Musings

I graduated last December,my bachelors degree. My sociology professor was a New Orleans evacuee. He had lived in New Orleans for five years before Katrina struck. My first day of class I had a UNO tshirt on. He came into the class and said he loved my t-shirt. He had been a professor there. He has this habit of saying "yeah you right" I always found it funny because you never hear it from anyone. I have to admit I would kinda roll my eyes when he would say it. Its a saying New Orleanians are known for but you just don't hear it from life long locals. In fact at graduation my family drove up. I introduced my family to him. Somewhere in the conversation he said"yeah you right" and my dad whispered to me, "he's not originally from New Orleans is he" I giggled. But I really shouldn't have. He has a passion for New Orleans. He is more New Orleans than many life long locals. He has the kind of enthusiasm than New Orleans desparetely needs right now. It's people like him that will keep the culture alive local or not.

I guess the poiint of this whole thing is to suggest that some people take New Orleans for granted. New Orleanians need to remember what makes New Orleans so great, to embrace it and foster it. Maybe they need to do what my professor does. View it with fresh eyes, get excited and passionate about the things that make us unique.

When I was in my 20's I said I wanted to get out of New Orleans. I got my wish (and my husband has had to endure my enless comparisons to New Orleans) and the rest of the country, to me, seemed like a whole other country. You never realize what ya had till its gone. Being away from home reminds me everyday of what I am missing out on. When I get home I am going to do my best not to take it for granted..... and oh, "yeah you right".