NOLA: Before the Trip

After one year of having moved, I remember thinking "one." Soon after my 11th birthday, "two." When I turned sixteen, "seven." And just last year as I became a legal adult, "nine." Nine years is a special amount of years to me; it represents the number of years I have spent growing up in the South. When I moved, my new friends in Jersey told me I had a Southern accent, but I was quite proud of my status as a Southerner. In my mind, I justified that as long as I had lived more years in the South than I had in the North, I could still retain that status. Having been born in the unique city of New Orleans, I continue to treasure the culture that I was lucky enough to experience there. It's a happy coincidence that, after having lived an equal number of years in both the North and South by now, I'll finally have an opportunity to go back to NOLA!

My excitement is only furthered by the fact that as Bonners, we'll be taking part in meaningful service work that will benefit the community. My family and I moved as a result of Hurricane Katrina, so I empathize with those who were affected and feel honored to be able to do something that will help those who suffered much more drastic consequences than my family had. Of course, I am also slightly nervous about the kind of work that we'll be faced with and whether we'll be successful in our efforts. However, I'm confident that our group of Bonners especially have  incredible enthusiasm and will try our best. I hope that, in the end, we'll be able to directly see how our work can be useful to the surrounding area and learn great things in the process. 

I also hope to have a fantastic time with my fellow Bonners! It has been a while since we've been at TCNJ, but I know that, with all of the awesome places to see in New Orleans, there will be plenty of opportunities for us to get to know each other more. My parents are more than jealous of our trip and recommend listening to jazz in the House of Blues or trying beignets at Cafe Du Monde. I can't wait to catch up with our class of Bonners again and create new memories that we can look back on later this year.