New Orleans Day six- Thomas and Alec

Today, on April 14, 2011, I have learned about many things. Much of that was about the creation of the Tabasco products, but I had also learned about a wealthy family of the 1800’s. In the Tabasco factory, I did learn how the condiments were made. The peppers are picked out of the fields when perfectly ripe, and are sent into the factory. They are then grinded up and put into barrels. They are left there for three years and the vinegar and salt is added after all the fermentation. The bottles are then shipped all around the world, no matter where the country is. Although countries all have their own cultures, almost all of them use Tabasco for their foods. 
After this wonderful visit to the tabasco factory we learned about a family called the Weeks, a family who owned a large plot of land and grew sugar on it. They housed over three hundred or so workers in
their property. Now-a-days we obviously don’t have workers living on our property in to many places, for most crop is harvested by machinery. The day was full of fun and interesting information. We a headed to the airport with long faces sad because it was time to go, but we were all still having a great time and made the most of our time in the airport and on the plane.

New Orleans Day 5 - Annie and Charlotte

New Orleans is a bustling, inviting city filled with good food, great music and lovely people. Connecticut, on the other hand, is quiet, simple, and a bit on the sleepy side. Right in the middle is Lafayette. Lafayette doesn’t have quite the same charm and energy as New Orleans, but it does have amazing Cajun roots and, in turn, awesome Cajun food. These three places are all unique and different in their own special ways – some better than others. Lafayette is more on the country side of things, with small houses and small shops. New Orleans has the lively Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. However, both have roots in the same things. So today we left New Orleans and headed off to Lafayette. After the two hour car ride to the hotel, we quickly met our tour guide Beth, and drove off to have a few tours and to learn about the Cajun culture. We drove down a dirt road to see swamp lands, filled with alligators and snowy egrets. We grabbed a quick lunch and headed off to our next stop. After that, we first boarded a boat and traveled down the curvy stream of the bayou while our tour guide gave us some interesting information about the history of the Acadians. The heat was extreme, and especially after that boat ride in the sun, we were all very tired. Next we walked over to a historical plantation from the Acadians. Many of the buildings were only replicas, but a couple were actually dated back from the 1800's. Our new tour guide was very enthusiastic as she thoroughly explained the use of each room in each building. After this,we headed off to see a beautiful cathedral. Outside the cathedral, Beth showed us a 500+ year old Oak tree. This particular oak tree is the 3rd oldest Oak tree in the United States, and one of its branches weighs as much as 72 tons! We then came back to the hotel for an hour to relax and get ready for dinner. We ate dinner at Mulate's, and also danced to a great Cajun band. We had a good meal including delicious cake for Annie's birthday and everyone enjoyed dancing with each other and some new friends! Overall, we had a great day, and we can't believe the trip is coming to an end tomorrow!

New Orleans Day 4: Austen and Matt

Today we had the amazing opportunity to visit the Metairie Park Country Day School. While we were there, we listened as faculty and students alike shared their experiences of hurricane Katrina. It was extremely interesting and eye opening to hear these stories and it was especially captivating to hear the sense of unity that existed between New Orleanians during the aftermath of Katrina. When we think of Katrina, we think of a disaster and a tragedy, but several of the people we talked to said that although it was a tragedy, a silver lining existed. For example, the public school system greatly improved when national attention was brought to New Orleans. After this, we had lunch with the students of the school and talked about life in New Orleans compared to life in Connecticut. One difference we noticed was in the language. Whereas in Connecticut hardly anybody says 'y'all', it is a staple in conversation down here. Another difference we noticed was how much of the student life takes place outside. Obviously, this is partly due to the weather, but they also had their lockers outside, something you never see in Connecticut. After this wonderful experience we visited the National World War II museum which was especially interesting because it correlated with our study of WWII in the earlier portion of the year. After meandering around the museum and observing the artifacts, we attended a movie presentation that was extremely cool. It practically placed you in the jungles of the pacific and kept us 100% captivated. For dinner, we went to Bubba Gump's shrimp and had some delicious shrimp after having beignets at Cafe du Monde. Overall, it was a great day!

New Orleans Day 3- Ava and Charlotte

 Today we spent most of our day painting a house in the French Quarter. We were out the door at 8:15 this morning, and on our way to the house. At the house we were introduced to the owner, Barbra, and began painting the shed, the window sills, and the house itself. We were all divided into groups to work on certain parts of the house. We were joined by two women from California who helped us paint. Though the heat was hard to work with, we were able to accomplish all that needed to be done, and with time to spare. At the end of the work day, Barbra brought us crawfish. We all sat and ate the crawfish, enjoying the nice weather with a feeling of accomplishment. After we left the work site we went back to the hotel. There we relaxed, some swam, others watched TV, and by 5:15 we were all ready to go on the dinner cruise. We boarded a large boat and we were all seated at tables and given a plate. We got in line and served ourselves a delicious meal. After dinner the boat left the dock and for about two hours we rode down the Mississippi River, enjoying the sights, watching the sunset, and listening to live Jazz music. At the end of the cruise we were all worn out and ready to head back to the hotel. Some watched movies while others relaxed and showered. Overall, we had a great day, and we are all very proud of the work we did on the house!

Day 2- Aisha & Shelby

To start off a perfect 85 degree day in New Orleans, we started off with a perfectly nutritious mix of fruits, bread, and waffles. After a quick drive, we met up with our bus tour guide Bill Norris. He started off showing us the 3 main types of houses: Shotgun, Townhouse, and Cottage. They were pretty interesting to see, and very different from a house you would see in Connecticut. From there, we went to the Ninth Ward. Though much of the housing has been rebuilt, there was still a vast amount of abandoned houses, cars, and businesses that were wrecked in the storm. We got to see levies and even stand on top of one. After our tour of the Ninth Ward, we went to a cemetery. We then went to City Park which is the 5th largest urban park in The USA.

After an interesting bus tour of New Orleans, we took a break for lunch at a market filled with some yummy fruit, food, jewelry, and souvenir vendors. We all enjoyed the exciting atmosphere, in which we shopped, relaxed, and tried our hand at haggling. After some refreshing smoothies, chocolate covered strawberries, and french fries, we headed out on a walking tour of the French Quarter. 

The French Quarter is a combination of Spanish and French culture and architecture. With the help of our trusty tour guide Roland, we discovered the many beauties of the French Quarter. We encountered on our journey myriad street performers, face painters, fortune tellers, and statue like people. After an exciting tour, we settled at a cafe where we enjoyed ice tea, lemonade and some tasty beignets. We had dinner at Court of Two Sisters, where we sat in a beautiful courtyard and enjoyed some tasty dinner and desert. After dinner, we headed home after a long day of touring and exploring New Orleans! 

Nawlins Day 1

After a brutal 5:30 AM trip to La Guardia Airport, and a 3 hour flight to Louisiana, the New Orleans expanded studies group arrived in a modest, comfortable hotel.  We started our first day with a swim to start off the day, and after an hour, we returned to our rooms to dress appropriately for the hot, humid day ahead.  Each car drove to downtown New Orleans where we ate lunch, and regrouped.  We then went on an aquarium tour and to an IMAX documentary about Hurricane Katrina.  Once this was over, we walked through the French Quarter for a few hours, always looking for a good, air-conditioned voodoo shop to stop in.  We finished our first day with a seafood dinner at the renowned Ralph and Kacoos restaurant.  It seems like Nawlins 2011 is going to be a great trip.

-BK and Robert