Where Vampires Play

I hope everyone has had an exciting Halloween weekend. Here in New Orleans we love the holiday. As you soon shall see, people come all over just to crowd the streets of the French Quarter and the Marigny.And what would New Orleans be without its vampires?

Mario and Luigi

On the streets of the Marigny, east of the French Quarter. Lots of eclectic locals live in this historic neighborhood. Tennessee Williams once lived here. Lady Bug Queen now calls it home.

When The Saints Come Marching In

You may or may not be aware that the New Orleans' Saints are currently undefeated. Today's game against the New York Giants proved that the team is a forced to be reckoned with. Needless to say, Saints QB Drew Brees shredded New York for 369 yards passing and four touchdowns. Next week we will see New Orleans very own facing the 2-3 Miami Dolphins. Given the teams record, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Enough with the stats. The New Orleans Saints do more than give New Orleanians and Tulanians alike a team to root for but also deeper pride in their city. After the hurricane, New Orleans was thrust into the the spotlight displaying the tragedy of the flood. However, the hurricane could never wash away the pride its citizens have in the city. When the New Orleans Saints had their first game after the storm in the Superdome, an aura of victory filled the 60,000 + capacity of the dome, a symbol for the catastrophe following the storm. This victory was felt before the Saints led an outstanding win over the Atlanta Falcons back in September of 2006. Then, the Superdome symbolized more than the anguish of its citizens but also their since of triumph that led so many back to start anew in their beloved city.

Whether you are a Saints fan or not, you must recognize that they are returning to become a team that has overcome the worst of odds - just like the city of New Orleans itself.

Not Too Far Up the River...

I decided to take a small hiatus from New Orleans and the excitement of New Orleans this labor day weekend. Instead, I traveled back home to Shreveport to celebrate my father's birthday, visit friends in Baton Rouge, and rediscover my home state. While Tulane students find New Orleans has everything that they could want, many don't realize that there is a old and beautiful world outside of this waterlocked city not too far up the river.

Deciding how to spend my labor day weekend was a task in itself while I was staying with a friend in Baton Rouge. What would be the best way to spend a day near Baton Rouge? At first, we wanted to go tubing or lay out on a inflatable tube while slowly cruising down a small river near Baton Rouge for four hours. Not quite ready to invest so much time into one particular activity, we ended up deciding to head out to the River Road that winds along the Mississippi from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. River Road is famous for its many plantation estates including Oak Alley, perhaps the grandest of them all.

Having lived in Louisiana for my whole life, it is strange that I had never been to Oak Alley before. Whenever you read books about Louisiana, the 34 live oaks and grand mansion would probably be the cover of the book. Picturesque as it is old, the grounds tell a story about love during winds of change, restoration and reconstruction. Make sure to travel up to Oak Alley and drive down the River Road to catch the grandeur of old time rural Louisiana.

The Frosh is Here

Welcome to Tulane!!!

It is great to see everyone and catch up with people from over the summer. It has been a busy time for me and a busy time at Tulane. I am an RA in an all freshman dorm which has been very rewarding and big time commitment. My residents are very excited to be here at Tulane which makes me excited. And let me just say that the men of Sharp 5 will dominate this year in flag football intramurals!

The freshman experience cannot be complete without the dormitory experience. The two go hand in hand. Living amongst 400 of your closest friends with your first taste of independence from parents is unbeatable. Everything from the community bathroom, the study lounge, the roommate – things that won’t probably miss after your freshman year but things necessary for an authentic freshman experience.

Our freshman have been doing everything from going on riverboat cruises, listening to Pulitzer Prize winning authors (Junot Diaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao), and slip n’ sliding during the rain on the quads. Tulane is as fun as ever now.

The Wet & Cold Chilean Summer

I am sitting in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is your typical August evening; rain falls and humidity is rising once more. This feeling, a very sweaty feeling, is well welcomed considering the climate of my summer.

Tatio Geysers in the Atacama Desert

My summer in Chile was as cold as it was member able. From sandboarding the slopes of sand dunes next to the Pacific to sampling the most monstrous hot dog you have ever seen, my summer was literally a trip that I feel like I should share with you. Not to mention I was in the driest climate in the world, the Atacama Desert, for five days (quite a change from the driest of conditions to the wettest). So let us recap some of the highlights of this wonderful Tulane program.

A Typical Exchange

Hola, ¿Cómo estai, hue-on?

Superbien, flaite.

Qué bueno. ¿Quisieras comer conmigo?

Si, vamos a comer los completos.

Vamos.

Your typical exchange with a Chilean which literally translates:

Hey, How’s it going, asshole?

Awesome, thug.

How nice. Do you want to get something to eat with me?

Ya, let’s go eat some a monster concoction of a hot dog called a completo.

Okay, let’s go.

A Typical Day in Class

Ride the metro in.

Speak a little on poverty in South America.

Discuss what we see every day on the streets of Chile.

Go on the streets of Chile for a class excursion.

Exchange with producers in farmers markets.

Reflect on the Spanish the people use.

A Typical Excursion

Chilling in the mountains in the Atacama Desert.

Santiago

As you can see, it was quite a trip. But not to dwell on the past, Tulane is ready for you! I will blog later on the new Freshman class and the new changes to Tulane.

Summer School in the Winter!!!

You may have heard of winter quarter or winter break, but have you ever heard of summer school in the winter? Seems like an oxymoron, yet it exists for I am currently participating in one of Tulane’s Stone Center for Latin American Studies Summer Programs. As you may recall, I am in Valparaiso Chile for the last part of June and the whole month of July, practicing Spanish, studying economics, and getting to know a totally different culture than my own. And what else, I am enjoying the beautiful Mediterranean winter full with highs of 50 degrees F and snowcapped mountains. I believe you will agree that this summer abroad opportunity is a more interesting option than staying in New Orleans for a whole year. And the best part about it is that it is completely planned and organized by Tulane University – another reason to make Tulane your college of choice.



So what is a typical day for me while I am taking part in Tulane’s Chile program? Well, first I wake up and take the metro along the Pacific Ocean to school. I attend the Pontificia Catolica Universidad de Valparaiso, a renowned institution in South America for economics and much more. I take a class of Chilean economy which you can see the Congress building from the classroom. My Professor, Dr. Navia, is Tulane alum as well. In my break between classes, I like to stroll the hillside communities of Valparaiso, dotted by colorful houses of Spanish, French, and English influence. My second class I take is a Spanish intensive course discussing the uniqueness of Chilean culture. A typical class activity is to go to the open air market and bye food and other goods using special Chilean phrases. The remainder of my day, I usually have lunch with my host family, the largest meal of the day. My host family is wonderful – I go on excursions and talk about everything with my “madre, hermana, y prima.” It’s a home away from home. Nighttime consists of hanging out with my group or some Chilean friends I have made along the way. Chileans are super friendly and love to have a good time!

Tulane has provided weekend excursions that go to the far north, one of the largest cities in the Southern Hemisphere, and other beautiful and interesting locales. Our first excursion had us in Santiago, Chile , the executive capitol of the country. Chile has about 16 million people in its population with 5 of which living in the Santiago metropolitan area. Though it is a large city, I found it very easy to get around and familiarize myself with it. My favorite activities there were trekking to the top of the “cerros” or large hills that give panoramic views of the city. However, the most rewarding activity was visiting my program directors family and having lunch with them. A typical Sunday lunch is like my Thanksgiving dinner – it was so good it was sinful! In the coming weeks, we are going to visit different islands and homes of famous writer and Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda, take a wine tasting tour through the vineyards, go the driest place in the world, the Atacama desert, and take surfing lessons and go sandboarding on the dunes!

There is too much lined up!

This is it for now but I will make sure to keep you posted on my future travels! Chao!

Bittersweet

Finals are officially over, class rooms have shut their doors, and Tulane University is less lively as usual. Yes, school has let out for the summer. Remember that feeling that you would get whenever high school or perhaps another college would let out for the summer – usually counting down the days right. There are even songs about how great it is to not be in school. That same feeling never came across me while I was packing for home and saying goodbyes to tons of friends from miles away. In a way, I was sad to say bye for a couple of months! Weird, I know but you should come here and see how it feels!

While springtime at Tulane came to an end, there was no end to fun in New Orleans and Tulane during the last few weeks. Tulane and New Orleans had festivals every weekend in April! The festival season was kicked off by Tulane’s very own Crawfest. 15,000 pounds of crawfish, hours of live music, and you and a couple of thousand of your best friends all on the first week of April! Crawfest was a blast and Tulane students had free access to all the fun. Not to mention, two huge festivals in New Orleans were underway in the latter part of the month – French Quarter Fest and Jazzfest! French Quarter Fest is a cultural festival of the history of New Orleans’s most famous neighborhood, the French Quarter. Plenty of food, arts and crafts, and local names headlining the stages which were all free to the public! The most famous of New Orleans festivals, behind Mardi Gras of course, is Jazzfest – huge names like Dave Matthews, Earth Wind and Fire, Etta James, James Taylor, and so much more come to play for two weekends of live music and delicious food. I had some friends come into town for this one – all of whom wanted to see Dave Matthews. It was a truly a fantastic way to celebrate the end of an unforgettable year and let loose some steam before finals week!

Have you ever seen a monkey ride a dog? How about two bison climb a trailer? What about prisoners riding bulls? Well, some friends of mine and myself have! In mid April, we took a Road Trip! to Angola State Penitentiary to see the annual Angola Rodeo where prisoners actually ride bulls and sell arts and crafts of their own craftsmanship. It was quite an adventure. When you got to the state pen, they made us park in a mud pit which latter turned into disaster. The rodeo featured prisoners playing poker while bulls are running around them, thousands of lawn chairs, and a concoction called Fried Coke. It was quite an experience. Leaving back to our car in the mud pit, a truck sprayed the entire front windshield and right side of the vehicle with gallons of mud! We looked real classy rolling back into Tulane from our road trip.

Though different emotions seemed to come over me while I was packing my bags and the car, this time to go back home, I got excited about the events I have lined up for the summer. First, I am getting involved in theatre in my local area by jumping in on a community production of West Side Story. Jumping in three weeks before opening will be quite a challenge seeing that they have been practicing for three months! But, it should be a great way to get involved in something I love. As I mentioned before in my last blog, I will be taking part in Tulane’s Chile Summer Program, a summer study abroad program that awards two classes and the opportunity to travel one of the most beautiful and interesting nations in South America. I have been looking forward to this for quite a while. I will be leaving in late June so this blog will become a document of my experiences in my five weeks in Chile. It is important to note that Tulane offers many summer abroad programs such as Brazil, Australia, and the United Kingdom. You should go to http://global.tulane.edu/studyabroad/programs/summer/index.html and check them out.

(The Atacama Desert in northern Chile, a destination during my stay there in July)