It's been a while

I've been meaning to put up a couple of posts to update y'all on my exploits state-side. I finally decided to just get on with it, instead of procrastinating further and was horrified to realise that it's been over a month since I blogged.  Horror!

To follow up on my last post, I am growing to love my (not-so-)new MehBook. I don't think I'm going to rename it though, even if it no longer generates ambivalent feelings of 'meh!' for me.

Catching beads at a Mardi Gras parade

So, last time, I was just about to head towards New Orleans for Mardi Gras, I mean, a Fulbright Enrichment Seminar. It was a brilliant weekend - so much fun, such a great city, and a chance to reconnect with some fairly new friends and make a couple of brand new ones. On the Thursday night, there was a welcome reception with the Mayor of New Orleans. Friday morning was spent working on local community rebuilding projects - my group was assigned to City Park, where we helped re-establish nature trails through replanted growth. It seemed a bit of a shallow task, given some of the other groups were helping with actual rebuilding projects and replanting the bayous, but the whole park was decimated during Katrina and there are only 3 full-time employees to look after the 1,300 acre park. It's an amazing amenity, close to the centre of New Orleans, and has been salvaged mostly thanks to the efforts of volunteers, so worthy enough! In the afternoon, there was some seminar stuff to deal with, followed by dinner and dancing at a local hostelry. Saturday morning brought us on a tour of the Make It Right Foundation's work in the Lower Ninth Ward. This was a strange experience for me: I felt like a voyeur, traipsing around this neighbourhood. Parts of it are still flattened, and interspersed are the most amazing futuristic sustainable houses. The work that's being done is inspiring, but the scale of what's left to be done, five years post-Katrina, is heart breaking. The Foundation started up about 3 years ago and has received around $35million from private donors; they received their first federal funds eight months ago. Eight. Months. Ago. Shocking. I think the most poignant and evocative thing I saw that morning (out of a lot of disturbing and upsetting images) was the grassy corner lot, with just the remains of a concrete garden path leading to a badly damaged and weather beaten wooden door propped up by some breeze blocks. I wish I'd had my camera with me for that one.  Saturday afternoon was spent doing more seminar stuff and then, we had a police escort through New Orleans to get us to our garden party dinner at an old St Charles Avenue mansion, while we watched two parades go by outside. Mighty craic!

Photo in the mirror: Fulbrighters from around the world

Sunday was spent in the traditional pass-time of getting over my hangover, wandering around town, enjoying some more parades, trying the local hangover-cure/fast food (deep fried oyster po-boy, surprisingly undisgusting) and otherwise keeping myself entertained until it was time to head back to the airport and come back to the excitement and freezing temperatures of Salt Lake City...  Whooo-hoooo!