My First Week: Results.

Hey there everyone!

I am quietly typing away on my little macbook while my roommate sleeps in the bed next to mine (she's a heavy sleeper, so i probably won't have to worry about blogging whenever I need to). She moved in yesterday, from Texas. I am in the TU marching band, so I've been here since the 15th.

Band camp was a lot of fun, but I probably worked harder than I ever have. The heat down here is much stronger than anything one experiences in the North, plus, if you can believe it, the humidity is stronger than the New England air I grew up on. In Massachusetts, I would typically reapply sunscreen at my lunch break during whatever outdoor activity I participated in. In our marching band, we take water breaks about every hour or so, when I would always reapply, and I still managed second-degree burns. I did not know it was physically possible to blister from a sunburn, but it is (I personally thought that my legs were infected with the bubonic plague).

Everyone has a nice outlook on life so far. A lot of people are in strong spirits. One night, I had a political debate with a friend who's polar opposite me politically (conservative Christian while I'm...not), but it was so civil! We loved talking for hours on end, and we critiqued each others parties, but never got mad at each other- even when talking about sensitive issues like abortion, gay marriage, and separation of church in state. Back home, these civil political debates did not happen in my circle of friends- but this is one of the many reasons why I chose Louisiana- to be around people who are different, but still have my oasis in the city of New Orleans.

One minor thing I noticed that's different about New Orleans is how everyone drives. I've never driven here, but am fluent in my comfort zones of Mass and NH (okay, I avoid 128). Here, the cars don't always stop for pedestrians like you can trust them to do in Boston, but everyone drives a lot slower. It's an interesting concept.

I miss everyone so much, and I can't wait to come home to Fitchburg with a host of new ideas in how to revitalize the city.

Love always,
May