Arrival in the "Big Easy"

Outer Journey- Today on January 4th, 2018, I’ve arrived in the city of New Orleans! As I got off the train station I realized I didn’t get a rush of cold air, and instead was greeted by a temperature of 30 degrees! Now that may not seem warm to some of you but back home we are currently in the negatives. As we walk into the train station I can’t help but notice the colors plastered on the wall. The beautiful art work plastered on the wall as you walked in was so vibrant and colorful. I took a picture to save my first memory of the city. From there, everyone hurriedly gathered their luggage from the lines of colorful suitcases and bags and headed for the exit.  Once we walked outside the train station I was so eager so see everything. The Uber driver we had named Joseph was a great way to be introduced to the city. He told us about some of his personal favorite places and restaurants to go to. One place he mentioned was the French quarter where we will be visiting. We arrived at the hotel and from there we had a limited time to get ready for our restaurant reservations. We all jumped out of the Uber, grabbed our luggage, and rushed inside the hotel. As my roommates and I get into our hotel suitcases are thrown open as we hurried to change clothes. We then left our hotel behind to try our first taste of New Orleans food. The walk to the restaurant was beautiful. So many colors and sights to see. Tall buildings, and neon lights surrounded us. You could see people bundled up and walking quickly through the streets. As we walked into Pierre Maspero's I was hit by the smell of seafood, and pasta. The smell made my mouth water. The food I ordered was the shrimp BBQ dish. The food came out quickly, and I wasted no time eating once it was set in front of me. After our delicious meal it was time for dessert! I had heard I needed to try a Beignets so that is exactly what I ordered. The beignets look like little pillows with powdered sugar sprinkled on top, and they tasted amazing. As the night came to an end we decided to take the street car back to our hotel. I'd have to say this was the best decision we could have made. The street car driver was a character! He had us all dying of laughter. He even told us some of his favorite places to go to in the city. I'd have to say for only being in the city just a few hours I was already having a pretty awesome time. Of course I even included some pictures below of my food just to make your mouth water.

Beignets

My shrimp dinner at Pierre's

Inner Journey- I can’t tell you the rush of emotions I felt as I stepped of the train and entered the city of New Orleans. I was so excited to be there, but so nervous at the same time. One thing for sure is I was happy to be off that train. Being in the city made me feel alive. This is my first time away from home with no family or friends from back home. I felt like I was finally getting to experience more of the world, or at least more of the U.S. I have always wanted to travel, but being in college it’s hard to do when you don’t have the funds. Coming on this trip made me feel readier than ever to travel even more after this. As we walked to the restaurant shortly after arrival I couldn't help but take in all the sights of the city. I had only seen a small amount of it but I was in love already. When we arrived at Pierre's I quickly decided I was going to branch out and try something I normally wouldn't get. Shrimp is a food I have ate very few times in my life and I've only ever had it frozen and cooked at home, so getting the shrimp BBQ dish was branching out for me in my opinion. Tasting the food at Pierre made me realize I should open up more often like I did. I couldn’t of been more happier with my choice. When we headed back from dinner to the hotel, I noticed some people camped out on the ground of the streets. I learned that these people were homeless and living on the streets. I am a very caring and compassionate person and to see people that are less fortunate really breaks my heart. It made me feel a rush of guilt because I never really appreciate all that I have when I have so much compared to these people who have nothing but the clothes on their backs. It made me start to wonder how these people came to be homeless, and if there’s any way I could help them. I’m not naive in the sense that I think I can help all the homeless people out there but just doing one good deed like giving someone your food can make a big difference in a persons life. My friend Peyton actually gave her left overs from dinner to one of the homeless men on the street. It was such a self less act, and it really warmed my heart to see. My biggest thing is you just never know who really needs help, and who is trying to get money out of you. I feel almost guilty when I don't hand out money to someone who may be in need, but in this world you just never really know. Just being in the city for a few hours made me realize so much am I am overly great full I am for my life and for this experience. Keep following my blog to hear more on my experiences!

Train station art