Louisiana ... Louisiana

I’m writing this from a hotel room in Little Rock, Arkansas having left New Orleans on Saturday.

Being a northern girl, I have experienced harsh and brutal weather. Living in North Dakota, winters were frequently cold and windy and we could usually count on a blizzard or two each year. Although I wasn’t here for it, in 1997 North Dakota was subjected to a devastating flood that left much of the area, in particular Grand Forks, in ruins.

This past spring, I was offered and accepted a position in New Orleans. I’d visited NOLA as a tourist and loved it but was somewhat unsure of what I’d think living in the Big Easy. I shouldn’t have worried. New Orleans is a great place to live. The food, music, nightlife, culture, scenery, and of course the people are simply amazing. There is a magic in New Orleans, and I don’t mean the Voodoo kind. People here know how to live. While life may be serious, life in New Orleans is easy. It’s a party at times, it’s laid back at times but it is always enjoyable and the people here make it that way.

I’ve never experienced a hurricane first hand but certainly saw the horror and devastation that Hurricane Katrina brought to the city three years ago. I, along with most of America and the world were saddened, shocked and helpless throughout the tragedy that befell the people of this wonderful city. It was something none of us would want to live through and the people here would not want to live through again.

At the first news of Hurricane Gustav, my feelings were mixed. Scared of course as the projected path would lead to Louisiana and possibly the city of New Orleans and excited to see first hand the experiences of a hurricane. But I’m not crazy, and neither are the people in this city. When the evacuation order was issued, I along with my neighbors in Algiers began to pack what we needed in anticipation of leaving home for a while. As the news of Gustav suggested its impact would be similar to Katrina, most New Orleanians did the same.

I left New Orleans on Saturday, early afternoon and headed north. I wasn’t sure how far I would get and with the traffic, I soon found out I wouldn’t get too far. It took me nearly eight hours to get to Shreveport, normally about a 4 hour drive or so. Along the way, I met many wonderful people, people I would not have met otherwise and the feeling from most was concern, yet everyone was upbeat and positive. As Shreveport was not exactly out of the way of Gustav, the next morning I headed north again, expecting to stay in Texarkana, but I continued on to Little Rock which is where I’ll stay until I can go home.

New Orleans and Gustav is all over the news and I am glued to the television for a good part of the day. Watching the hurricane today as it attempts to breach the industrial canal, the winds tossing debris and water, I worry about my home, my neighbors’ homes and the lives of so many who stayed behind. It certainly seems, however, that Louisiana and the governments are much more prepared than they were for Katrina.

It’s hard to watch the news with the interruptions on the RNC and the president and vice-president’s plans. I’m not really sure what the fuss is about with them. I know the president and all government officials are kept informed and are in contact with whom they need to be, but it’s not like they can come down and hold up the levees. Go about your business, just stay informed.

I love Algiers and the city of New Orleans. It’s my home now and I have been learning every day from my friends and neighbors about the culture here, the history and the people. I may not be a full fledged New Orleanian yet, but I intend to be someday. New Orleans recovered from Katrina with a new cautious outlook on weather challenges and disasters. But the spirit of the city remains and always will. New Orleans is unique, unlike any other city in America and it’s not only the culture and history that make it that way, it’s the attitude of the people. People make a city, and New Orleans was made wonderfully.

As I watch Gustav’s impact on Louisiana, I hope and pray that it passes with little destruction and that we can all return safely to our intact homes and lives. The people of New Orleans will persevere and the legends of the French Quarter, The Garden District, The Streetcars, Mardi Gras, Jazz and Blues and the Cajun lifestyle will flourish for everyone across the world to enjoy. I hope you come to see us someday.

Good Luck New Orleans. I love you and will see you very soon.

“Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez”

Ciao for now!!
Jenny