Jahmai Is My Home

When I think of the word "Home", the phrase, "Home is where your heart is." , always comes to mind. I guess that comes from moving around a lot as a child. During my elementary and middle school days, my parents moved me, my sister, and brother from numerous towns in New Jersey and Virginia. So, I've learned that a home isn't a house or apartment, but more or less the people that dwell in the house or apartment. Home is who you share your space with and feel comfortable doing so. It can be anywhere, a hut, a hill, a beach, or a cliff or even your car, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is if you feel safe and comfortable wherever you are. Home to me is family and friends, and people that you love. For a long time home was wherever my parents were. It didn't matter if we were in a hotel, or in a cabin. As long as I was with my parents, that was where I considered home. Now that I have my own child, home is wherever he is. I can move anywhere around the world, but if I don't have my son it won't feel like home. My son is my heart and he is my home.

The Neighborhood House

My first experience of education was in preschool at The Neighborhood House. Although there were many other more polished preschools in my hometown, I attended The Neighborhood House because it was across the street from my great grandmother's house, so my parents wouldn't have to worry about after care while they worked. Plainfield is divided into four sections, West End, East End, Southside and Northside. The Neighborhood House was located on the West End and every preschooler that lived on the West end would have to attend.

The school is smack in the middle of one of the most dangerous areas in the town, but somehow feels like a safe haven. Even though, the Neighborhood House wasn't a rich school, the teachers that worked at the school had so much compassion and care for the students that it made the school feel like a home away from home. The school opened my mind to reading, writing, music, and art. Behind those colorful walls, I got a chance to use my imagination and creative skills. At times you would not even realize all the chaos that was taking place behind the doors. It was like we built a world inside of a world. Most of the teachers that taught at the school during the time I attended, didn't even live in the neighborhood, but traveled just to help cultivate our minds. The classrooms were filled with minorities, but the majority of teachers where Caucasian and treated us like we were their very own. My first friendships were established there and till this day many still exist. When it came time for my son to attend preschool, I gladly walked him into the colorful building and even stopped and said hello to some of the old staff that is still there to this day. The fact that the school posses teachers that have been there for over decades let me know just how dedicated they are to what they do. To me The Neighborhood House is the heart of the West End of Plainfield.

The Wonderful World Of Kevin

I got the opportunity to sit down with the eccentric Kevin Fullagar. Kevin and I discussed his family life, future plans, as well as his dreams. The very first thought that entered my mind when I  fist seen Kevin was, "he has a very interesting beard". In actuality he has only been growing his beard for only a few months now, but you could never tell from the looks of it, you would think that he has been growing it for years. Kevin is currently studying HVAC at NCC, but also dabbles in art and writing, which I believe his true passion lies. Actually, I got an opportunity to peak at some of Kevin's work in class one day. I arrived early, and noticed him drawing something that resembled a Japanese cartoon character. Honestly, it reminded me of the cartoons that seems to be famous with kids these days. Which explains his desire to want to illustrate and write a children's book. From his love of Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy flicks, I can tell the book would be full of imagination and intrigue.

A fellow Jersey native, Kevin was raised by his father and mother who have been together for close to 35 years, something you don't see very often. Although his father was a mixture of everything from Irish to English, he was raised more on his mother's Italian traditions, which his father didn't dispute. Kevin graduated high school in Chatham, New Jersey and then went off to attend art school in New York. Kevin has had an opportunity visit places like England and Italy, and even enlightened me on a beach called Dungeons where he plans on getting married in the future. Hopefully, it will be his current girlfriend, who happens to share in his Italian heritage as well as his passion in art.

Kevin and I talked so much, that time just seemed to pass by so quickly and before I knew it, it was over. However, the most important part of what I took from our interview was his love of family and friends, his love of art and his love of cereal; which we don't agree on by the way.