Outer Journey - Pre-Trip

Being from a small town of 600, picturing a big urban city requires me to stretch my mind to a culturally setting that I am not used to. A transition from my common culture means four lane roads, stoplights, and businesses on every street corner, rather than the two bars, one church and seven stop signs in the community that I call,  “home.” When thinking about the physical characteristics of traveling to different cities around the country, I’m lucky enough to have a lot of references I can look back on mentally. Cities are filled with busy streets filled with people who live there, tourists, and of course plenty of birds lining the streets and sidewalks (who do not appear to be more afraid of me as I am of them). Tall buildings with clean windows and different colored roofs line the streets and create a map of the city for people to wander through and explore. When thinking of an urban city, I can hear noises including car horns, the sound of people walking on different surfaces, and rain falling on an umbrella (because I can never seem to visit a large city and experience dry weather). I can feel the texture of the buttons on the street signs, signaling pedestrians to walk across at their designated times. I am not entirely sure how, but I seem to always run directly into someone walking in the opposite direction from me within an urban setting; As I stumble away, I can recall the texture of their coats and the heat that developed under my skin on my face from the sudden embarrassment. Fortunately, I have been able to experience the urban culture of New Orleans previously in life. I was only fifteen at the time and did not understand or appreciate the experiences I obtained during my time in this urban city. Thinking back on memories of this city, it shares only one common characteristic with other urban cities I have visited, the birds. I can remember hundreds of birds filling the streets and sidewalks all over the city, never once flying away from any sort of danger but rather, participating in a, “a brisk walk.” The parts of the city that I visited were not filled with large buildings, but with buildings oozing with culture and customs of this old city. Some buildings were covered in vines that climbed all the way to the top, swallowing the building. Others were structured with multicolored bricks and nontraditionally colored rooftops. The streets are lined with bricks, businesses, and entertainers at every corner (some who are only there to try and scare people passing by).  However, experiencing such a dynamic city without an understanding of my surroundings, allows the opportunity to gain information about a city I had once visited, but in a new light. I am hoping that New Orleans will be an urban city unlike any others I have experienced filled with traditions and customs unlike my own, providing me with unlimited learning opportunities.