The last morning here on our trip was equal parts busy and
bittersweet. I was way too lazy last night and did not pack my suitcase (like I
should have). So this morning Jessica was practically yelling at me to
physically get out of bed and get my shit together. After a solid five minutes
of arguing with her and throwing a fit, I finally got out of bed, rushed around
the room while throwing my stuff in my bags and getting down to have breakfast!
I was so sad to be having my last waffle in the hotel because the waffle maker
is seriously my favorite part. I know that cereal is all fine and dandy, but
the waffle maker is rare in the hotel world and I was so happy to have one here
on this trip. When we got down to Jackson Square I could not help but feel sad
that it would be a long time before I could view the square again. It was so
different than what I remember from my visit back in 2010. I was only fifteen
at the time and was not aware of all the different culture around me, but being
seven years wiser I was able to take in so many cool details about this amazing
city. When I think back and remember the city of New Orleans, I will remember
by favorite place in Jackson Square on the corner of St. Ann and Chartres
Street. I will miss this part of the city! I have met so many different people
differing in culture and talents throughout this week at Jackson Square. From
this location, I was able to see street performers, musicians, artists, and
women reading tarot cards and predicting the future. Architecturally, this
corner provides the view of the most famous buildings in New Orleans including;
the St. Louis Cathedral, Cabildo, Presbytere, and the buildings designed and
built the first apartment buildings, Micaela Pontalba. Not only was this woman
ground breaking in the city of New Orleans with all she created, she was also a
totally badass! Her father in law tried to kill her because he did not approve
of how she was handling her inheritance from father; he shot her four times and
she survived! That is when she moved back to New Orleans and started showing
men and everyone else in the city that she is powerful and successful no matter
who standing in here way (or trying to kill her). All of these locations,
people, and places are filled with so much history that is it kind of
overwhelming! Not only will I be recommending people to come and visit New
Orleans and stand on the corner of St. Ann and Chartres, but also I will
practically be begging them to take me with them. Sitting down, closing my
eyes, and thinking about the city of New Orleans my mind will travel to this
corner of Jackson Square. I can hear the sound of trumpets sounding in multiple
locations, I can see small tables with women reading palms and tarot cards, I
can see local artists describing their art to people walking by, I can feel the
cold breeze on my face and I can taste the best cup of coffee I have ever had,
coming from Café de Monde. If someone is every trying to come up with a
location for a vacation, I won’t have a hard time convincing anyone to travel
to New Orleans.
The anticipation and excitement over the past 255 days about
our travel course to New Orleans have come and gone and I am sad about it! I
always look so forward to going on trips and then in the blink of an eye it’s
over! It is so disappointing to me that I have looked forward to a trip for
over half of a year and then in a matter of six days, it is all over! I had an
absolute great time during this trip to New Orleans. When I was telling my
family members about this trip during holiday time, none of them thought that I
would enjoy myself because the trip was for school…boy they were wrong! I have
always been the child who loves going to school and learning new things. I
always thought summer was too long and I was already ready to go back to
school. The most interesting parts of this trip had to do with educational
journeys. My favorite part of the class was learning about all of the powerful
women in the history of New Orleans. I was sad to think that at the age of
twenty-two I had never learned about these powerfully influential women in high
school or history class, but now I feel fortunate to know so much more about
them and the success they had in their lifetime! I know that there were a lot
of important men in the history of New Orleans, but to be honest, I don’t care
about them. Men always have monuments erected in their honor and the world is
the first to know about the successful men, but we do not normally hear about
the success of women. The people of New Orleans are PROUD of the women of their
past and how they have changed the city; it was a refreshing and something I
had never experienced before. My favorite part of this trip of this trip is all
the memories I gained with my roommates Mackenzie and Jessica. I live with Mackenzie
everyday in our apartment so I basically know everything about her. Jessica on
the other hand was the friend that we only talked to at school but could never
find a time to hangout. We all became so close over this past week and I
couldn’t be happier! Being on a trip with people who you do not enjoy can
really put a damper on the experience! I am feeling thankful and blessed that I
was surrounded my positive people which developed into positive experiences the
entire week. Three girls were living in the same hotel room for a week and did
not have a single fight or develop any drama between them; that my friend is
what I call a miracle.
As I have
talked about in previous posts, this trip to New Orleans has taught me a lot
about myself. This trip turned out to be a “test” within myself about how ready
I am to be on my own. Graduation may only be eighteen months away, but I feel
like I have to start developing the skills now to be successful when I really
have to enter the real world on my own. During this trip, I found myself with
the confidence to navigate through a foreign city and make financial choices
for myself. Leaving New Orleans, I am leaving with a newfound confidence in
myself and my ability to be confident and happy with whom I am as a person. The
culture of New Orleans has showed me a world where everyone is accepting no
matter what color, gender, or occupation you hold. I felt right at home in this
type of environment and appreciate the way this city has changed my views and
opinions of myself as a young woman. Overall, I appreciated every single
experience I have encountered during my time in New Orleans. I know that if I
am every going through a changing time in my life, New Orleans is a safe and
confortable place to do some soul searching.
This is a panoramic view of my favorite location in New Orleans!
No comments:
Post a Comment