A New Orleans Wedding

One evening while enjoying a relaxing evening in my hotel room after a long day exploring the wonders of New Orleans I heard a ruckus outside my window. Peoples voices shouting in a joyous chorus. Then a rhythmic thud,boom, thud began among the joyous cries, I could feel the vibrations through the windows and walls. Hurriedly my roommates and I ran to the window to find out what was causing this explosion of noise. To our great surprise there was a parade outside our window. I wonderful brass band was leading the way, following behind them in perfect sequence with the beat of the music was a woman dressed all in white, a silk ballgown that was laying gently off her shoulders, in her hand was a delicate umbrella that matched her dress. Next to this glittering woman in white was her gallant prince, dressed in a suit befitting royalty. To compliment her white umbrella he hand in his hand a black on to match his suit. Behind this happy couple was an entire parade of people hollering and jumping to the beat of the band. In their hands they had what appeared to be table napkins, they held them high in the air like flags of victory. For a minute we just stared in wonder at the site before our eyes, then it donned on all of us, we were seeing a New Orleans wedding.
It was a beautiful site to behold, a couple so in love that their passion was overflowing into the streets and buildings around them. What a beautiful idea to not only share your commitment with your friends and family but with the whole city around you. I think everyone should at least see a New Orleans wedding at some point in their lives. 

Reflecting on the Trip

My favorite part of this trip was getting to truly experience the culture of New Orleans. Walking down the street, hearing the soulful singing of the local musicians in concert with trumpets, clarinets, and other instruments. Creating an atmosphere of vibrating energy that stimulates each cell in my body.
I loved strolling through the French Quarter smelling the cajun spices and having the southern seasonings tickle my nose and causing my mouth to water. My favorite part of the trip was getting to immerse myself in the culture and lifestyle of the New Orleans people.
My favorite part of the class was all the learning. I grew up on the coast in a similar culture, however I never learned so much about New Orleans as I had on this trip. I learned about the meaning that death and dying has for the New Orleans culture. Through all the tours I learned that the long history of death and sickness has developed a culture of living in the moment for these vibrant people. I beyond enjoyed the Cuisine tour. This tour allowed us to taste New Orleans through the different types of food that this diverse city has to offer. Not only are there uniquely Cajun dishes such as Gumbo and jambalaya, but there is fresh seafood and delicious southern dishes such as chicken and waffles and brisket.  

last day in New Orleans

I spent my last day in New Orleans in my favorite spot in the city, the square in front of the cathedral. To me this wondrous place is like stepping back in time to the golden age of the south. The square is the center of culture for the French Quarter the original stone roads spread in front of the St. Louis cathedral which is surrounded by the cabildo, the presbyter,then throughout the square are the historic pontalba buildings.
At any point in the day you can walk through the square and hear live music of all types, there are performances of all kinds, and mediums and  gypsies to read your cards or palm.
To truly experience the city of New Orleans you must go to the square, the people in the square truly represent the city. There are people in detailed costumes displaying their talents for tips, there are people in traditional period clothing simply walking around adding to the environment of tradition and excitement.
The square is filled with tempting smells from the surrounding Cajun and French restaurants. There were days that I spent every free moment in the square, with the delicious food and traditional architecture of the French Quarter, the live music and singing, the dancing and art works from all the local genius. I truly feel that to experience all the New Orleans s has to offer in one place is impossible, but the closest it will ever come in my opinion is the square.

cabildo

The cabildo is the building on the left hand side of the st. Louis cathedral. Many years ago it was used as housing for the clergy, however today it is a museum filled with the vast history of the New Orleans people.
The top floor was my favorite part of the museum, it was filled with stories and artifacts related to slave life in the pre-civil war New Orleans. There was a large block of wood near the entrance to the exhibit, a sales block. My heart began to ache for the poor souls whose lives had lead to this block. Families were torn apart on this block, lives ended on this block. To touch it sent chills down my spine.
The stairwells were lined with portraits of some of the most influential individuals in the New Orleans history. These beautiful works of art provided a view into the past, as I gazed at the painted faces captured forever as the once were I could almost hear the rustle of beautiful gowns and smell the gun powder that filled the air in the battle scenes.
One part of the museum was dedicated to the native American Indians who originally inhabited this land. These wonderful people who had learned to survive in such a harsh land helped the first to arrive to also survive. They taught them how to hunt and what to eat. They showed them were to develop the city, and how to survive the harsh weather. The exhibit in the museum was dedicated to the culture of these extrodinary people who allowed this great civilization to survive it's infancy.

museums

Hurricane Katrina devastated the entire Southern coastline. For those of us who grew up in hurricane territory this is just apart of life, but Katrina changed that.
Walking into the Presbyter I did not know what to sxpect, I knew that it was the place dedicated to the experiences of the city of New Orleans during katrina; however that experience was so different then the rest of the coast that I did not know how I would feel.
We walked into the lobby of the museum and the ceiling was covered with bottles that held messages, the stage held a destroyed piano.

The video footage and interviews of the survivors brought tears to my eyes. I lived through katrina in Biloxi, I lived through the carnage and the loss of power, the loss of life, the loss of home. I cannot imagine what the people of this great city experienced. I remember the relief when the storm had passed, the look in my parents eyes knowing that we had survived. The people in New Orleans had survived the storm, but the damage to the levees caused by the storm delivered a new hell to these people. The flooding of the river rushed in and destroyed entire families within minutes. For weeks following this disaster these people were trapped in there homes; dying of exposure, infection, and hunger.
This museum depicted the struggle of the citizens, and the hero's that rose through the struggle.

caroling in Jackson square

Christmas in New Orleans is like no other, the balconies are lit with christmas lights and decorated in such festive decor that Santa himself would feel at home.

  

The highlight of Christmas time in New Orleans is the caroling in Jackson Square. For 69 years people from all over the city and all over the world have gathered in the square to sing traditional Christmas songs by candle light. This year thousands of people flocked to the square to feel the full force of a New Orleans Christmas. 

Excursion

The history of New Orleans is rich in the French quarter of the city, however there is a different story to be told just an hour outside of the city. An hour outside of the city lays the Carville museum which is the wealth of history and memories for the individuals who suffered from leprosy and were quarantined from the general public. The displays show what the lives of these people were like day to day.  There was a noticeable gap in the history of the lives of patients during the early years of the carville community. The only aspect of daily life which was included in history of the early years was the heart wrenching tales of children being torn away from the patients in the hospital to be raised elsewhere. I would like to know more about the early years for the people who had no choice in their admittance to the hospital, what was life like for these prisoners in this gilded cage?

The second aspect of New Orleans history that I had the opportunity to visit was the Whitney Plantation. The Whitney Plantation is unique in the way that it tells the story of slaves, and their lives on the plantation. Walking onto the plantation was heart wrenching, to see the memorials of the slaves that had passed through the plantation and the parish. There are few times in my life that I have felt disgusted to belong to the human race and this was one of those times, the evils that were inflicted on our fellow man in the name of ease and convenience is enough to induce vomiting. This city was a leader in defending the rights of those who had little to no rights in other cities in this country. Women and blacks had more rights afforded to them here than anywhere, but still the slaves on this plantation and many others were treated with no care given to their lives. These poor souls were treated with less thought to their well being than livestock. This great city was built on the backs of men, women, and children whose struggle and lives are finally being honored in many different ways.

Bubba Gump!

Forest Gump is one of my all time favorite movies, so while here in New Orleans I simply had to eat at Bubba Gump shrimp company!

This is my delicious and gorgeous Lt. Dan Pomegranate punch. I was able to keep the glass as an awesome suvenier of this awesome city and restaurant.

These table signs signal the Waite staff to your needs, which I thought was so cute and themed appropriately.

My delicious dinner from Bubba Gump, of course it is shrimp. A mix of tempura shrimp, fried shrimp, coconut shrimp, and grilled shrimp. Bubba would be proud of the quality of shrimp in his namesake restuarant.

free day

The air is chilly with a New Orleans winter. Today I embarked to take in all that New Orleans shopping has to offer. The mall at Riverwalk offers so many stores to indulge any shopping addicts best day dreams. There are stores which are uniquely New Orleans as well as designer stores which many you grew up in Peoria have never laid eyes on. The mall is a perfect representation of the diversity of incomes in this city. There are stores with 5 dollar tshirt right next to a Coach outlets with 500 hundred dollar wallets. As I walk around this city steeped in history it is increasingly apparent that the  financial divide in this city is extreme. There are homeless and starving sitting outside restaurants with menus containing 40 dollar shrimp. This city is beautiful and rich in so many indulgences, however as I sit here and sip my coffee in the warmth of a Hilton lobby my heart strings pull for those who may not survive a winter on the streets of this beautiful city.

art in New Orleans

This city not only enjoys local artist but it promotes them in every way possible. On royal street in the heart of the French quarter is a treasure chest of culture. The streets are lined with original galleries and shops that display local talent in its many forms.

   

Music is one of the many art forms that can be enjoyed on royal street. 

There is also a little shop which is keeping alive the elegance and class of hand made clothing and accessories. The stars of these accessories are the hats, these hats are hand made and can be individualized. The hats are pure works of art. 

I had the pleasure of entering a local art gallery and was blown away by the diverse art styles and concepts. I was drawn to an artist by the name of James coignard, his paintings are abstract pieces of wonderment. His vibrant primary colors brought to mind the jazz of Frenchman street, they made me want to dance and sing. The random strokes which came together to form an incredible colorful dream made my mind wander to places that it hasn't since my childhood. His art made me feel young, and inspired. 

Royal street is not the only place to find art in New Orleans, the city is in itself a work of art. On any street at any time of day you can hear the different forms of music which blend together into the melody of New Orleans. Through every shop window you can see paintings, or plates of food that are artfully put together in ways that only a true artist could deliver. New Orleans is art, every stone every sound every smell is art. 

Music, Treme, & Pharmacy Museum

New Orleans is the birth place of American music. Jazz was born here, jazz is the only music that is original to America, it was conceived and born here in New Orleans. This city is constantly singing with trumpets and clarinets, the people dance down the streets instead of walking, the language is not spoken but sang through a melody of creole dialect. The city does not speak through its music it is its music the city does not exist without its music and the music does not live on without this city.
   Treme is the neighborhood that is a primarily black neighborhood. The city is rich in black and creole history. Treme is near Congo square which is still a cultural center for the city. When you walk into the square you almost hear the drums and trumpets the slaves would dance too on Sunday afternoons. This was the place were the Indians taught the first settlers to survive in this hostile country.
     We were able to visit the pharmacy museum in the heart of New Orleans. This city was home to the very first licensed pharmacist in the country. This cities long history of death and dying contributed to the development of many different medical treatments for the many different ailments the locals might have developed. Sickness was so prevalent in the New Orleans culture that it became the standard of beauty and class. People would paint their faces blue to look ill, because that was beauty. Stepping into the apothecary was like stepping back in time, the walls were lined with antique glass bottles filled with butterfly wings and leeches among other exotic and obsolete medical cures.
    This day was a look at the history of this wondrous city. While walking through the French quarter it feels as if the city is stuck in time. The culture is so well preserved that it would not feel out of place to see a woman in a fine civil war Era dress strolling down the street.

Day 2 in NOLA

         Today we explored the french quarter through a new set of eyes. Today we explored the city of the dead. I was not aware that the people of the city are buried above ground in ornate and beautiful tombs so that the rising river waters don't carry the dead out of the ground. I learned that the graveyard is segregated by religion the protestants and the Catholics are buried separate from each other. This is the city of death and dying, the people here are used to many different adversities trying to kill them every day; these people learned to adapt and so they live every day to the fullest.
         We spent the day walking through the French Quarter trying to fully experience the culture of this intense city, the city greeted us like locals with a monsoon level of rain. We discovered a beautiful drink called a frozen, this was a wonderfully balanced coffee beverage with a splash of adult flavor. I had a bowl of gumbo at this wonderful little local restaurant, I have discovered that even with the same ingredients each new place brings a new gumbo experience. We took in the amazing atmosphere of the French Market, and felt incredible envy of the people who get to experience this wonderful world everyday.
          The highlight of the day was the culinary tour of the French Quarter, we were able to taste the city through the kitchen's of the French Quarter. We started with gumbo at the oldest restaurant in the city. After this tasty explosion we delved into a shop that smelled like every child's best day dream. We were treated to pralines, a first for many in our group. Also on this trip we had the opportunity to taste fresh shucked oysters, shrimp remalaude, red beans and rice, muffuletta and gelato, as well as brisket with creole sauce. We learned that the many different cultures which created New Orleans also created a culinary experience that is just as diverse.

    

photos from our first night

arrival

As we walked off the train and into the creole world we were first greeted by a blast of warm air that felt completely foreign in December for us northerners. We began the trek into the city seeking out our hotel, eagerly heading toward showers and clean clothes. The city greeted us with fresh views and sounds that refreshed our travel tired souls. I was immediatley immersed in the culture of this ancient city. Breathtaking buildings lined the street and locals greeted us with hearty hellos.
      After arriving at the hotel and cleansing our train journey from our bodies we prepared for our introduction to the French quarter. We arrived by trolley in true new orleans style, and were placed in an immediate and lasting state of shock and awe. The lights, music and smells of Cajun spices pulled us in and welcomed us in our temporary home.
     Our dinner was in a restaurant that spoke of hundreds of years of history. The food welcomed us to the city with flavors so diverse and unique to the inexperienced illinois taste buds.
We took a tour through the city, through the eyes of the spirits who also call it home. We learned of the city's violent and proud past.
  Our first night in New Orleans was an amazing introduction to a culture we have all began to fall in love with.

This week on: I shouldnt be alive!

I sit here on a southbound train listening to beautiful Irish melodies through my ear buds hoping to block out the conversation taking place in front of me. The same two friends who miraculously reconnected on the train last night are still reminiscing over old times and new occurrences.  Their deep southern drawls and overly loud voices penetrate my thoughts as well as their overly abundant aromas which are a mix of cheap cigarette smoke, Cheetos, and lack of showering.

              The view outside my window tells a different story, a story of homecoming. I am going home, my family and address is behind me but I am going home to the coast; to the loud sounds and overpowering smells which bring back the happiest memories of my childhood. I have not been back since a storm ripped my childhood away. I have not been back for fear of what has changed, but now I am so changed from the child I was that I would see the city with different eyes regardless of actual change. There are buildings outside my window that show different cultures that are completely foreign to the northern classmates of mine.

              My journey began yesterday evening, I had just finished my last final of the semester when I took my belongings to the basement. The first leg of this journey was made by shuttle; this shuttle delivered us to the nearby city link station. The city link station is a life line for many in the Peoria area; our urban city experience began with a deeper look into a different side of our own urban city. The next leg of this long journey took place on the most ill-fated bus I have ever experienced. This bus was a twilight zone experience worthy of its own episode. The driver disembarked with a gasp at the number of people awaiting her, her shock set all our nerves on edge. Why was she so surprised to see us? Did she not know a group of eager college students would be awaiting her? After some slight exacerbation on the drivers part and some exceptional planning on the part of leader we embarked the bus. The bus that made us all fear for our lives. The heat did not work.

              Now that this fact has sunk in I will repeat myself, THE HEAT DID NOT WORK. But not only did the heat not work, there was also an apparent malfunction with the air conditioner which made it blow on full blast at all times. We were on a bus, in December, in Illinois, with no heat but rather full blast AC. To add to this excitement of impending hypothermia, there were no outlets on this bus so we could not charge our phone which is enough to send any modern day college student into full meltdown mode.

              To survive the twilight zone bus I built myself a very respectful and adult blanket fort. I was half napping, happy as could be in my blanket fort when we apparently pulled over. I removed the seal on my hand made Tan Tan to the cold icy outside to investigate the stillness in our journey. To my horror, due to the lack of heat the windows had begun to fog over, obscuring the driver’s view of the road. As we all watched the driver wiped away the fog on the windows and embarked again on our journey. As we all let the new reality sink in that we would be stopping ever few miles to allow the driver to clear her field of vision, a hero stepped up. For the purposes of this post we shall call her superwoman, because super girl is just demeaning, this hero stepped up while we all sat silence still absorbing our new reality. She walked to the front of the bus to wipe the windows for the driver; a round of applause went up from the popsicles formerly known as passengers. She had saved us, from a much longer ride and possible death due to exposure.

              So I sit here on a southbound train which is now quiet, since the start of this post the smelly hillbillies have ran out of Cheetos and stories and are now sleeping. I sit here happy with the warmth that is provided to me from the working heater on this train, I sit  here on my laptop being  happily charging with the wall outlet provided by the train, I sit here happy and prepared for the next stage of our journey.

             

Preparation

I am a mother, a wife, a pack leader, and a daughter. Preparing to leave town for many days is a process for me. My daughter suffers from PTSD due to experiences from her biological parents house, my husband is new to fatherhood and cooking. I am the proud pack leader to a wolf hybrid, a husky queen, and a shepherd I am their alpha when I leave they like to act up. My mother is borderline and I am her support system, leaving town is like an Olympic sport especially when I combine finals. I download skype on all the devices in the house so my fragile little family can see my face each night, I also stock up on hamburger helper to help my husband with the feeding of our family. I pack a little each night so that my little girl does not melt down at the thought of me leaving. Preparing to leave town is hard, but necessary and exciting.

Course Expectations

I am looking forward to immersing myself in the culture of New Orleans, I grew up an hour from New Orleans in Biloxi Mississippi. Going to New Orleans is like going to a cousins house, its almost like home. I feel that this trip will be a true insight into the culture of the cajun people, we will get to immerse ourselves in a culture that will be like looking into a new world. I want to learn about what it takes to feel at home in the city that was born from so many different cultures. I want to learn how southern, French, and Spanish come together to form one of the most intricate and excepting cultures in the world. Stepping into New Orleans is like stepping into a new world full of music, food, and people that live in a world all their own. I am greatly looking forward to stepping into that world.

Practice Travel Blog

As I walk down the street in the french quarter I am overwhelmed with the smells, sounds, and sights. The city is alive with the smells of spicy and flavorful foods that make my stomach growl. The city is alive with the sounds of music, loud and warm music that makes every cell in my body want to dance. There are trumpets and spoons that play together and create melodies that inspire passersby to dance through their days. Every building I pass has a story which stretches through time and pulls the past and present together. As I walk through the city I am pulled into the creole world, I am pulled into a wonderful place full of smells, sounds, and sights which enchant me.