A Love Adventure Project 2.0
Donation protected
All contributions will receive ebook in August 2014
A Love Adventure Project empowers single, multi-cultural, mothers and their children by awarding them with the unique opportunity to travel abroad. We honor the diverse complexion of the American family by providing cross-cultural exchanges that will strengthen the bond between mother and child, family and heritage, and nations. We believe the ability to travel offers an invaluable educational experience that emboldens self-discovery, encourages civic mindedness, increases conscious consumerism, and stimulates global economic development. We are dedicated to enriching the lives of baby-mothers by changing the narrative of single-motherhood from one that marginalizes women and children to one that inspires, empowers, and embraces.
The first A Love Adventure Project trip made me realize the importance of not only family, but of creating spaces for mothers and children. There aren't enough sacred spaces created for us, especially in the hood. As an educator in underrepresented communities, I always wonder what the impact may be for providing opportunities for children and their mamas to travel.
A Love Adventure Project empowers single, multi-cultural, mothers and their children by awarding them with the unique opportunity to travel abroad. We honor the diverse complexion of the American family by providing cross-cultural exchanges that will strengthen the bond between mother and child, family and heritage, and nations. We believe the ability to travel offers an invaluable educational experience that emboldens self-discovery, encourages civic mindedness, increases conscious consumerism, and stimulates global economic development. We are dedicated to enriching the lives of baby-mothers by changing the narrative of single-motherhood from one that marginalizes women and children to one that inspires, empowers, and embraces.
The first A Love Adventure Project trip made me realize the importance of not only family, but of creating spaces for mothers and children. There aren't enough sacred spaces created for us, especially in the hood. As an educator in underrepresented communities, I always wonder what the impact may be for providing opportunities for children and their mamas to travel.
We all know of the transformative experience of traveling. I see so many of my no-children friends traveling. They have that money-time luxury. However, I still feel like we need to travel too. I want more babymamas to get to do this!
Doesn't every mama deserves to (be) FLY?
The impact of spending one on one time with Zi has been awesome! Zi was having trouble reading and I got to homeschool her and figured out by intensive study why she had trouble reading. The trip also motivated her to speak in Spanish exclusively.
I am grateful for every one who shared, commented, and donated to our bond. So much intellectual, spiritual, and emotional growth has happened since last summer's A Mami & Zi Love Adventure Project. I recommend reading the initial campaign if you are not familiar with it.
Now, as the sun creeps its way in to New York, I have been super reflective of our trip and where we are right now. Zi just turned seven and the bond between us is so much stronger.
Before the trip, I spent so much time feeling guilty for not wanting to be a parent. School, work, and organizing had soaked so much of my time that all I wanted was to run away.
I called myself a bad mom until I realized that spending two months with Zi (ALL THE TIME) did not have me wish that I was doing things “non-parents” get to do. I didn't wish I was partying, drinking, or staying out late. I wanted to share every hug, every laugh, every drink (hers was nonalcoholic) with her.
Every mama deserves to (be) FLY!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zi has been asking to go back to the Dominican Republic. My aunts spoil her. I have been also given the opportunity to accompany a friend of mine, who will be teaching bio-poems in Dominican Republic, which means that I have a chance to teach poetry in my mama's motherland and have Zi watch me do it!
Last summer, I met my father's side of the family for the first time. I have you to thank for that! It was soooooo emotional to learn about him through his closet relatives.
I didn't get to stay with them, if I am given the chance this time around, I will. I have their contact information and can make the arrangements without tracking anyone down. They had no idea that me and Zi were coming until we arrived last year.
I learned that my mother had a lot of pent up shame. They barely knew of my mom or that my father, Jose, had a daughter. My father was a Catholic Priest, so he wasn't supposed to marry or have sex. They said my father spoke about me, but I was more like a legend. His goddaughter told me that he died depress. He wanted a relationship with me. He mentioned me every waking day.
When the people from his community met me, they were so kind and loving. They were surprised when they met me. I was like a ghost that reappeared. They saw me in him. A reflection of the man he really was.
My mother and I got into a heated conversation over the phone when I got back to her sister's. She deliberately kept me from my father. She had a broken heart. He wasn’t a bad man at all. I learned that he was gentle, an awesome teacher, and spoke five languages. He traveled the world through his priesthood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know the feelings that my mother has... Zi wants to go back to Jamaica to play with her cousins. Although, I would rather not go to Jamaica and forget about that part of her, I know that is just my ego. I know that I cannot make the same mistakes of my mother. She has a whole family she needs to know of, a whole county a part of her comes from. She must make up her own mind about her father’s side of the family.
Recently, she learned that her father is locked up in federal prison and has an open deportation case. She finally realized that this part of her is "missing."
It sucks to know that narrative of her father being in prison is a part of her now. She hasn't been acting out or has shown sadness about it. And when she does, she is leveled, she writes it down, or we talk about it. We will always talk about it, as much as I don't want to, I will always try for her with the understanding of healing behind it.
I make sure that my language isn't directed at her. I try to be kind in this fucked up situation. So, instead of saying, "He left you." I said, "He made a choice to leave." That is it.
It's been a really hard-confusing-beautiful discovery for me. It shows me how well-adjusted Zi is. How brave she is with her emotions and how this trip is going to be continually necessary for the both of us.
I am asking for everyone to give a love donation.
After all of the funds are raised, I am going to published an e-book of last year's trip filled with intimate poems, prose, and pictures.
ALL donators will receive the ebook. Released August 2014.
I am so scared. I learned very private things. It was such a pilgrimage for me. I hope you will rally behind me in providing a space to continue to reconcile our histories and love for one another. This is A Love Adventure Project 2.0.
~This is an all or nothing campaign. I have LESS THAN 30 DAYS TO RAISE THE FUNDS~
All monies will be directed to airfare. Two, roundtrip trips from NYC, Kingston, and Santo Domingo. If you would like to give an offline donation via snail mail or Paypal please contact me via e-mail at [email redacted](dot)com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
juju angeles is a writer, educator, and activist based out of New York. She is the founder of Babymamahood.com, a new, online platform for babymamas to reimagine and redefine single motherhood. She is also the creator of A Love Adventure Project. Her mission is to empower mothers—mankind's conduit—because that is the way we empower the world. She teaches from Westchester to New York City through various art organizations, schools and shelters as a poet.
Doesn't every mama deserves to (be) FLY?
The impact of spending one on one time with Zi has been awesome! Zi was having trouble reading and I got to homeschool her and figured out by intensive study why she had trouble reading. The trip also motivated her to speak in Spanish exclusively.
I am grateful for every one who shared, commented, and donated to our bond. So much intellectual, spiritual, and emotional growth has happened since last summer's A Mami & Zi Love Adventure Project. I recommend reading the initial campaign if you are not familiar with it.
Now, as the sun creeps its way in to New York, I have been super reflective of our trip and where we are right now. Zi just turned seven and the bond between us is so much stronger.
Before the trip, I spent so much time feeling guilty for not wanting to be a parent. School, work, and organizing had soaked so much of my time that all I wanted was to run away.
I called myself a bad mom until I realized that spending two months with Zi (ALL THE TIME) did not have me wish that I was doing things “non-parents” get to do. I didn't wish I was partying, drinking, or staying out late. I wanted to share every hug, every laugh, every drink (hers was nonalcoholic) with her.
Every mama deserves to (be) FLY!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zi has been asking to go back to the Dominican Republic. My aunts spoil her. I have been also given the opportunity to accompany a friend of mine, who will be teaching bio-poems in Dominican Republic, which means that I have a chance to teach poetry in my mama's motherland and have Zi watch me do it!
Last summer, I met my father's side of the family for the first time. I have you to thank for that! It was soooooo emotional to learn about him through his closet relatives.
I didn't get to stay with them, if I am given the chance this time around, I will. I have their contact information and can make the arrangements without tracking anyone down. They had no idea that me and Zi were coming until we arrived last year.
I learned that my mother had a lot of pent up shame. They barely knew of my mom or that my father, Jose, had a daughter. My father was a Catholic Priest, so he wasn't supposed to marry or have sex. They said my father spoke about me, but I was more like a legend. His goddaughter told me that he died depress. He wanted a relationship with me. He mentioned me every waking day.
When the people from his community met me, they were so kind and loving. They were surprised when they met me. I was like a ghost that reappeared. They saw me in him. A reflection of the man he really was.
My mother and I got into a heated conversation over the phone when I got back to her sister's. She deliberately kept me from my father. She had a broken heart. He wasn’t a bad man at all. I learned that he was gentle, an awesome teacher, and spoke five languages. He traveled the world through his priesthood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know the feelings that my mother has... Zi wants to go back to Jamaica to play with her cousins. Although, I would rather not go to Jamaica and forget about that part of her, I know that is just my ego. I know that I cannot make the same mistakes of my mother. She has a whole family she needs to know of, a whole county a part of her comes from. She must make up her own mind about her father’s side of the family.
Recently, she learned that her father is locked up in federal prison and has an open deportation case. She finally realized that this part of her is "missing."
It sucks to know that narrative of her father being in prison is a part of her now. She hasn't been acting out or has shown sadness about it. And when she does, she is leveled, she writes it down, or we talk about it. We will always talk about it, as much as I don't want to, I will always try for her with the understanding of healing behind it.
I make sure that my language isn't directed at her. I try to be kind in this fucked up situation. So, instead of saying, "He left you." I said, "He made a choice to leave." That is it.
It's been a really hard-confusing-beautiful discovery for me. It shows me how well-adjusted Zi is. How brave she is with her emotions and how this trip is going to be continually necessary for the both of us.
I am asking for everyone to give a love donation.
After all of the funds are raised, I am going to published an e-book of last year's trip filled with intimate poems, prose, and pictures.
ALL donators will receive the ebook. Released August 2014.
I am so scared. I learned very private things. It was such a pilgrimage for me. I hope you will rally behind me in providing a space to continue to reconcile our histories and love for one another. This is A Love Adventure Project 2.0.
~This is an all or nothing campaign. I have LESS THAN 30 DAYS TO RAISE THE FUNDS~
All monies will be directed to airfare. Two, roundtrip trips from NYC, Kingston, and Santo Domingo. If you would like to give an offline donation via snail mail or Paypal please contact me via e-mail at [email redacted](dot)com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
juju angeles is a writer, educator, and activist based out of New York. She is the founder of Babymamahood.com, a new, online platform for babymamas to reimagine and redefine single motherhood. She is also the creator of A Love Adventure Project. Her mission is to empower mothers—mankind's conduit—because that is the way we empower the world. She teaches from Westchester to New York City through various art organizations, schools and shelters as a poet.
Organizer
Juju Angeles
Organizer
Yonkers, NY
