A Very STEAMY Day

We were told to wear long pants and our service shirts (the ward shirts that we had the choice to by at Fleurty Girl the previous day). Complaining about the hot weather, we begged and pleaded to wear shorts, and the next morning 8 AM, we were called by Mr. Hayden who told us that we were allowed to wear shorts and were expected to be downstairs in the next 20 minutes.

All of us knew that the day was going to be long and hot. Once we got off the elevator, we were greeted by Jackie, our bus driver. As we waited for everyone to get downstairs, we were anxious about exactly what we were going to do and what to expect. However, we got in the bus ready to serve. We drove through the town and got to Ms. Kimberly's house, one of the houses that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Through the organization Beacon of Hope, we were able to help landscape and paint her house. The Beacon of Hope organization was founded after the hurricane to provide hubs where the people of that community could have a place to communicate with others to receive help and supplies. Even today, 5 years after Hurricane Katrina, there are active volunteers helping to rebuild homes of people who lost everything in this natural disaster.

Once we got there, we were split into two groups, the landscaping group and the painting group. We needed to replace the soil and plant plants in the front lawn, and completely paint the garage. Starting at 9:30 am to 3 pm, we worked to complete these tasks. Although we had a difficult time working through the heat and completing what we needed to, we all learned that we should appreciate what we have because everything could be gone with one horrendous event.

The landscaping group had to loosen the soil and dig out the pieces of rock and clay throughout the front of the house. After loosening the soil, we put on top soil and turned the soil to mix it in. The beginning of the day was the hardest because it was so hot in the front of the house. Many of us were becoming very exhausted and had to take numerous water breaks to keep us hydrated. After eating the 2 XL pizzas that barely fed everyone, well actually didn't feed everyone (Mr. Hayden and Ms. Richardson didn't get any), we got back to work. Following lunch, the landscaping group had to plant the bushes and flowers in the front yard.

While this was going on, the painting group was working on painting the garage. We were told by Ashley, the volunteer manager, that we needed to paint the big bucket on the sides and the little buckets on the beams. However, it ended up being the wrong paint and we had to scrape off the granular paint that we painted on the back of the garage. Mr. Hayden came to us and told us to cut into the wood. We were all extremely lost at this, and he had to guide us through the entire painting process. After cutting in for an extremely long period of time, we were finally able to roll. We rolled all the sides of the house, and then eventually got to the beams. Once we thought we were finally finished, Ashley came to us and told us to paint the inside of the roof, which was virtually impossible. Ms. Richardson told us to not do that, but instead get the detail work on all the beams. By 2:30 we had finished the two projects and started to CLEAN UP!

Once we heard Jackie roll in with her air conditioning on wheels, we were extremely excited. Cleaning up the mess we made hastily, we got into the cool bus to greet Jackie with her new hairdo. All extremely dirty, sweaty, and aching all over, we drove back to the hotel eager to take our showers and rest before our steamboat ride and dinner on the Natchez.

In the evening we went on a steam boat cruise over the Mississippi River. The steamboat was so grand, kind of like the ones you see at Disneyland. We learned about how the steamboat works and even listened to a jazz band! The food was delicious; especially the bread pudding.Overall, today was not only a productive day, but an amazing day full of new experiences. We learned what it means to serve through working hard through the humid, hot weather, and although it was tough, what we did today impacted each of us as people.

Class of '12 Girls +

Joy & Kimberly

My Home....My Heart

As the idea of Spring at Sage came to fruition I was very excited about this new concept that I would have the privilege of enjoying at my new job. Thoughts ran through my mind of what I could give to my new community and at the same time share a piece of myself and hopefully a passion. I was thinking of doing so via a seminar class where I would discuss not just New Orleans, or Post-Katrina New Orleans, or BP Oil Spill New Orleans, but the New Orleans that runs through my veins via culture, heritage, history, of course food, and language. When someone meets me for the first time one of the first things that I share with them is that I am a proud product of not just the state of Louisiana, but of the city known as New Orleans or The Big Easy. I had no idea that I would be able to share my home, and yes my heart with 12 Sage students and 2 fellow faculty members, one of which is my Department Chair who came up with the great idea to visit New Orleans! I must say that this day and a half have really shown me that I am proud of my City, and though I am no longer an official resident, I will always be New Orleans. From small things like saying Ya'll, to wearing t-shirts with sayings like "Don't Eat the Straight Ones" pertaining to crawfish, or always reminding those in my presence that New Orleans is a place that is rich in culture, is controlled by the Mighty Mississippi, and YES, a place that MUST be saved and is a vital part of the History and backbone of this country. So, my hope is that when my 14 fellow travelers return to Orange County, California they will not only remember what they Ate (beignets, shrimp po'boys, grits, muffaletta, snow ball, alligator, jumbalaya), Heard (ghost stories, jazz on the corner in the French Quarter by high school students, streetcar whistles), Saw (street performers, young men tapping with bottle caps on their tennis shoes, fortune tellers, St. Louis Cathedral, Tulane University, City Park, Jackson Square), but that they Feel the heart of the City called New Orleans, because at that time they will return having felt the heart of Mrs. Nickole Sharp....la ville de l'amour

A Tour of New Orleans and...Jackie

Everyone gathered around at 9:00 am to begin our day with a tour of the city. As usual the temperature exceeded expectations and it was 80 F at 9 in the morning. We were ready to face the crazy weather. We took a tour of the city of New Orleans, driving through streets and neighborhoods as well as discovering the houses that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The tour guide explained that the big empty lots were filled with houses but were destroyed by the hurricane and were never built again. We eventually stopped and enjoyed ice cream and walked around a serene sculpture garden where we took pictures and had relaxing time. One of the fun parts of the day, for us girls, was the flea market. For some it was like heaven. Jewelry was as low as $5 a piece!!! And for me, I fell in love with the masks. I've never seen so many in my life and it was the perfect place to get it (especially bargaining with them). We did shopping and had lunch in the flea market then headed off to the New Orleans Southern Candy Makers in the French Quarter where they sold the best pralines on the face of the planet. I literally fell in love. As we were on our 2 hour free time break, all the girls went to Fleurty Girl, the shop where we got our T-shirts as well as the shop Mrs. Sharp loves to get her T-Shirts from. Her shop was very calm and peaceful and has this really laid back vibe. After we left the store, we drove to Mardi Gras World where they store the old floats of past parades, recreate the old floats into new, and create whole new ideas. It was very interesting at the warehouse because we got to see all the past floats and even got sneak peaks of future year's parades. Mardi Gras 2012 is a Fairytale theme: they were creating Snow White, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast floats. What was so cool was that each float has a certain design that could be used for Mardi Gras parades in the future. They always have new floats and new themes EVERY single year. They were all so big and designed very well. They also mentioned that the workers on the floats stand on the float for 8-10 hours while drinking... a lot. Imagine where they have to go to the bathroom. I do. It is disgusting and something very unattractive. Mardi Gras World was very interesting and a lot of fun to see all the intense floats during Mardi Gras. We ended the day, by having dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, and of course we got our t-shirts.

Now, when I included the name, Jackie, in this blog's title, it was for a very specific reason. We were tired after a long day of touring and exploring the city, but the real excitement started when our bus driver, Jackie, spoke to us for the first time. She finally opened her mouth and you heard the funny and outgoing attitude of Jackie. She was making us laugh and telling us jokes that wouldn't leave my mind. Especially when she moves her hips and moves her neck around, it gives her attitude a sassier vibe. "No, Hell no!" is all Jackie would say. Something we would laugh so much about. Now I have a feeling that Jackie is going to become a great asset to our adventure in New Orleans. She's is our bus driver and let's just say, our new tour guide.

First Day in a New City

As we stepped out of the airport onto the Louisiana soil, we were shocked to feel this new muggy weather. We were very excited to start exploring the charming city of New Orleans. It is very different from the Southern California lifestyle we are accustomed to and never expected a more pleasant welcoming by the people of New Orleans and our wonderful tour guide, Lynn. When we first met Lynn we immediately heard a new kind of speech. Her accent was nothing we had heard before and it was a true New Orleans accent everyone was dying to hear. Our first sight was the big bronze New Orleans' Saints Super Dome and as we kept driving we discovered more of the lovely New Orleans city. After the drive, we settled into our hotel, got ready for dinner, and set off to the House of Blues Restaurant. Walking down the sidewalk of the streets, it was very different than the sidewalks of Newport Coast. People were flooding the sidewalks and shop lights were illuminating the streets. It was different, something we were not expecting or accustomed to. My friends and I were very excited to have dinner at the House of Blues. We kept wondering if it was like the House of Blues in our own Hollywood. It is not. It has a more authentic musical vibe to it than the one we have at home and the food was so different. For the first time in a long time, I had FRIED shrimp...in a sandwich. It was surprisingly good. But, my favorite part of the night was the eating the original Red Velvet Cake. We do have Red Velvet cake at home and the employees at the cupcake shop tell us that the Red Velvet Cupcake came from the South. I was very excited to try an original Red Velvet cake and I fell in love. It was one of the best cakes I've ever had. We left the restaurants with full stomachs, took some pictures, and arrived at the hotel so we can get sleep for a full day of activities tomorrow.

Today was very surprising and I love the chill and exciting vibe of Canal Street. I can't wait to experience what New Orleans has to offer us tomorrow in the French Quarter. We will see!