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!