There's No Place Better Than Next To A Cowbell

Well, I tried to post a blurb about these past few days but the crappy wifi in our hostel made it impossible to post! Let me just say though, I am in LOVE with New Orleans. I don't think I have ever felt so immediately comfortable around people I have previously never met before or a part of a city as much as I do now. I have experienced more things than I have time to type out before my next class, so I will give ya a quick and dirty lowdown.

A memory that I can't shake from last week is when my group took a trip to Habitat For Humanities Musician's Village and Common Ground, which are both in the Ninth Ward. Although they are both non-profits geared towards the rehabilitation of the Ninth Ward, I resonated a lot better with Habitat For Humanities mission of bringing new life to a decimated area, instead of Common Ground's plan to simply rebuild/rehabilitate houses without really interacting with the people that breathe life into the city of New Orleans. When we were bussing across the upper ninth to the lower ninth a 30-something man on the bus was obviously upset with the presence of 32 privileged college students in his neck of the woods. He cursed, gave us nasty looks and upset most of our group, but when we crossed the canal into the lower ninth he made a cross across his body and prayed. Although I'm jumping to conclusions I assume that he gets nervous crossing the water into the ninth ward after the devastation that he experienced during Katrina. Who knows, but as soon as we made it over the river he resumed his cursing. Regardless, I had no idea what to expect when I traveled into the ninth ward, and was surprised at the visible devastation that is still there, and the hardened expressions of all its residents.

Last week, I managed to get off my ass and run a few times which was an adventure in and of itself. Since I have the memory span of a goldfish I can't recall exactly what I have been up to, but what sticks out to me most is the Second Line Parade that I had the immense pleasure of partaking in this past Sunday. Second Lines are brass-band parades put on by Social Clubs in Nola. Referred to as "the quintessential New Orleans art form", Second Lines use their amazing energy, superb tunes, and sheer size to attract more members of the community to join in as they weave through city streets. The Social Club that put on our Second Line were the Valley of Silent Men and were decked out in the flyest purple suits. One really great thing about Second Lines is they stop for about twenty minutes at local bars/restaurants in the area so that people can refuel (with alcohol) and use the bathroom, which attracts a slew of bodies to these local businesses.

Anyways, I can honestly say that the Second Line made me have a whole new love for the city of New Orleans and is up there as one of the top ten experiences I've ever had. There was just so many positive vibes, smiles, and people dancing without care that I couldn't help but join in and break it down with the rest of the town. Two girls on my program, Emma and Sophie, are honestly some of the best dancers I have ever seen and inspired me to let loose and dance in the rain! I topped of the three-hour long parade with a big 'ol cajun sausage, which was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

I leave for Brazil on Saturday (OH MY GOODNESS) and will try to blog about Nola one last time before I leave!

Way Down Yonder In New Orleans

Well well well, I am finally in the good 'ol city of New Orleans! What a whirlwind of activities and emotions these past few days have brought. I'm currently staying at The Bourbon House Hostel in the Lower Garden District with thirty-one other world travelers and working on acclimating myself to doing actual schoolwork again. I arrived in Nola on Saturday and had the pleasure of nomming on some delicious po' boys and beer while tromping around Bourbon Street with my friend Emily. Boy oh boy is Bourbon St. overwhelming. Perhaps I have been living under a rock these past few months, or perhaps I am utterly disillusioned to what the real world brings, but drunken tomfoolery, gentleman's clubs, and jazzy tunes are all things that I have not been exposed to in quite a while. But I digress.

Sunday morning Emily and I made a delicious breakfast and then spent the rest of the morning talking me down from a cliff as I tried to delay my arrival to the hostel for as long as possible. Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly enthusiastic about this opportunity that's ahead of me and I love meeting new people, but I finally feel as if I have found my place at Wooster and my place at home again, only to have it turned upside down in this new environment. But thankfully, everyone on my program is incredibly nice! It's amazing the diversity of majors, personalities, and interests that this group represents. There are Anthropology majors from Davidson, Literature majors from Harvard, The Growth and Structure of Cities majors from Bryn Mawr, Real Estate majors from Penn, and Applied Mathematics majors from Brown. Like insane diversity. And everyone seems incredibly passionate about the subject of Cities regardless of their implementation. I wish I was better at articulating how incredibly amazed I am by all these people and how they are weaving their interest in urbanization with their unique passions.

We have had a bunch of your typical run of the mill orientation activities at Kingsley House, which is located a few blocks away from our hostel on Magazine St. Kingsley is this beautiful community center that holds Headstart courses, Senior Activities, Bingo nights, etc. for the community. Talks on "how drunk is too drunk", what is expected of us academically, and relationship policy for the program are interspersed with walks around the city, delicious beignets, and streetcar rides. Since we all are still working on getting to know each other I haven't been spending as much time as I would like exploring the city. But we are here until the 31st so there is plenty 'o time for that. Sorry this is probably the lamest and least articulate blog post ever but I am running on fumes and am feeling the pressure since literally everyone on my program is blogging away. More to come soon!

Navy Pier

Y'all just talk about my dough/How I left Chicago

Since I leave for my whirlwind adventure in two days (‘zomg it hasn’t hit me yet fully) I figured it was fitting to create a blog to document my adventures! On Saturday I am flying into the wonderful city of New Orleans, LA to visit the fabulous Emily Perbix and meet the 34 other students who are on my study abroad program. I whole-heartedly believe that Facebook is the Devil’s incarnation of hell on earth and have had mine deactivated for the past 7 months. Which means I have not had the simultaneously exciting/terrifying opportunity to adequately stalk everyone so I have absolutely no idea what to expect! What I am expecting is a semester full of incomparable experiences, great new friends, and the journey of a lifetime.

As an Anthropology and Environmental Studies major at The College of Wooster I have had some exposure to the success and pitfalls that come with the rapid urbanization of the world today. But not nearly enough! The SIT IHP Cities of the 21st Century: People, Planning, and Politics program I am attending this semester will hopefully open my eyes even further to urbanization as well as help me understand the world that I live in a little bit better. Real talk, as a middle-class white girl living in suburban America I could sure use some more life experience, and this is exactly what this program will provide. I begin my program in New Orleans and then have the amazing opportunity to spend all of September in Sao Paulo, Brazil, October in Capetown, South Africa, November in Hanoi, Vietnam, and then backpacking for three weeks through Thailand and Cambodia! Those are a helluva lot of countries, and a helluva lot of things to learn!

Speaking of, I am currently strug-a-luggin’ through the UN-HABITAT report we are assigned for the beginning of our program. Interesting stuff, but I know I’m going in way underprepared. But eager to learn. I get to take four courses; Urban Politics and Development, Culture and Society of World Cities, Urban Planning and Sustainable Environments (yipeee), and Contemporary Urban Issues: Problems and Solutions. I am beyond excited for all of these courses (maybe not so much politics but life goes on) and am excited to meet all the amazing people I get to experience this adventure with. 

Anyways, hopefully I can update all ya’ faithful followers in the blogosphere with pictures, stories, anecdotes, and the occasional reblog! For now, I am just going to enjoy the last few days I have with my best friend Zoe (and her momma Karen) in Chicago!