After just wrapping up my third week in New Orleans, I am definitely becoming more adjusted to living in this city. Before coming to Duke Engage, I had only been to New Orleans for a short vacation with my family. I thought I had seen a lot of what the city had to offer then, but even after three weeks I am just beginning to see everything New Orleans has to offer! I think that the enrichment activities we been extremely useful in introducing me to the city.
The bus tour definitely helped me orient myself and get a grasp of my surroundings and the museum tours allowed me to get a better understanding of how the history of New Orleans still impacts the way life in the city functions today. My favorite enrichment activity so far has been visiting three different plantations. It was interesting to see how each plantation we went to put its own “twist” on how life was for those who lived on a plantation. Each seemed to tell the story from a different perspective based on who owned the plantation (both back then and today) and the types of people that lived there.
Work-wise, I think I am definitely getting into the swing of things. My commute to and from work has become much easier and I am adjusting to the work schedule. At Covenant House, I am interning with the finance department to help them close out its fiscal year and begin to prepare for the next one. I have enjoyed getting to know both the staff members that I work with in the administration office and the youth residents of Covenant House.
With three weeks already down in New Orleans, I am excited to see where the next five weeks take me!