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When I woke up yesterday morning, I was nearly convinced it would be a terrible day. I mean, it's Monday, my feet hurt, it's cold, it's raining...I was wrong. Yesterday was great. We went to Café du Monde (again) and I made the bright decision to eat straight powdered sugar. Whew. There went my teeth...After beignets we went to the steamboat, Natchez. It is the only true steamboat still in operation on the river. It's crazy to think that people were using the same technology over a hundred years ago!
Anyway, we cut through the water with our 26-ton paddlewheel passed Algiers Point toward the next town along the river. We saw many industrial sites, including oil and sugar refineries. I wasn't as impressed by the oil refinery as I was by the sugar refinery. Millions of pounds of sugar move through there. I want to bounce off the walls just thinking about it. So, it was raining pretty much the entire time on the boat. DocMason and I braved the miserable atmospheric condition. We fought back Poseidon's wrath with our umbrellas. Laugh now, but it kept our minds busy and our bodies warm(ish). Ok, so after the ride I MAY have had frozen joints. Ok, my joints were frozen. I had such a hard time walking off the ship, but luckily we planned to walk around with Dr. Helvie-Mason's former students so my blood started circulating and I warmed up pretty quickly.
We walked for blocks and blocks. I couldn't guess how far we walked. We were so enthralled in our conversations about school, work, and life in general. I found out so much about New Orleans and about the students' university. The differences in scholastic culture astounds me. Sure, we all worry about finances and grades. But the differences in available courses, (perceived) student marketability, living situations, and even student response in the classroom cannot be ignored.
Here I must digress (provided this isn't already considered rambling). It is apparent that the custom at Tarleton is not to speak in class. In most places, when someone says hello, you respond. Why doesn't this carry over to the classroom? I never understood that. Even when professors ask direct questions, it seems that most students just sit there and blink. Is this not disrespectful? I once thought so, but it seems to be widely accepted by the student body. I don't know how the faculty members feel about it, but I would be irritated.
People are people. Here, there, and everywhere people deal with similar issues and respond in the same variety of ways. What I mean by this is that people tend to respond similarly to similar situations, even if they are unique to themselves.
Anyway, at some point we stopped in a costume shop. This place is an artist's heaven. Headdresses, masks, wigs, vintage dresses and coats, circus outfits, and so many other creations are located at this shop. I couldn't believe how many costumes they had and how much history is behind them! For example, this shop somehow managed to obtain two Indian costumes (that is, the Mardi Gras Indians). These costumes are hard to come by since they are custom, handmade artifacts that are usually recycled each year to create the next year's costume. It is a fight to be the prettiest, shiniest man in New Orleans.
Then we went to this corner where there used to be a nightclub. It closed down a few years ago. This building is mostly blue with colorful murals painted on the windows. As we were walking we passed a number of street musicians, including a trumpeter, violinist, and guitarist. Slowly winding our way through the streets of New Orleans, we managed to stumble upon the French Market where many vendors go to sell their products, including everything from traditional items from all over the world to things you can pick up at your local mall. I don't think any of us purchased anything, but we did take a fantastic group photo in front of a sculpture.
[real life intermission: the notorious naptime]
We ate dinner at a small pizza place with two of Dr. Helvie-Mason's former students. It was ok. Not as delicious as the gumbo, but I could work with it. I kind of indulged a bit and got some cheesecake. It had too much cream cheese in it for me, but good nonetheless.
I crashed not long after that, but this morning we got up, had breakfast, and left for the swamp tour. I enjoyed it because it reminded me of my home state. Have I mentioned my love for gators? They're so beautiful and shiny...and tasty. I can't get over how delicious they are. Gators are one of my favorite wild animals to eat. Anyway, the swamp tour was pretty cool but I've seen a lot of it before. I mostly just watched as everyone who has never seen the swamp or gators take it all in.
After the tour, we took some great pictures. They're on our Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarletondiversity/
~ Tiana, Multicultural Ambassador
We hope that you will stop by the office (TSC # 21). Also, look for us on social media. Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/TarletonDiversityInclusion and read along with our journeys here on the blog:
http://tarletondiversityinclusion.blogspot.com/ You can also see our images on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarletondiversity/. Or follow us on Twitter: @DiversityTSU or email us directly at Diversity@Tarleton.edu
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