Cafe Reconcile

After class on Friday we (the four of us, both our teachers and our TA) went to Cafe Reconcile for lunch. Joining us was a relief group from UNC who was down in New Orleans volunteering for the week. The cafe employs youth from the Mid-City area and places them in workforce development programs. They teach their participants skills viable in the restaurant business and also gives them a sense of entrepreneurship. Cafe Reconcile gives youth a chance to gain work experience and skills that they might otherwise not have the opportunity to learn and gives them marketable skills in the workforce. Not should you go to this cafe to show your support for this great cause, the food is delicious!

"Crawfest, yeah you right"

Some of my best friends (Tosh, Katie, and Rory) from UNC are here in town during their spring break and I was able to share my first crawfish tasting experience with them. After trying crawfish in some random Chinese buffet we went to a few weeks ago, I’m relieved finding out that the Chinese version of crawfish is no where near the taste of native-made crawfish. Today, Tosh (a local New Orleanian) and his delightfully adorable family had us over for a craw boil. Not only did I get to try some crawfish, I also got to watch the process in making. I’m going to try and break down the boil in picture book style as best I can.

Alright, first, buy pounds and pounds of crawfish. The rate right now is around $2.25/lb and each bag can carry anywhere from 15 to 20 lbs. Apparently, crawfish is best between the middle of March and early May, with you being lucky if you get crawfish the size we were fortunate enough to get this early in the season.

Next, fill the bucket with water to wash and remove mud from the crawfish. Drain and repeat the process again for better results. Any crawfish that are noticeably dead, separate and throw away because you never know how long they've been TKO'ed and this will change the taste of the meat.

Third, pour salt into the bucket and stir. This is done to make the crawfish throw up in order to clean and wash their insides out.

While I wasn’t much help in picking up the runaway crawfish after draining, I at least helped clean them off.

Next, pick a crawfish and have a race, or a crawfight. We chose to crawfight. A circle was drawn using chalk and the bad boys were carefully picked up and placed in the arena. Yeah, it took me a long time to finally attempt the crawfish pick up. It's crucial that you grab them at the center of the body, away from the tail or claws so that they won't snap at you, although they will still try.

Whichever crawfish steps outside of the circle loses. Ours kind of cowered and avoided each other, or played dead so it wasn’t much of a fight.

Then after enjoying the sport of crawfish battling, boil the crawfish in a pot. It’s recommended that you add sausage, corn and potato into the boil…or at least I would because Tosh’s dad did and it tasted ridiculously awesome. The crawfish will turn from a black color to a vibrant, lobster red.

Set up a table, cover it with newspapers and spread the final product across the table. Call family over, and after mention of crawfish, they will immediately drop whatever they are doing to appear on your doorsteps. Oh yeah, it’s that good.

Now the process of eating crawfish is also an art. Most people prefer the tail meat, if you’re like Rory, you can take your time with the claws.

If you’re native, you also suck the juice from the body after tearing the tail off. After hearing that the yellow squishy-looking part in the body is actually crawfish intestines, I was a little hesitant to try it at first. After gathering the balls to do it, I have to admit that it’s an essential compliment that adds to the taste of the tail meat. Mmm succulent. I loved the kick of the spices!

The time difference in stripping the crawfish down to the meat becomes apparent when compared with someone who has already mastered the art of crawfish-ing. You can tell by the crawfish piles who’s the native, but Katie ate herself a fine share too so props. You’d be surprised how fast the pounds of crawfish go by.

Finally, place your crawfish scraps on a huge plate to throw away and get ready for another set! Oh yeah, believe it. There were three sets boiled tonight! I must’ve eaten at least “17 lbs of crawfish….that’s like a little baby.” Haha.

Really, beyond the awesome taste of spicy crawfish, it’s really the family environment surrounding the tradition that makes it such a warm and neighbor friendly event. It’s the conversation and the company you keep that really make it what it is. I have Tosh and his family and my friends to thank for making this experience an unforgettable one. I can’t wait for Crawfest 09 baby!

Currently listening to: "Now You're Gone" Basshunter.

Currently viewing: http://www.geocities.com/thefirethread/ (a site Cassandra stumbled upon)

Sample sign:

If you spot terrorism, blow your anti-terrorism whistle. If you are Vin Diesel, yell really loud

Savantism

I guess it's only natural that working with kids ASD four days a week would eventually lead my interest to savant syndrome. As I've come to understand it, a person suffering from savantism seriously struggles with developmental disorder. Often these individuals are completely unable to learn to read, write, and cannot understand their incredible talents in areas like math, music, language, etc. 

Society has become most familiar with autistic savantism through Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise's 1988 Rain Man, based on Kim Peek. Though he is not actually autistic, Peek apparently has a "photographic" (eidetic) memory and thus, his mind seems an endless capacity for information. I've not actually seen the movie yet, but I'm looking forward to checking it out now that I have a little background on the syndrome. 

This article, though its credibility is questionable, has fed my interest to reading more about highly radical theories on the concept of intelligence. Like the string theory (if you have plenty of time on your hands, you should probably watch those videos, they are awesome) in physics, these theories are highly abstract and characterize intelligence as a capacity not contained within the dimensions of space and time. Whaaaat? Yeah, I know. I'm still reading about all of this and trying to grasp the concept too.

One of the students at the Chartwell Center, I believe, may have a modest savantistic ability. On the way to City Park last Thursday, Mr. Adam told me about Sami's familiarity with the calendar. If asked what the date the Thursday two weeks from now would fall on, he would tell you with no problem, other than understanding the question, that it's April 3rd. I found it strikingly similar to the amazing calendar calculation abilities described in several articles. We didn't test him on dates that were too difficult, like what day Mardi Gras would be on 2029, but I am interested in finding out how well he knows or can calculate the calendar. 

In addition to but unrelated to savantism, several different people have told me about a story called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a story written by British writer Mark Haddon from the perspective of a boy suffering from Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's falls on the autism spectrum and is characterized by empathetic social interaction, language acquisition and use abnormalities and often things like obsessive or compulsion movements or preoccupations. A lady I met on the street car one day and a friend back at UNC both recommended I read this story, and I plan to as I finish writing this. The link above is to an online copy of the book if anyone else is interested in reading it. 

There is soo much to learn about so many things in life. It's unsettling to think about how much there is to know. Here is just another topic that will obviously open doors to even more,like physics theories  and philosophies on intelligence, haha. Just something to think about.

p.s. forgive all the wikipedia links. Though they're often less credible, I think they are good places to form a basic understanding and start research on a topic. Here are some additional links:

http://encefalus.com/cognitive/amazing-brain-autistic-savant/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Tammet

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=savants-cognition-thinking

Currently watching: Segen Max, the two-year-old drumming phenom

Currently listening to: The Beatles Let it Be

"COLD DRINK"

Has someone recently tried to treat you to a "cold drink"? Were you confused as to what this was?

This week my supervisor at the Advocacy Center explained to me what exactly a cold drink in New Orleans is. This is what some of us would call a soft drink, soda, or pop (if you're in Chicago!)... It really doesn't make sense since most drinks are cold, but that's neither here nor there...


Just the other day I finally got to hear this term used in real life! I was at the Popeye's on St. Charles Avenue (grabbing lunch as usual) when a man told his girlfriend that their son had spilled COLD DRINK on himself.

Next time someone in New Orleans asks you if you want a COLD DRINK... you'll know what they mean. :-)


Currently listening to: the Lupe Fiasco radio station on Pandora.com (getting ready for the concert on Thursday, Shadoe!)

What we do on Saturday nights...

I don't know if anyone has ever seen RENO 911, but it's basically a cop show that plays on Comedy Central. Now that Shadoe has a mustache (for Mustache March) he greatly resembles Deputy Travis Junior from RENO 911. The things we do on Saturday nights in the guesthouse... His interests are beer, NASCAR, firearms, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and last but not least his moustache.

NC friends in Nawlins, round one.

It's midnight on a Friday in New Orleans, and I'm trying to decide what to blog about. It would make the most sense to finish some thoughts on Mardi Gras, but I'm tired of writing about it. And I'm sure whoever our readers are out there are tired of reading about it also. Maybe I'll just write. The Hornets, beignets, Chicken Mart and Chartwell are all on the mind; we'll see what we end up with.

This week some friends from home (Cory, Trent and Leo) came down to hang out. I think they had a good time. They stayed with me at the guesthouse. They would wake up and venture around the city while I was in class/at Chartwell, and I would meet up with them afterwards. They did a lot in the 4-5 days they were here: explored the Quarter, strolled through City Park, wandered the National WWII Museum (which I need to check out myself, especially since military dependents get in for $6) and stopped by Café du Monde for some beignets literally every night. Trent loved him some Beignets, I wish I had a picture for you guys, haha. When I joined them in the afternoons, we saw a free screening of Slumdog Millionaire at Tulane (thanks to the India Association of Tulane). It is such a good movie; if you haven't already seen it, you need to. It deserved all eight Academy Awards it won. Wednesday night, we went to Preservation Hall, the supposed venue where jazz was first played. We saw a band called Sharron Powell and the Preservation Hall-Stars. They were unbelievable. Every member was so good at his instrument: the trombone, trumpet, piano, and drums were all very talented. Taking several requests, and, I imagine playing some originals, they really put on a show and kept the crowd rocking. The little things they did, like mentioning "this song is a very special song - why? - because it was paaaiiid for" after each request, or carrying on a conversation with folks in the crowd between songs made it a uniquely intimate experience. If you are ever in New Orleans, it would be a shame not to see a show at Preservation Hall. Here's a video of Shannon Powell, though we didn't take it, you can get a sense of the sound.

Thursday night, we volunteered at the New Orleans Hornets game vs. the Dallas Mavericks. Seeing the game for free with some of my best friends was nice, it was especially nice to see Chris Paul make Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and the Mavericks' idiot of an own Mark Cuban look like fools. Notice Cuban's disgust and the Slumdog reference as the video cut out at the very end, haha.

The energy in that building as the Hornets began to pull away was incredible. It was almost as exciting as a Carolina game, almost. I even found myself chanting Chris Paul's chant, C-P-3, M-V-P. Bring the Hornets back to Charlotte...I am still bitter, but starting to come around to the move. At least we've got the Bobcats. Well, it's almost 2:00am, I've got to sleep. Looks like I'll have to save more on the Hornets, the beignets, Chicken Mart and the Chartwell Center for later posts. 

Currently watching: that Chris Paul video, for the 9th or 10th time now.

Currently listening to: The Starting Line Say It Like You Mean It

FEMA

This past Wednesday President Obama announced the appointment of a new Director to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). The candidate, Craig Fugate, is actually qualified to hold the position and just waits confirmation by the Senate. Here is an article from the Times-Picayune detailing the appointment.

In Memoriam Miss Antoinette K-Doe

Last weekend I attended my first Second Line, a uniquely New Orleans street parade centered around a big brass band and characterized by unreserved dancing, singing, and general celebration. Second Lines are traditionally spontaneous and can be elusive—the starting point usually isn’t advertized—and sometimes the only way to catch one is to serendipedously be in the right place at the right time and, of course, to join in!

In this case, the Second Line was a “Jazz Funeral” for Antoinette K-Doe—the widow of Ernie K-Doe, famous New Orleans Rhythm and Blues Singer—who died of a heart attack on Mardi Gras morning. A local celebrity, “Miss Antoinette” was an earlier returner (Oct. 05) and a huge presence in the rebuilding of the city after Hurricane Katrina, supporting recovery efforts in many ways, from cooking up pots of gumbo that served hundreds of volunteers and community members to opening her lounge to local musicians struggling to find work. She also triumphed local rebuilding organizations like Hands On New Orleans and Katrina Corps.

The event was quite an experience—the music great, the dancing fun—and I had been looking for a Second Line since soon after I arrived and learned about the spontaneous, elusive celebration. However, I found myself feeling somewhat uncomfortable that day. The turn out was diverse, from close family and friends coming from the funeral to complete strangers who stumbled upon the procession and joined in (and who may not have even known what it was about). It is the last point that made me pause. I didn’t completely fall into the second group, as I was aware of the situation had accompanied a friend of Miss Antoinette’s to the parade, but ultimately I was an outsider—only having lived in NOLA for a little over a month and never having been lucky enough to meet her—as proved by the fact that all the information provided above I learned from friends and from reading about her online. On that note, this New York Times piece provides a nice description of the powerful woman and her importance to the city.

There I was, a relative outsider, parading in a t-shirt and shorts amongst the black-clad people who had known and loved her best. On the one hand, it seems that this diversity of people and motivation is the beauty of the Second Line tradition, but that day, I mostly felt the oddness and unease of this quality. I felt borderline voyeuristic and quite out of place entering into this ritual of the people who knew and loved Miss Antoinette.

However, the people who organized the Second Line made it public and no one betrayed disgust (self-consciously, I was looking for it) at the participation of outsiders like me. On the contrary, they seemed quite caught in the celebration and glad to be among others—whatever their connection or non-connection—in honoring the life of this incredible lady. Which, as a result of this provocative experience, I have learned more about and now, too, can recognize and honor. Though still thinking, this last point has helped me to reconcile my initial unease and, for now, I'm content to celebrate Miss Antoinette and all she did and, even in death, will continue to do for New Orleans.

Mardi Gras Season, it’s that time of year again

Determined to watch every parade parading down our very own neighbor St. Charles Street, and catching a few others here and there, I’ve gotten quite the taste of the ups and downs of Mardi Gras parades. There’s a parade out there for everyone, from political satire to all women’s to old timers to children pleasing to animal celebrating floats, and so much more. Although Muses and Zulu are definite must sees, I have to admit that two other parades caught my eye almost at the same level, if not more. One of the first parades to hit the streets of New Orleans, Krewe de Vieux, is certainly a spectacle to watch. As many warned me, it was satirical indeed and didn’t disappoint in the least in those terms. The theme this year was “Stimulus Package.” Just to give you a taste of the throws and the krewe, I saw skeletons with “boners,” received several separate millions in Persian money, received penis beads, a dradle, a “cock market investor tube,” tokens, men in barrels to represent our declining economy. Probably the most intense float I saw was Fanine Mae sticking it to Uncle Sam from the back. Yeah, figuratively sure…but she was also literally anal raping him. As if this parade wasn’t enough, I was equally fascinated by the police round up at midnight on Mardi Gras’ Fat Tuesday. We had been hearing through the grape vine that Bourbon Street gets shut down by police riding on horseback and decided we had to go there and see it for ourselves. We got that and so much more. Just a little after midnight, sure enough, hundreds of policemen marched down the streets of Bourbon lining the streets and telling everyone to step aside to neighboring streets. Bars closed and anyone who was in got locked in temporarily. The extremists who were walking around with signs entitled WWJD (Who Would Jesus Destroy, in this case) “lead” the parade. Well, they just didn’t move to the side yet. First it was men walking by foot, followed by men on horse, and then men in trucks! The men would even wave at the crowds and smile and laugh, as if they knew it was all in jest because soon enough, the streets would be packed once more. The trucks played their own music using their horns, just having a jolly good time. It was almost a mockery, nevertheless, a statement. The crowd cleared off for at least 15 to 20 minutes as they marched through…but that was enough. The police “krewe” got to parade through Bourbon Street and it’s a parade worth noting.

After reading about who New Orleans was named after, I would say it is a very befitting match for the city. Orleans was a man well known for his womanizing, often of opera house singers who were never known for their chasity, and speculated to have had many late night exclusive dinner parties with nights full of drunken mystery. The city seems to portray this well, the nights of debauchery never seem to end. But on the other hand, Orleans was smart and very well educated man, well taught in chemistry, mathematics and even music. From seeing Preservation Hall last night, the talents and skills of the city are equally endless.

Trouble the Water

Tonight I went to see the award winning documentary Trouble the Water. The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary during the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary in 2009.

I thought I was going to go see a film about Katrina; instead, I saw a film about poverty, about people enduring through tough times, about America. The documentary focused more on the aftermath of Katrina and the government's response (or lack there of). It followed the lives of Kim and Scott Roberts, depicting right before the storm to the effect it was still having on them a few weeks, months and even years after. The film is so much more than just the telling of Katrina, it was the story of an American life. Trouble the Water was a very moving, powerful film that I highly recommended everyone and anyone to see.

You can find more info about the film here
The film is playing in New Orleans through March 12 at the Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center.

Celebration of the African-American Child

This past Saturday I spent most of my day at a volunteer workshop with the Umoja Committee. The Umoja Committee is an organization that works to uplift New Orleans' African-American community (the word Umoja means unity). 2009 marks the committee's 20th year in existence. Their biggest event is the Celebration of the African-American Child which will be held on April 4 from 11 AM to 5 PM in Armstrong Park. The celebration is open to the public and provides educational games and crafts and important information to the parents. There is also a small parade that marks the beginning of the celebration and a stage for performers and vendors. After a few hours of being at the workshop, my understanding is that many of the people in the Umoja Committee hope take control of their own destinies. Through the Celebration of the African-American Child the committee works to expose black children to healthy lifestyles and good role models while also instilling in them pride and self-esteem.

My volunteer position primarily involves researching the Top 10 health issues that African-American children are facing in Louisiana. This information will then be presented to parents and teachers at the event. The day of the celebration I will be helping children to do arts and crafts activities, most of which are centered around African-American/African culture and history. For three hours on Saturday we created and designed new crafts and activities in preparation for the celebration. I got to make lots of cool crafts, all of which I got to keep (and ended up sending to my mother as a gift). This was a very refreshing experience for me because I was exposed to locals beyond the borders of Tulane and the Garden District. At times it even reminded me of events that my brother and I participated in as children in the South Side of Chicago.

If anyone is interested in volunteering don't hesitate to let me know. The committee would like to have at least 200 volunteers at this year's celebration (especially men lol).

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is New Orleans own special holiday. The entire city shuts down while the rest of the country operates just like it is any other day. Mardi Gras is hard to comprehend without actually experiencing it firsthand. Most people who live outside of the state (or at least everyone I talked to) do not realize that Mardi Gras is more than just a one day celebration. People were confused, and then amazed, when I kept talking about going to parades for a good two weeks. Trying to explain to them that there was more than one parade a night (sometimes up to three back to back!) confused them even more. Then questions came on how the parades were different, who paid for them and what they were like quickly followed.

My favorite parade of the Mardi Gras season was Muses. They were by far one of the larger and magnificently done parades, which is all even more impressive knowing that they are a more recently formed Krewe. The all female Krewe had different and interesting throws, elaborately decked out floats, and most importantly -- shoes! The Krewe is known for their signature item of handing out shoes. These are not just any shoes, mind you. They are decorated with glitter, ribbon and gems. Sintha and I were each able to catch two, bringing the total for the group to four, enough for us each to get one. The type of shoes also have a wide range; I caught the cutest kid shoe and a flip flop, while Sintha caught a high heel and a platform. Along with shoes they threw "re-musable" shopping bags, handheld electric fans with words spinning across it, watches,

My first Mardi Gras was definitely a unique experience and I highly recommend everyone experience it at least once in their lifetime.

The Curious Case of Sinthujah Valuminuminum

So I stole Shadoe’s exact blue print for the brief biodata. Haha thanks Shadoe.

Name: Sintha
Age: Deuce-deuce in May =/
Hometown: in the Carolinas. Actually, my hometown is in South Carolina but I first lived in North Carolina after moving to the U.S. from Sri Lanka so I always feel the need to rep both Carolinas.
Major: Anthropology and Psychology
Why I came to New Orleans: To see what I’ve been missing.
Currently extremely distracted by: Mardi Gras cups. You have no idea. Hell, I have no idea.
Semester internship: The Advocacy Center; helping senior citizens understand the benefits/disadvantages they’ll face if they decide to return to the work force. There are some very interesting case stories I’ve heard.
Favourite thing about New Orleans so far: Everyone has a laid back attitude.
Least favourite thing about New Orleans: This compelling feeling to attempt as many different restaurants as possible down here.

Currently watching: ...Jacqui watch her laptop. Maybe an episode of How I Met Your Mother?
Currently listening to: Alanis Morissette You Oughta Know

A tiny taste of Mardi Gras

Coming to New Orleans and talking with locals, all we heard was how excited they were for us to be here during Mardi Gras. "Oh, you all are going to have so much fun. Mardi Gras...it just transforms you; you can be anyone you want." What are you really supposed to take from hearing that a hundred times? Haha. Naturally, we had some doubts about how wild this Carnival thing really is. I think the group mindset we all fell into was to let Mardi Gras happen and see if it really lived up to the hype. Well, did it?

This year was the first time I've experienced Mardi Gras (aside from king cake in my high school French class, but that was more like an excuse not to have class).  Turns out, there's more to the celebration than beads and breasts. There’s a whole 'nother, much larger and family friendly side to Mardi Gras. Far from and completely overshadowed by the festive debauchery that is Bourbon Street, are the parades; the magnificent, omnipresent, exhausting, parades down St. Charles and Canal. Literally, next to that thread you know you shouldn’t be pulling out of your favourite sweater, I would say the Mardi Gras parades are the next best definition of ‘endless.’ Imagine, standing in one spot, for at least an hour—for the smallest parades—watching a series of floats pass. There were 25+ of these parades, and somehow Sintha and Jacque caught every single one. It’s definitely not a sport for the weak, but they did it, collecting a plastic cup from nearly every parade.

 I can already tell this is going to be a huge post, even as I’m leaving out so much. 

Anyway, the essence of these parades is to collect as much of the nonsense the floaters throw your way. It literally brings out the best and the worst of people. I saw one man toss a stuffed animal to a little girl, but when it slipped out of her hands and fell on the ground next to her, there waited an older kid with his foot crushing it for himself. Then again, I never liked the beads myself, so as I caught them I handed them to the girls or the nearest little kid. Yesterday, one little boy saw I didn’t have any beads and offered me his. He was so cute. 

After the parades, the streets are an absolute mess. It looks like a mini hurricane has destroyed the streets and the area in between known as the neutral ground. A lot of people stick around to grill out, toss their new Krewe d’Etat football or just hang out. After the Endymion parade finished, we somehow ended up jump roping with these little kids.  No one knows for sure how it happened, but it was a lot of fun. This picture captures the scene perfectly. 

Sadly, I'm cutting this analysis short for the sake of me getting any sleep. I've got so much to say about these topics, so more on the parades, the rest of Mardi Gras and New Orleans hotspots later. I will say that Mardi Gras was ... an experience. Not as crazy as everyone made it out to be, yet somehow, it still was. I made an effort to avoid being "transformed," and simply watch the parades from the outside. Well, until today when I saw someone getting a prized Zulu coconut. Then I just had to get one for myself and everyone around me. Carnival in New Orleans really is impossible to put into words. To get the best sense, you'll just have to come down and experience it for yourself. 

p.s. tonight in the Quarter, Sintha found and convinced this self-proclaimed redneck from Williamston, NC to give her (and then directly to me) his Confederate flag beads. I’ve had my eye on those since we got to New Orleans, and finally got a free pair on the last night. Nice! I owe you one, haha.

Currently watching: Firecracker prank

Currently listening to: T.I. Paper Trail

N.O. HOT SPOTS

So as the Mardi Grad weekend comes to a close I figured I would just give you all a highlight of two of the many hot spots I have visited in the past few days.

On Saturday before the Endymion parade I walked down Magazine Street and came upon the Buffalo Exchange. You can buy barely used name brand clothes for really cheap and they even have a few Mardi Gras costumes. The store's open everyday from about 11 am to 7 pm and is located by the intersection of Louisiana and Magazine Street. Here's the link to the Buffalo Exchange Website!


These are the heels I bought for $7 at Buffalo Exchange!


Anyway, a friend of mine from Chapel Hill was visiting for the weekend and he really wanted to try a New Orleans poboy. For those who don't know... a poboy is like a sub sandwich with whatever meats and dressings you want. On Monday afternoon we walked to Magazine Po-boy and Sandwich Shop on Magazine Street. We both got the shrimp poboys with all of the dressings and they were really good!!! They also have rice and beans (my favorite dish!) that come with a salad or green beans that I really want to try!! Although the store closes at 4:30 pm, I would definitely recommend this restaurant for breakfast or lunch. They have a variety of poboys and other plates available! GO THERE and see for yourself!


Mardi Gras is just about over and I am relishing in the pounds of beads and stuffed animals that are covering my bed right now. Anyone who wants beads, LET ME KNOW!

In a New Orleans State of Mind

Hi world, or the three or so odd people actually reading this blog…my name is Sinthujah. Well actually, most people call me Sintha but it always weirds me out to see my nickname spelled out so you’ll rarely see me write it out myself. My fellow group of bloggers and I figured introductions were in order with a little bit of background information as our real world audition tape for why we’re here.

New Orleans, why am I here? Well, I’m starting to see that I’m getting rather attached to this city and also why, which will be blogged on later. I’m in my second semester of my senior year expecting to graduate from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and yet I’m here in New Orleans “studying abroad”…domestically. Yeah, that’s been the best terminology I’ve been able to come up with thus far for this sort of program since it’s such an odd (and awkward) case to explain. I’m actually a “double-transfer” student starting from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana to Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina to UNC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Apparently, I can’t stay in one place. A.D.D. does that to you I guess?

I came into New Orleans my freshmen year in 2005 to attend Tulane, but sure enough Hurricane Katrina also intended on showing up. After the 16 hour drive from my hometown in South Carolina and moving all my suitcases into the 10^th floor of Monroe Hall, the hearsay of a hurricane coming racked up the entire freshmen class for evacuation. I’m still convinced to this day that if parents weren’t with us that day helping us move in, even the school might not have taken the evacuation process so seriously since most locals felt this was just another hurricane that would come and go, as many others had. Not to place any blame on the locals, just to point out that hurricanes were the norm down here so it was just another hurricane season to them. The ’05 freshmen class slept on the gym floor of Mississippi State University for 3 days, eventually experiencing electrical shortage after the first night. Actually, my details might be a bit fuzzy now so bare with me, it’s been too long and sadly I have poor memory for my age. My phone died by the second morning and with no power outlet to charge it up again, I had no means of contacting my parents to tell them we were all perfectly fine. Meanwhile, none of the gym class floor kids had access to the news via radio or television so we had no idea the storm was hitting so strong. Finally on the third day when a t.v. magically busted out of thin air, we stood in complete shock hearing and watching the chaos going on in New Orleans and surrounding areas. It was something else to say the least. Once the hurricane winds seemed to clear up, the entire class of students was organized into two separate groups and transported to either Atlanta or some city in Texas on several charter buses. After being picked up from Atlanta, all I could think about was what to do for a semester without a school to go to, but more importantly, when am I ever going to get all my clothes and drawings back from New Orleans? Luckily, the school thing panned out for me fine, the missing wardrobe and personal items not so much…but you learn to get over these things and be less materialistic once you realize what everyone else had to deal with. Maybe that’s why I’m such a packrat now and can never get myself to throw anything away? Who knows.

So really, I’m here to be back in the city I was meant to start out in. I decided for myself that I would come return somehow maybe for post-undergraduate studies but this Research Burch Seminar in New Orleans opportunity opened itself to me and I couldn’t say no. Really, I’m here to witness for myself what I was missing from this city these past few years and I guess I’ll be here to keep updates on what all those who aren’t here are missing as well. Stay tuned. Oh, and I'll write a more cute and concise version of my biodata later. Word.

A little about me . . .

Name: Jacqui
Age: 20
Hometown: Mooresville, NC
Major: History (American) and Communication Studies (Media studies)
Interests: movies, ford escapes, knitting, How I Met Your Mother, thunderstorms
Why I came to New Orleans: I was attracted to the history and culture of NOLA. I absolutely love American History, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to experience the history of such a diverse city, compared to the rest of the nation, first hand. I was also drawn to the service/internship aspect of the program, and I wanted to get out of Chapel Hill.
Internship: Researching artists at the Ogden Southern Art Museum; there are some really interesting artists, like the guy who at the age of 80 had a vision that told him to carve wood to release the spirits inside. It is really helping me hone my research and writing sills too.

Random Question: Why do people go up tall buildings and put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Oh, hey

First post, welp, here we go...

Name: Shadoe Stewart

Age: 20...I think. Yeah, 20.

Hometown: Goldsboro, NC

Major: Linguistics/American Studies (Southern studies), Pre-dental

Why I came to New Orleans: I came here because of the French influence on the city, the presence of Creole languages, the courses and their relation to my major as well as a chance to get out of Chapel hill, among other reasons. 

Currently extremely distracted by: This intelligence test

Semester internship: This semester I am helping out at The Chartwell Center, a day school for kids with Autism and related disorders. The kids are all awesome, and I'm really glad I get to hang out with them everday; more on Chartwell later.

Favourite thing about New Orleans so far: My favourite thing about the city so far is probably the pride-of-place most New Orleanians seem to have. 

Least favourite thing about New Orleans: The Hornets. We want them back. I'm still bitter about them leaving; more on that later.

Currently watching: YouTube-Stupid Police

Currently listening to:  Brand New Deja Entendu

...3 B M (S H T R) whaaat?

Mariama Evans

Age: 21
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Year: Senior
Concentration: Psychology Major, Afro-American Studies Minor
Interests: listening to music, Anderson Cooper, going out, spending $$$, making $$$, British literature, Cuba, the Denver Nuggets, traveling, service, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc
Why I came to 504: I was primarily attracted by the internship aspect of the seminar. I have never been to New Orleans so I figured it could potentially be a very new and interesting experience. And o yeah... I'm so excited for Mardi Gras!!!

The Advocacy Center

The Advocacy Center is an organization that protects the rights of and provides legal assistance to people with mental or physical disabilities and those who are 60 years and older. Its central office is located in New Orleans' Central Business District. From Tuesday to Thursday Sintha and I assist the Advocacy Center with administrative duties and managing clients for the Workforce Incentives Planning and Assistance Coalition (WIPA) and Gustav/Ike Case Management Services. WIPA provides information to people receiving Social Security benefits who are considering returning to work, while the Gustav/Ike Case Management Services connects those affected by Hurricane Gustav/Ike with the resources they are in need of.