The Chocolate Girl Wonder

The Big Easy= Not so easy.

Rolled back into New York from New Orleans yesterday. I knew what I wanted to say in this blog post, but I was just too exhausted from not sleeping for 48 hours, you know how it is. I stepped on the plane to Louisiana with feelings of hope and drive to help those in struggle. I returned with new friends, experiences, and some great pictures. Though the trip overall was completely worth the 300 dollar deposit, and all the research to create our huge papers, it was too easy. From getting dressed in the morning to wear appropriate clothes so I wouldn't get harassed, to dealing with the fights within the group, I personally had a good time. Although, SHIT WENT DOWN.

Luckily, we didn't have to do the hole touristy thing. When touring around the different neighborhoods, we were given tours by native New Orleans citizens, politicians, and interns from the Urban Conservancy, who we partnered with throughout the trip. With a 9am wake up call everyday, we spent days throughout the city taking pictures and notes on the infrastructure three years after the hurricane. And it's STILL a shit hole. Believe me. New Orleans has the most corrupt government in the entire country, and are in the lead for highest murder rate. They definitely need to get their shit together.

On the third day, a bunch of us went into the Lower Ninth Ward, the most dangerous, deserted neighborhood in the city. What was supposed to be an afternoon of observation and conversation, instantly turned into a gun battle. Teenagers in a white van were blasting gun shots from the car, about 7 shots total. Kids were sprinting down the block, and classmates had to hide in a abandoned housing project. The cops refused to come, because of the area, and so did the cab company. NOT COOL. Later on, we made the NOLA Fox News, and they exaggerated the entire incident saying that 50 or 60 shots were fired, and it was like a "war zone!" bullshit.

Think that's enough drama for one vacation? There's obviously more. The original bed and breakfast we were staying at in the garden district gave us a bad vibe from the beginning. Finally, the owner, "Mr. Creepy Man" as we liked to call him, kicked us out for the stupidest reasons, such as "they smoked cigarettes and weed in my courtyard! They are always drunk!" Which none of the above occurred. The dude was the one trying to molest all the white girls on the trip! I've come to the conclusion that we got kicked out, because he's a schizophrenic racist, who obviously doesn't get any from his wife. He's got his own problems to deal with I guess.

After the shooting incident, officials from City Hall wanted to meet with us. Later on, they cancelled on us, and then made the media believe it was our fault! It makes no sense. But we got to meet with James Perry, democratic candidate for Mayor of N.O. 2010. We spoke with him about different issues such as the housing in the city, the construction of the Levees, poverty and violence. He's the man with the plan, as I like to state. I plan on working on his campaign trail this summer from New York, and spreading the word of course.

This trip has made me very interested in Urban studies, something I may pursue at Lang from now on. It makes the most obvious sense for me, since I've lived in an urban environment my entire life, whether it be Detroit, or New York. It's all fucked up and corrupt, so maybe I can make a difference! I'd like to also continue with Culture and Media since it's all connected. The trip was very emotional, viewing underprivileged people suffering with their government. Basically drowning.

On a lighter note, though we worked 9 to 5 days everyday of the week, we had nights to ourselves. I confess we did the entire tourist scene, down Bourbon street, sipping on hurricanes and meeting fraternity boys, but that died out quickly. We got to go out with the interns, and partied down Frenchmen street, and other neighborhood clubs and bars. Karaoke, burlesque shows and mechanical bulls were incorporated! I drank more alcohol in my week in NOLA, than I normally drink in the span of 3 months. I also tried out some Louisiana reefer, and flipped a shit. Nodding out like a junkie, so I'm going to take a little break (Hopefully).

Some bullshit went down within our class. Cliques for formed, and drama happened. I tried to stay clear of it of course, and since I'm a person who cliques with everyone else, I didn't have much of a problem. But we are going to express this bullshit hopefully in class on Tuesday, the first time we will all be together since the trip. But on this trip, I've definitely made new friends who are going to be there for me. Whether it was gossiping, or drinking 12 packs of bud light in the park in broad daylight, we had some great experiences together, me and the girls.

Now, I have to plan like a 10 page research paper with my partner about the Politics of Treme and the French Quarter. Should be interesting. This trip overall was surreal. New Orleans is such a great place with great history. It's impossible to walk down the street without having complete strangers approach you and ask how your day is. The kindest most compassionate people reside in NOLA. Plus, everything is so cheap! Cigarettes are 5 dollars. Beer is 2. Cocktails are 4. (You can see that I'm excited to start up the NYC lifestyle again). Most importantly, we got to experience what NOLA is truly about: JAZZ. You can't walk down a block in a busy neighborhood without hearing a great jazz band on the street corner. I got to see some shows as well, and it just reminded me of growing up. I definitely am going back soon.

that's the basic scoop on my week in New Orleans, LA.
Check out pictures to come, of the great graffiti art and infrastructure I took. I just need to develop my film, (since I only used disposable cameras).

-The Chocolate Girl Wonder