Tips for a trip - Elective

For my final blog, I thought I would give some tips for those who decide to visit New Orleans... These are in no specific order :)

#1 - Pack the right shoes! Driving in the French Quarter is obnoxious. Taxis are expensive. The street car will make you late 75% of the time. Bring a good pair(s) of walking shoes and plan to walk lots of steps (We did like 21,000+ one day.). I had bought two new pairs of shoes right before we left and I was nervous to wear them on the trip because I am prone to slippers (I have princess feet!) I lucked out in the sense that both shoes fit perfectly, were fairly comfortable, and didn't cause any blisters! My toots were tired by the end of the day, but they weren't bubbling or in pain... for this I am so thankful!

#2 - Plan for all sorts of weather... especially if you go in the winter! The day we arrived, temperatures were near 80 degrees. The next day, I don't think we reached 60. It's a colder 60 in New Orleans... I'm not sure if it's because it's near large bodies of water, or because it was 80 the day before... But pack for everything! (If you're used to hormonal IL, this shouldn't be different from the norm) I also would suggest packing a rain jacket/rain coat and waterproof footwear... As stated above, you'll likely be walking quite a bit and ain't nobody got time for soggy socks and swampy feet! (EW)

#3 - You're going to spend $15+ on every single meal if you eat in the quarter. I tried finding cheap restaurants, and it turns out around $15 is about as cheap as it was going to get. Even Jimmy John's is more expensive there than it is in IL. Either way, plan for it! Either pack food so that you can eat at the hotel and save your $$$ or just know going into it... it's not cheap. The food was good... but I was definitely glad to eat a home-cooked meal that I didn't have to pay for!

#4 - Bring a pillow AND a blanket for the train. On the ride down, the train was comfortable while I covered up with my blanket. (Just a small, fleece blankey) On the way back, they had trouble with temperature regulation, so the entire ride (17ish hours) they would run the heat for awhile and then run the air conditioner for awhile. It was horrible. Regardless, when the air was running... it was freezing. I suggest wearing a hoodie onto the train and bringing a small blanket. You can always take layers off if you get hot, but being freezing cold for 17 hours doesn't sound like very much fun.

#5 - The train food is terrible. It's all prepackaged, microwave food. Bring your own so that you don't have to pay $7 for the mini microwave pizza. ALSO - Bring your own drinks because those are overpriced too!

#7 - Keep an open mind - You're going to see a lot (especially if you visit Bourbon Street, lol). New Orleans is a very diverse and eclectic place.... Embrace it! There will be times when you want to giggle at the way someone looks or say, "Did I really see that girl wearing nothing but pasties and a G-String?" (I was offered a group discount on pasties from an entirely different person, also.) Just go with it! This place is like no where I've ever been before... so don't be surprised if you get shocked a time...or twelve.

#8 - The French Market is way awesome... but way overpriced. NOLA T-shirts are much cheaper elsewhere in the quarter... so save your money. OR... Learn to haggle! Many of the items that are sold are handmade and priced by their owners. A lot of the time there is leeway in the price, so don't be afraid to make a counteroffer.

#9 - WETWIPES, HAND SANITIZER, FEBREEZE SPRAY, OH MY! - These were my best friends/lifesavers. Every single bathroom is gross. Every. Single. Bathroom. Is. Gross. I packed these items in my personal bag (that I carried everywhere with me) and I couldn't have been more thankful. It made both mine and my friend's lives much easier (and less disgusting.)

#10 - Don't take anything from anyone....unless you want to pay for it. There are LOTS of people walking around from "charities" and "the local girls and boys club" - No matter what they try to hand you... they aren't just giving it to you. They expect you to donate to their "cause." If you're listening to someone play music... TIP THEM! That's how they make their money. If you take pictures of any street performer, artist, etc... TIP THEM! It's the respectful thing to do and almost stealing if you don't. Not to mention, they won't be pleased and probably won't be very nice if you don't. During my time there I had at least three people come up and claim they were with charities, one man came up and sang me a rap (without me asking and then expected me to pay for it), multiple people blatantly ask me for money, and 2398732498243 different street performers hoping to grab my attention. You don't have to tip them if you don't want to... but don't take advantage of them either. Most of the time, that's their job (Whether you consider it a job or not) - so just keep that in mind :)

These are a few of my favorite things...

The Our assignment was to choose our favorite place in the French Quarter and take a picture of it. I contemplated this for awhile and came to the conclusion that I cannot choose just one place as my favorite. I don't think I could choose multiple places as my favorite. My favorite thing about New Orleans wasn't a building... My favorite thing was the music. Live music is one of my favorite things in the world. New Orleans gave that to me and I didn't even have to work for it. On nearly every street there was music - one man bands, family bands, rap, jazz, country, etc. New Orleans doesn't have a favorite - they offer it all. I will definitely miss the music. I have quite a few friends that are musicians, living paycheck to paycheck, hoping they can make music a career someday. I think that because of my close friends, I have sort of a soft spot in my heart for these musicians. (I also think that's why I spent more money on tipping these beautiful people than I did on anything else.) I cannot wait to share my experience in NOLA with everyone, but especially to my musician friends. They would thoroughly enjoy being able to walk up and down the street and hear all of the different bands playing.

This band was one of my favorites that I saw. Myself (and a few of the other girls) actually purchased a few of their original CDs.

I think my favorite part of the class was all of the different things we were able to participate in. I won't lie, it was exhausting those first couple of days. I don't think anyone planned for as much walking as we did and the back-to back-to back tours were tiring. I will probably never have an opportunity like that again, so it was cool to experience all of these different things and then to know for next time I visit the area what is worth trying and what I might skip. My favorite part of the trip was the education. I learned so many different things that I never knew before. I learned so much about the city's history. I learned so much about the city's people. These people are so eclectic and full of love. I mentioned more than once to my friends that it sort of reminded me of being at a music festival. I love festivals largely because they are what we refer to as a "judgment free zone." Everyone is welcome to be whoever they want to be. You can dress up as crazy as you want, have your hair however YOU want it, etc. Nobody bats an eye. I LOVE THAT! I love the freedom of expression. In my small town, it isn't like that. People are so judgmental and can be so condescending. I hate it. My motto is, "If it doesn't effect you directly and it doesn't hurt anybody... then who the hell cares." This is how I felt NOLA was too. I don't think that I learned anything new about myself... But I do think I further confirmed something that I already knew. I love my small little town, but there's things about it that I don't love. And after spending a week in New Orleans and seeing so many different people, smiles, styles, etc... I've confirmed that I'm supposed to be in a place like that. I'm not supposed to be worried about what I wear to the grocery store because "so and so" might see me. I'm supposed to be able to just thoroughly enjoy every moment of my life and NOT WORRY about those petty details.

Presbytère & Cabildo - A day in history

Because I didn't grow up in the south, Hurricane Katrina really didn't affect me. I was a freshman in high school and my day-to-day didn't change. I didn't really watch the news or keep up with the storm. My knowledge regarding the subject didn't go much further than, "There's a big hurricane hitting Louisiana and Mississippi right now." After high school I moved to southern Mississippi and it was there that I soon realize how ignorant I was on the matter. My neighbors all surrounding me had lived there during that very same storm and gave me their own personal stories on how Katrina affected them. Fast-forward about 5ish years and I've realized that this storm and its aftermath was much more than anything I could even imagine. I think what shocked me most about the storm was the poor attempt at help that we as a nation offered our own. 

Though it is so frustrating to think about those people suffering, watching their stories was so inspiring. There were many accounts of NOLA citizens taking the job of the first-responder into their own hands. In a way these stories sort of reminded me of my own town. Chillicothe is such a small place that we're kind of just one huge family. If someone falls ill and has a benefit, everybody in the town comes. Our support for the St. Jude run beat Chicago this year, because the town came together as a whole. Remember - we are a population of 6,000. Anyways, seeing the way the citizens of New Orleans came together to help each other gave me chills, but also made my heart full. It made me think about my little town and how I know that if a natural disaster were to occur (though I hope there never is) - my town would be okay. We have each other and we always have. I almost felt honored to be able to visit this amazing city of New Orleans, yet a little bit ashamed that I didn't know more about the complete devastation this city faced only ten years prior. 

Seeing everything inside this museum also made me think about healthcare and my future in healthcare. I can't imagine how overly crowded the nearest -and capable- hospitals were. I can't imagine the long hours those nurses worked without taking care of themselves, because they knew they had lives to save. This is actually a screenshot I sent to my boyfriend when these thoughts were going through my head. Excuse the profanity... I am a potty mouth. 

Mixed with the sadness was also pride. I am proud of myself, and the nursing field as a whole, for choosing a career that is devoted to taking care of others. 

 My reaction to Hurricane Katrina was a mixture of feelings. I was devastated reading the personal accounts on what happened. It was heart wrenching to view the photos and videos. It was frustrating to see the different times that people had tried to warn that the city would not be able to handle any significant amount of water. It restored some faith in humanity knowing how much the citizens helped each other out. Strangers took other strangers in. People risked their lives in order to save someone they'd never even seen before. It was disheartening to see the lack of response from governmental organizations. It was depressing to find out how many people were injured, how many died, and how many are still missing. It was angering to read about the looters and how greedy some people are. 

Overall I am so happy that the city of New Orleans has prevailed. I appreciated the city so much more after visiting the Presbytère and I would highly suggest that anyone in the area also visit. Not only was hurricane Katrina a monumental devastation in history - it was also a time where the human race came together as one and fought for their home. Strangers helped strangers, volunteers came from all over and devoted their time, anyone who was willing and able - did. I think that NOLA's reaction to Katrina should be emphasized just as much as the storm's damage was because the world has become such a crummy place... I think that a reminder like this would give everybody a little bit of faith. Be kind. Give when you can and take when you need. If we could all just work TOGETHER.... 

I won't lie, my mind was still focused on the Presbytère when we visited the Cabildo. I was very moved by that experience. Though I was intrigued by all of the different sights within the Cabildo, I'm not sure I found any of its stories to be "interesting." If I had to choose, I would say what kept me most interested were all of the artifacts. I love to see old objects and discover their uses. I like to consider their relativity to today's world and then if they are still used, I like to compare the OG (Original Gangsta) version to whatever today's version is. For example, I came across a Physician's chest. It was filled with all of the doctor's medications/supplies so that he could travel and still be able to fully access his tools in order to treat them. 

It was crazy to me how large and presumably heavy this chest must have been. I actually thought about my luggage and how much it sucks to lift it up right above my head in order to load it into the train. I couldn't imagine lugging around something like this all day everyday. Not to mention that most of what was inside would probably have killed you or made your ailment worse before ever making it better. Though I did not enjoy this facility as much as the Presbytère, a an early Amerixan history buff would. Overall this was one of my favorite days of the trip. 

Villalobos - Elective

Though we were all tired from the night before, we woke up excited to visit Villalobos. I've never seen Pitbulls and Parolees, but I was still super excited to pet some puppies! We had no idea where this facility was located, and neither did the cab driver. Though this struck us as a little bit odd, we gave him the address and he got us on our way. As we were driving, we noticed that things started looking a little... um... different. We pulled into what we thought was an alley and our cab driver said, "What are you guys doing down here?" We explained to him what our plan was for that day and he let us out and left. We looked around and noticed a sign that said "Upper 9th Ward." *Light bulb* When we saw this sign, we remembered talking to two policemen the night before about the 9th ward. Jessica was explaining to them that we'd love to see the 9th ward, simply to learn more about Katrina and see some of its lasting effects on the city. The cops told us it was a bad idea. Jessica jokingly said, "Why? If we get mugged it's no big deal." The cop replied, "Mugged? That's on a good day. You'll probably get shot." - Long story short - we decided that visiting the 9th ward probably wouldn't be on the agenda for the next day. Fast forward to this morning, pulling into what looked like a dead-end alley. We were a little bit nervous, but took comfort in knowing there was quite a number of people there in case anything crazy did happen. I also was comforted when I saw multiple pit bulls being walked around the grounds outside of the facility. Though I do not believe in the stigma against them, I do know that pitties are high up on America's list of "Dogs that are dangerous." We waited in line for about an hour and then it was our turn to experience a tour of the facility. We didn't get to actually walk the dogs because we showed up a little bit too late for that part of the experience, but we did get to see and touch the dogs, as well as the rest of the facility. We had a tour guide, who has a parolee. He said he was brand new and hadn't been there long, but that he would be happy to answer any questions we might come up with. He was very knowledgeable and entertaining throughout his tour. He told us funny stories and little tidbits about every single dog we walked by. I fell in love with one certain dog, his name was Dennis the Menace. He was absolutely beautiful and he wanted to come home with me. 

This was probably my favorite experience thus far. I love animals and I love selfless people and it was clear that this facility housed both of those things. They truly have their fur baby's best interest in mind and the depths that they go to to ensure this is amazing. I will visit Villalobos again someday, and I am hoping that when my family and I go to adopt our own dog... That we're able to rescue a pitty from Villalobos.

Bourbon Street - Elective

Friday night, after returning home from the Whitney Plantation we were officially on our own time. With no tours scheduled and no concrete plans in mind... We decided as a group that we couldn't leave New Orleans without experiencing the Bourbon Street night life. Knowing we were out of our element and in a fairly unfamiliar environment, we decided to stay together and travel as a pack. I think what I enjoyed most about Bourbon was how diverse it was. There were people of all ages, shapes, colors (I even saw a man who was gold!), and sizes. Some were dressed to the nines, some had signs asking people for clothes because they couldn't afford them. The drinks were outrageously priced and most were terrible. You couldn't walk more than 15 feet without someone trying to sell you something, take a picture with them, or get you to come into their bar. It was crowded. It was stinky. There were unfamiliar liquids on the ground all around you. The music was loud and everybody was there just trying to have a good time. I had one of the best times that I've had in a long time and I think that everyone who was out with us would say the same thing. We all stayed together and we all had a blast. I like to think of it as a celebration for ending the semester, passing our classes, and moving on up.

GiRL'S NiGHT! - Elective

I'm a full-time nursing student, I work 25 hours a week, and I have two children under the age of 5. In other words... I don't have a social life. I looked forward to this trip because I was going to finally get a "break." I knew I would enjoy all of the tours and such that we've done because I love learning new things and trying to understand different cultures. I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I've enjoyed just hanging out with my girlfriends, though. Being so sucked into school and work and motherhood, I've lost a lot of my friends. None of us have time to see each other regularly, most of my "childhood" friends don't have children, and to put it simply - our priorities are just completely different. Since I started nursing school, I've naturally bonded with quite a few people but especially a group of girls - most of which are on this trip with me. The other night, we were so exhausted from all of the walking through the quarter that we decided we were just going to order in, veg out in the hotel room and fall asleep early. We had so much fun stuffing our faces and just talking... it felt like a high school girl's sleepover. We laughed so much that my ab muscles still hurt. We've shared stories, jokes, frustrations... We've given (and received) advice from each other. And most importantly... we all enjoyed adult conversation that did not have to do with vital signs, bodily fluids, or lab values. I can honestly say that the people I've met in nursing school will be lifelong friends. They've been with me through what has been the hardest battle I've fought thus far and I truly cherish them.

Hansen's Disease Museum and The Whitney Plantation

As a future nurse, the Hansen's Disease Museum was very interesting to me. I was not familiar with Hansen's Disease up until watching the documentary on the train. I think that watching the film before visiting the museum helped me to understand and appreciate the museum more. Upon first entering the museum, I was overwhelmed by the amount of things that were EVERYWHERE. As I started to explore, I thought it was all very, very interesting. I had no idea how much that particular facility impacted medicine as we know it today. I was also very surprised at the fact that the last patients left the facility only a few months ago. The museum taught me about Hansen's Disease and the effects that it had on those who were infected. It was also like stepping into a time machine and going back into the 40's. It was so cool to see all of the different tools and pictures that they still had set up today. It was amazing to tour the same exact buildings that the patients lived in. It was awesome to read the stories of some of the facility's patients. I think it is amazing how far medicine has come from then to now, but in the same sense, it's amazing how many things are still used today, that started back then. The impression that this facility left on me was to be thankful. Healthcare workers put their lives in danger by taking care of people with a disease that they didn't know much about. Scientists and doctors dedicated their lives to studying this disease in order to try and find a cause and/or a cure. The facility kept it's doors open to these patients for as long as they wanted to stay, even after they had been cured and were given the option to leave. I would definitely recommend people visit this center. I think that it was an awesome educational experience and that it would even be enjoyable for I am thankful for all of those things today. I am also thankful that Hansen's Disease, though still prevalent, is no longer a mystery and can often be fought and cured with few lasting effects. Science is cool.

Visiting the Whitney Plantation was a very sad, yet humbling experience. It makes me absolutely sick to think about the fact that people ever owned other people, let alone the fact that they treated them so horribly. As we walked around the plantation, I felt a lot of different emotions, but I think sadness and anger were the most prevalent. It was so sad to read the quotes on the walls from the former slaves. It was sad to see the number of children who passed away before they were even given a chance. It was sad to see their living quarters and to hear what everyday life was like. I would definitely recommend people go and visit this plantation. In fact, I think everyone SHOULD go and visit this plantation. I think it would be an eye-opener for everyone. One word to describe this place is: WOW. We've been taught about slavery all through school, but this experience topped anything you could read from a book. It all became so real when we walked around the plantation. It is devastating and sickening the way that these people were treated. There is only one race: the human race. I wish the entire world could live out this belief and that we could all realize that we're in this together.