Farewell New Orleans, Hello Again Illinois

Outer Journey

New Orleans, Louisiana has been such a wonderful learning experience in many different ways. You got to meet new friends and new people. You got to see a new city. You got to learn so much history. You even got to experience a whole different culture. I’m beyond thankful for the opportunity Methodist College and my parents gave me by going on this trip. I have traveled many different places in the United States, and personally I believe that New Orleans is different than other places.

New Orleans does not have very grass areas throughout the city. The most grass that I saw was alongside the river  and in Jackson Square. There are not any McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, or fast food restaurants anywhere within the French Quarter which was surprising because many other big cities have them scattered throughout. Mostly everywhere that you walk, you will run into the smell of marijuana, cigarette smoke, or cigars. Additionally, as weird as it may seem, yes, it is “O.K” to take your alcoholic beverage out on the streets and keep roaming around! That is completely legal in New Orleans. On another note, when you go into a restaurant or café, the workers are on their time, they don’t rush, and the service can be slow at times so make sure you allow time for that. But, one very important thing to know is that mostly everyone that we had an encounter with was very nice. They were polite and helpful when we would ask questions or for recommendations about things. 

Overall, one of my favorite spots that I went to this trip was on our Free Day when Kandace and I went adventuring to the Lower Ninth Ward to see the Mercedes Benz Superdome and Charity Hospital. Personally, the Lower Ninth Ward and French Quarter are such a culture shock. The Lower Ninth Ward is more on the dangerous side, it is rundown and there was a lot of damage to this area from Hurricane Katrina. I continue to question as to why Charity Hospital in the Lower Ninth Ward has been vacant since Katrina and what they plan on doing with the building. The Mercedes Benz Superdome was cool to see because I am a huge sports fan so I enjoy getting to see stadiums and games and experience the atmosphere around there. 

As we leave today and say our goodbye to the French Quarter, I thought about what my favorite spot within the Quarter. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see the architecture of the buildings and experiencing the history within the area. I took a picture in front of the Presbytere because it was one of my favorite buildings to go in because they had the history of Hurricane Katrina and talked more about Mardi Gras. Additionally, I took a picture outside one of the Pontabla buildings because they were one of the first sets of apartment buildings in the United States and it dates back to centuries ago. Another thing that is very unique that I loved about the French Quarter was that the fencing around Jackson Square is so unique that it can’t be duplicated anywhere else. 

Inner Journey

New Orleans has been a wonderful experience. The weather was fabulous besides the first night and first full day we were in the city. I loved soaking up all the sun and 65 degrees. This trip as been a life changing experience because of all the things you learn about the city and even yourself. 

My favorite part about the class was being able to blog and talk about our experiences as we went through the trip so we could share it with our loved ones back home. I thought that our instructors were helpful in educating us on the history of New Orleans and the culture that they have experienced within the city before. 

My favorite part about the trip was getting to see Charity Hospital, the Presbytere, Ursuline Convent, and the Saint Louis Cathedral. I thought that there was a lot of amazing history within the convent and cathedral which was interesting to learn even though I haven’t been to church in a while. It’s impressive to see the things that were done in the past in this area and to see how far we have come! The Presbytere was outstanding and the history inside this building about Hurricane Katrina and Mardi Gras is great. When Hurricane Katrina happened, I was so young that I don’t really recall it so being able to see pictures, recordings, and things from people’s homes is truly jaw dropping. Charity Hospital has been rundown completely since Hurricane Katrina and is guarded 24/7 by police. When you walk around the building there are windows missing, windows that are boarded up, and some windows with writing on it. You can tell that the damage done to this hospital was intense and the history inside from when the hurricane hit could still be there. 

I learned that the people of New Orleans are extremely kind and love giving their local opinion of places to try and places to go to ensure that the people visiting love their city as much as they do. The tour guides are all very educated about the history of the city and love telling us about what they know and how it might have been for them growing up in this area. Overall, I thought the people were great and I didn’t have a bad experience with anyone.

Personally, I learned not judge a book by it’s cover. Even though you may think you know a lot about a person or thing, you don’t know it all so you need to give them the benefit of the doubt sometimes. In fact, sometimes it’s better to just sit back and listen to everything and everyone around you.