Dang. Once again I have waited so long to update this thing, I will try to get you up to date:
New Orleans...there is really no way to describe it. Somehow I have pride for the city and I have lived here for less than a week. I love all I have seen and am pumped about all the adventures ahead! It is so beautiful, with something new to see around every corner. There are streets with house after house of mansions. They are so big and beautiful - bright colors, intricate details, amazing porches, manicured lawns and big trees line the streets. The craziest part is a block over are houses that have been gutted and barely touched after Katrina. It is so different to be here and see how intense the effects of the storms were and how they are still so visible in the city two years later.
The roads are all crazy confusing - so many one way streets and "neutral grounds" which are like huge grassy medians and the most rugged pot holes. Parts of downtown reminded me of Seattle and then we went around the corner and thought I was in Vegas. The famous Bourbon Street is some strange mixture of Mexico, Hawaii, and what I would imagine of some European city. It is a skinny street with bars, restaurants, bars, hotels, bars, shops, bars. On the second level there are apartments with cool balconies. The places are painted bright colors and many have plants growing down the sides. People are walking around carrying Daiquiris - I guess the open container law is not in effect here.
Every time you drive into a different area there is more diversity and more to see. The city is such a mixture of so many influences and styles. I was so nervous coming here and knowing I had made a commitment to be here for the next two years. So far, so good...
We signed a lease on Monday - it did not take us long to find a place that we love. I will be living in an area of the city called Uptown with three other great girls named Courtney, Wilhelmina, and Lizzy. The house is a double shotgun that has been renovated into a single house. Our landlord just fixed everything up and it looks like new but still holds its character. There are new appliances, fancy lights, refinished floors, and really fun colors in the rooms. I somehow ended up with the huge room with a massive closet and very large bathroom. you know what that means? There is plenty of room for all y'all to visit me!!! I am pumped to get settled in and organized, but first I have to find some furniture!
My first visitor, my mama, spent the week with me. It was so great to have her here and now she will have a picture in her mind of where I will be living. She is so amazing and helped to keep me motivated and get things done. I feel bad that we had so much business to tend to instead of just having fun. We did some exploring though - we went on a Katrina tour. It was very sad, but better for me to have as much knowledge about the storm as I can. I just can't believe the force of nature. It is so crazy and sad to see house after house abandoned. The people who are back in the city have such faith and desire to rebuild this gem. This tour proved to me that I am in the right place doing the right thing. We drove past several schools - abandoned, empty, water lines past the windows, torn apart, boarded up, rusted - two years later, still closed, children loosing precious years of their education at no fault of their own. It is just not fair. I am so blessed to be a part of this time of rebuilding and growth.
I took Mom to the airport yesterday, she flew home early to go to Micaela's funeral - may she rest in peace.
