traveling

Many people who have traveled to New Orleans compare it to traveling to a foreign country. The people who live there are part of a culture much different from the rest of the continental United States.  I think one of the most fascinating parts of this class will be learning about the people living within the city and understanding how their history and culture make them unique. 

Like many people, my awareness of New Orleans was greatly intensified after Katrina hit.  The news showed us the people of the city in desperate situations and we watched their reactions to the disaster-both the good and the bad.  The looting and selfishness saddened America yet at the same time, the residents impressed us when they pitched in to help however they could.  I am looking forward to understanding what has happened since and learning what still needs to happen for the city to truly get back on its feet.  I know that the news only portrayed a small portion of the culture and I want to understand the other aspects.   Learning from the people through community service and personal relationships will give us an insight that we would not otherwise have.

I think the most daunting aspect of the course will be the physical strain of the community service on top of the regular school work—readings, papers and podcasts.  I feel like we are going to be very busy while we are down there and it will be difficult just to enjoy the city.  I think the most welcome challenge is the opportunity to learn from the people themselves- their feelings about their own culture and history.  The podcast is going to be a very useful and academic piece of the class.