The Five Days of NCORE

So I’m sure that everyone is wondering what I have been up to lately. I can assure you that I was not eating cheesecake. Okay, maybe I was eating cheesecake, but I was also doing important things. Last week I went to New Orleans, so that I could represent Iowa State at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity. It was a fantastic week with great speakers, good food, a lot of learning, and a lot of humidity. If you have been paying attention to this blog (which I know you have), you will have noticed that a while ago I went to South Dakota, and after the experience, I blogged for five days about my experience. This is exactly what I’m going to for the next five days. I will blog about NCORE, New Orleans, my experience in New Orleans, and what I learned overall. It shall be exciting.

So what should I say about New Orleans? It’s a great city with a lot of culture and a plethora of history. I mostly stayed in the touristy part of the city, but I did manage to get a look at the residential areas, and the areas that were affected most by Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane may have affected the city eight years ago, but it is still a part of the city. Businesses and people in the city explained how the hurricane had affected them and how they did their best to recover from it. I have a lot of respect for the city for staying strong even when things were tough.

I have to say that the touristy part of the city is widely different from any city I have ever seen. I can see the French roots, and the modernity as well. I had seen New Orleans in movies and TV before, but nothing compares to seeing it in person. At times, the city felt like a maze I could get lost in, and if I had gotten lost in it, that would have been fine with me. The crowd of people was a little too much for me, but I guess that’s what a city like this normally brings. This city has a lot in it, and I am saddened that I could only spend six days exploring it.

And wouldn’t you know it; they decided to put a conference on race and ethnicity in this city for an entire week as well. I believe that being accepted for my college’s NCORE program while it was in New Orleans was a blessing. I feel that this city was a great match because of the diversity and racial issues in the city. But this is something that should be talked about in the coming days. So, for now, I suggest you all learn more about the city. Not just the French or Spanish history, but the native-american history as well. It is all very rich.

Also, Bubba Gumps is a fantastic eatery.