NOLA Reflection – Hayden
This trip will never be duplicated. There will be trips very similar to ours but no two trips are the same. I enjoyed learning more about how levees work and the different types. I was grateful to learn more about how the citizens of New Orleans had to deal with the hurricane and I was deeply saddened by how things are still not looking great for them on our current path. It was humbling to visit a town that has essentially been abandoned by the State because there was little hope of keeping the town for much longer. It was also great to see how areas around the center of the city has been doing better and to help people grow fruit and vegetables that they can eat and give to the people all around them. Most importantly it was rewarding to be able to go into Woodland Conservancy and do our vegetation surveys. I like doing things and feeling like that I am contributing to something larger than myself. Plus this helps the environment more as a whole since now people will have more data that is accurate. I thought it was cool to also learn more about the culture of the area. I remember hearing about stuff starting in New Orleans but actually going there and seeing it really helped me see how and why things started there. One of the most impactful moments for me was when we went to the Whitney Plantation. This really hot me hard because it was a plantation museum that was dedicated to the history of slavery that was going on there. This was the fist plantation to have this. It was humbling to hear the stories that happened to the slaves and the owners. One of things that I learned was to be grateful of what I have and that it hasn’t been taken away by a storm or by an earthquake. I am also grateful to be living in California where people are a little bit more environmentally aware but the people of Louisiana are learning more and more everyday and that is always good. A few things I will not miss is getting up early and not going to bed till late, and being busy all day and the humidity. With that said I wouldn’t change anything about the trip. It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. Now I know a few more plants 🙂
