Farewell New Orleans

Outer Journey-

 As I stand in the French Quarter, I can’t help but admire the St. Louis Cathedral that sits in front of me.  From the Big clock at the top, to the many windows covering the building. I realize seeing the Cathedral every day is one thing I’m going to miss the most. The structure of the church looks as if it were a castle. The inside was beautiful and just full of so much history. I will definitely be coming back to the city of New Orleans and of course I will see the Cathedral. It’s something I believe everyone should see once in their life time. Being the oldest Catholic church in the U.S makes it even more unique. The reason why it was so special to me is that it was the first place we went to on our first night after dinner. It was a place we would all meet as a class, and a something I saw every day while we were there. In front of the Cathedral is where so many locals would set up their shops. Some would sell art work that they made themselves, and others would play instruments or sing, and some would offer to tell your future. This was their everyday jobs for a lot of these people. Lots of the people singing or playing instruments were so very talented. You couldn't help but give them a couple dollars just because of how good some of these people were. Behind the Cathedral stood a statue of Jesus. At night if you walk past the back of the Cathedral you will see Jesus's shadow on the back of the Cathedral. It's such a pretty sight to see. As you can see right below I posted a picture of it.

I would describe my experience here in New Orleans as full of life and full of culture. I didn't realize how much culture was really in this city until I came and saw it for myself. There so many different types of food from Cajun to Creole. And the music, there's just so much variety. Walking down Frenchman street you will hear all types of Jazz, funk, and just overall upbeat music. Frenchman street was also a favorite place of mine just because you could walk down this street and hear music everywhere you went. It also wasn't anything like Bourbon street, where you would see drunks and throw up all over the street, as well as hardly any good music. I highly recommend coming here if you want to hear good music, and be surrounded by Jazz!

Inner Journey- 

My favorite part of the class has to be the many sights I got to see from the Cathedral, to the hurricane Katrina museum to the beautiful architecture. I love the mix of Spanish and French architecture throughout the French Quarter. It’s hard to pick just one thing I loved about the city when there was so much. During the trip, I feel as if I established friendships with lots of the girls. Sharing a room with girls I’ve never met before the trip had me feeling a little nervous because I wasn’t sure just how well we’d all get along. But I couldn’t of asked for better roommates! I had a blast with these girls and I wouldn’t have changed anything about this trip. I know I have gained some new friends from this experience, and i'm happy to have more nursing school friends who can relate. I feel like I also opened up more. I can be quite sometimes around people at first, but after I get to know someone I feel like my real personality comes out and I'm no longer the quite girl. I learned to be more open to new things during this trip. I branched out and I tried different foods including turtle soup, which is probably something I would have never done back home. I even ventured out to the garden district to see as much of New Orleans as I could, and of course see the beautiful houses. I fell in love with the city and the people in it, On almost every street you hear music playing from either a band or just someone on the street. There is also art everywhere you go. The art and the music combined just make it a amazing city that I wish I lived in. I loved that all the people in New Orleans treat each other like family.

When visiting the Garden District,  Brittany, Emily, and I had a security guard from the district ask us if we wanted him to show us around some of the most popular houses to visited. Of course we said yes because we trusted a security guard and it meant less walking for us so we hopped in. We end up getting a free tour of the district. This act of kindness is just one of the many examples of how the people of New Orleans are. If this were Chicago someone would probably wouldn’t be offering to tour you around, and definitely not for free. As I reflect on this trip, I honestly don't think I would have changed anything. I will never forget all that I got to see and experience. I can't wait to come back to this city. I now have a new love for this city. Until next time, farewell New Orleans. 💕