Outer Journey

Last night I got to explore the city on my own terms and it was a lot different than getting all of the tours. I ventured all over the city and experienced what it was like on bourbon street.

When I first got down there I was just in shock because I don’t really think that I have seen that many people on one street. It reeked of alcohol, food, and bad decisions. Its reminds more of all of the movies I have seen that have taken place in the city of New Orleans. You couldn’t imagine how crazy people get down there! My favorite part about yesterday was seeing everyone in the city come together to celebrate Mardi Gras season. There was a parade and everyone in it was dressed head to toe in whatever their theme was and I have never experienced something so huge and I was so glad to be a part of it. Their outfits were so creative and I never would have thought of decorating things in their way of doing things. This once group showed the hanging of people and they were attached to a bell and the bell was made out of a gardening pot. The gardening pot was then painted silver to appear as a bell. The outside was cardboard boxes and to get it through the parade, all they had to do was wheel it down the street. The funniest part about last night was that Kelsey, Char, Morgan, Alyvia, and I were so ready to go home and we went to the street car and got in in and then Kelsey realized she forgot her phone. After we hit the first stop Kelsey began to panic and was telling everyone she forgot her phone and we all look at her and laugh. She didn’t think it was as funny as us because it was obviously her phone and that’s how we communicate with one another. We told the street car conductor about what had happened and he wasn’t so happy about it either. We had to get off at the last stop because we are not allowed to just ride the car continuously and we waited for him to pick us back up. After he picked us up we had to go to the spot where she left her phone and wait as well. Right as we were getting to the stop she left her phone at the first time, Kelsey was staring out the window in suspense praying her phone was still there and no one has taken it. Luckily, IT WAS STILL THERE. We had to wait again for the conductor to return to our stop again and finally he did. I was so ready to be back at the hotel because one I had to pee and could NOT hold it anymore and the other reason was because I was so tired I could have slept for 8 days. So far it was the most interesting experience I have had all week!

Parade

Parade

Inner Jouney

While dedicating the day to myself yesterday, I found out that I love visiting here but I wouldn’t make it living here. Being at the parade was so exciting and thrilling but there were so many people and it gave me so much anxiety. There was this horse that had been waiting all day to get going in the parade and he was so nervous. He began panicking and got overwhelmed and starting to go in circles and move towards the people. In fact, the horse ended up moving our way and almost backed up into Char and I definitely felt uncomfortable. Everyone was shoving people and that’s something I’m not used to because I like and live by having my own personal space. Searching through the city has been a blast and I don’t think I could have experienced New Orleans in a better way. I think I did it just right and would love to experience all of this with my family when they come back. Even though I had a mishap at the parade, it was most likely it was my favorite part about the day. Like I said before, everyone coming together made me feel so happy and honored to be a part of this special day. Mardi Gras is the biggest celebration I have been to thus far and I hope to experience it again with my family! I found myself wishing my family was here more than once because before I left my mom was telling me she wished she could have been there the first time I went to New Orleans. My mom is my best friend and I would have loved to experience this with her for the first time, but I’m glad I came here with my class because I learned so much history about the City and got to learn about all the different ways of living here. I also learned about the dark history too and that kind of information really catches my attention. I’m really nervous about today’s informational tour about hurricane Katrine because I know I’m going to have a hard time not getting emotional, but I’m eager to learn about what happened and how everything took place and what they did to get through it.

Parade