a mother through Reina.

My baby baby sister is truly one of the most special people in my life.  She is practical, super smart and she has always had an incredible gift for maintaining a healthy balance between work, life, family and community.  This girl is definitely one of the sparkles in my eye.  I graduated from Miramar High School just as she was entering grade school at Fairway Elementary.  I left home when she was so little.  More than anyone, this time, away at college, I missed Reina.  So whenever I had a chance, I bought a plane ticket and brought her with me to work.  Chippewas of M'Njikaning, Center for Indigenous Theater, Belize Department of Archaeology... Reina came to visit. It was fun, for me a way to mitigate our isolation from one another.

Center for Indigenous Theater at Kimbercote Farm

Today, my sister Reina, like our other sister Adrienne, has become a friend, role model and mentor for me.  Reina's passion and adeptness at marketing, public relations and communication has spurred me to look at the way we promote our businesses in a new way.  Regardless of whether they are arts, community, small business or non profit organizations, maximum reach is crucial to the sustainability of our work.  

Now she's on me to grow again... that's her other gift, in addition to always seeking the best possible position for her clients, she is also all about making sure that we are all placing appropriate value on ourselves as well... 

This was at the world premiere of #MayaHiddenWorldsRevealed in St. Paul, MN, now on at the Witte, San Antonio

Thanks for always encouraging me Reina.  Without you, I would never have started to blog, or learn how to use social media.  I look forward to what the future holds for you, my baby sis.  Till then, I better keep on truckin' or I know I'll get a call with some "encouragement"...  :)

See some of Reina's recent blogs at: Americans for the Arts and The Leaky B@@b 

Sister Power! On International Museum Day

I hereby declare May sister brag month. I have two biological sisters. My first baby sis, the one who made me into a big sister, is actually way bigger, badder, bolder and cooler than I. She was born on a freezing February morning in the bedroom of a modest east end apartment overlooking the immeasurable geologic beauty of the Scarborough Bluffs. Yes, we are Scarberians... strange creatures who emerged from the cave of life at the far eastern corner of what they call the GTA. Used to be a day long Greyhound trip here from downtown Tdot, aka Cabbagetown. Not anymore though, unless you take the 401, then it may still take a you a day to traverse the 12 miles.

My baby sis was born three weeks ahead of schedule into the able bodied, yet completely unprepared hands of my aunt and grandmother. From day number one, she required innovation from every person around her! No nose squeezy thing? Find the straws and clear out those passageways so this baby can breathe!  As she grew, she exuded creativity and confidence in every aspect of her life. From where she determined it was best to keep her toys (on the floor), to where she preferred to consume her self assigned snack (under the table).

One of her first jobs was as my fundraising assistant - official escort of the Saint Catharines Museum IMP (Important Museum Person) aka full-bodied papier-mache gargoyle capital campaign mascot, created by Diane Sharpe, and animated by yours truly.  Thirty years later, my little sister has now become my consultant and mentor in art and museum development, education, programming and management.

Hats off to sister power! I remain honored that Adrienne chose to follow my footsteps into the world of museums and humbled that my sister continues to share her time, knowledge and experience with me as we work to extend the passion and power of culture and art into the lifelong learning routine of as many people as possible.

You can find Adrienne's daily photo journal at https://www.instagram.com/adriennechadwick/

To view the art of Adrienne Chadwick visit AdrienneChadwick.com