2009: Year in Review

Text: Julie Schwietert Collazo
Photos: Julie Schwietert Collazo & Francisco Collazo
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I thought it would be impossible to top 2008, but here we are, on the first day of 2010, and as we take stock of 2009, we realize just how full and intense and incredible this last year was.

January

The first trip of the year was my work-related jaunt to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. I left there like I leave most places: wanting much more time to dig in deep and get to know and understand it. The trip to St. Kitts renewed my passion for Caribbean history and development, which had largely been dormant since leaving Puerto Rico and simultaneously putting my PhD studies on hold at the end of 2007. St. Kitts was also a special way to start 2009 because it was there that I learned I was probably pregnant!

From St. Kitts, Francisco and I headed to Washington, D.C. to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama to the U.S. presidency. We were joined on our road trip by friends Emon Hassan and Kaitlin Foley. I led a group of students on an educational tour that culminated on the national lawn before the crack of dawn on the morning of the inauguration. Though I worried I’d lost my toes to the cold, I couldn’t have been happier to be a witness among hundreds of thousands of others to that historic moment.

February

In February, we said what we hope will be a temporary good-bye to Mexico City, as our residency visas were not renewed.

There was little time to process this huge move before I headed further south–this time to Brazil, to celebrate Carnaval in the cities of Recife, Olinda, and Pelourinho. While I enjoyed being a participant observer in the festivities, I was acutely aware of how the celebration is experienced differently because of race. Between my observations in St. Kitts and my experiences in Brazil, I was well on my way to making the decision to resume my doctoral studies.

March, April, and May

As winter wore off, we immersed ourselves into our city as never before: PEN World Voices Festival, the High Line, Governor’s Island… to name just a few.

June and July

The summer months were spent in Puerto Rico, our former home. In June, Francisco and I both led student tours for EF Smithsonian; in July, we conducted extensive research all over the island for an assignment for Fodor’s Puerto Rico (to be published in September 2010). B

August, September, and October

As the birth of our daughter, Mariel Paloma, approached, we revived our NYC immersion exercise. We visited museums we’d never entered before– the Museum of the American Indian, the NYC Police Museum, and the Museum of Chinese in America–and attended events like the Dragonboat Festival and Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors Festival.

November

Boston and South Carolina were on the calendar for November. Boston for meetings and an emotional reunion with one of Francisco’s sons; South Carolina to celebrate Thanksgiving.

December

St. Thomas,

South Carolina, and

Florida:

Somehow, we managed to pack them all into December and touched down at home in NYC on New Year’s Eve, ready to welcome in 2010 at home!

What’s in store for 2010?
We never really know for sure, but Mariel’s first trip to Cuba is one possibility. We’ll be in South Carolina in June for my brother’s wedding. Puerto Rico never seems to be too far from our plans. And 2010 is definitely the year of America! We plan to explore the US like never before!

We’ll also be more faithful in updating this blog– both in content and in design. We have big plans for this year, so keep reading! And keep sharing your own stories with us, too.