A Trip to Remember

Before leaving for the trip, our class learned some history about New Orleans, the culture, and the devastation Hurricane Katrina caused, but actually being in New Orleans and experiencing the culture and actually seeing the devastation that Hurricane Katrina caused was not something I would have ever expected to experience. What touched me the most about this trip was speaking with locals that had experienced Katrina and hearing their stories, speaking with professors who care so much about their community, hearing about the lawsuits against big oil companies to clean up and restore the wetlands, and reporters who wrote about the storm, issues, and politics of New orleans. In addition to all this, we were able to do hands on work to directly help the cause. I learned so much trudging through the swamp, identifying native and invasive plants, collecting data, learning to work with different teams, and overcoming many types of discomforts. Lastly, I left New Orleans with my eyes opened to the issues they face and the politics that go with it. I am now aware of the problems and hopefully will be able to make others aware too by education, more research, and political actions. I thank CSUCI and Dr. Anderson for the amazing opportunity to help, be involved, and to learn about this fragile area and its amazing culture and history.

 

I got to learn how to cook a creole tomato sauce over shrimp and rice.

 

Learning from the great Dr. Nelson from Tulane University about the levee system in New Orleans.

 

Enjoying a wonderful evening at Woodlands.

Got to meet an amazing trumpet player Irvin Mayfield.