Kirsten Nelson-de Búrca | Contributing Writer
Choosing which city to visit in the USA was not an easy decision at all. I had whittled it down to three (technically four) options; Los Angeles/San Francisco, Houston and New Orleans. Seems random choices, and I guess they are, but I put plenty of research into it. I nearly chose LA or San Fran for the obvious reasons – we all know what California has to offer. As for Houston, it is the most ethnically diverse city in the country, which means the food & drink scene, local music & arts, and street culture are all supposed to be really cool. I also read this article detailing the best things to do in Houston which excited me. I had seen New Orleans described as one of the most eccentric, vibrant cities in the world and I read that it’s filled with friendly people, amazing food, and memorable attractions. In the end, after much deliberation, I plumped for New Orleans.
It was one of the best decisions I have made.
When I arrived in New Orleans, I stepped off the plane and immediately began to sweat. I have not stopped sweating since. I couldn’t wait to get to the Holiday Inn Hotel in downtown New Orleans, as I could get cleaned up and rest a little after the flight. Anway, the heat here is sublime, but it is topped with such a high-level humidity that I feel like a goldfish that has been outside his bowl for a little bit too long. This hasn’t stopped me in my adventures yet. To give a brief list of the things I have done would be impossible, so here are some of the highlights!
New Orleans is a very old city, rather backward in comparison to other J1 destinations. Every day, I get yelled at by a different person for being too pale. I’ve been asked if I need assistance to a nearby hospital on public transport as I apparently look faint. I’ve noticed so many cultural differences in New Orleans, one of which is how friendly people are here. I know all of the streetcar drivers and chat to them about life here and things back home every day. I have no reason to bring earphones with me anywhere as there is always someone to talk to. The streetcars themselves are entertaining; with their windows wide open constantly. All I do is stare out at the different houses and at the masses of Mardi Gras beads which hang from each of the telephone wires and trees in Uptown. The beads give the town a magical glitter at night which makes even the rougher places seem so dreamlike to me. A camera is a constant essential here due to the abstract scenery like the beads, the mangled trees and the random street art which you can find at most corners.
Caoimhe, my travel buddy, has essentially been my other half while we’ve been here, sharing not only a room and a bed with me, but also most of my funny experiences. Our first weekend here, we went to the zoo. It happened to be 34 degrees Celsius out and humidity was extra high, and as all zoos are open air, they do not have air-conditioning. Due to this, we both vegetated in the sea lions exhibit for two hours as they had fans there, and I learned the difference between seals and sea lions (main point: THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!) from a PowerPoint presentation. We were stared at by many tourists and their children as we looked like we had passed out on the ground of this enclosure.
One glorious evening, we arrived home from work. I decided to check my Facebook while Caoimhe went down to the kitchen. All I could hear was bloody murder so I ran down the stairs with a can of hairspray (my defence weapon of choice) and I found Caoimhe in the kitchen next to a pot which had two live lobsters in it. Dinner was excellent that evening. Another day, we visited a farmer’s market and bought five pounds of shrimp, which was at first a great idea. We quickly realised our error when we spent an hour and a half ripping off their heads, peeling them and deveining them. It is a necessity to visit food markets here to get a proper sense of what the locals eat. So far, we’ve bought alligator sausage, corn in the husk, creole tomatoes and shrimp.
Food trucks are also a thriving part of life here,and much better than any fast food we’ve had, though listening to the workers at Wendy’s talking about Caoimhe’s name was hilarious. Like Starbucks, they take your name for your order. Caoimhe said her name and the cashier shouted at the other cashier, “Yo, girl! This is some fucked up crazy shit! You gotta see this!”.
I think it’s evident that a lot of my experiences here have involved food, but that’s what it’s like here. People put their hearts and souls into mealtime.
I’ve eaten at least a tonne of crème brûlée since arriving in New Orleans. I’ve also had jambalaya, Po’ boys, gumbo, scallops, lamb shank, braised pork cheeks and artichoke. All of this has combined to enhance my cooking skills, I now make a mean French toast with marshmallows in the middle. New Orleans is also home to these things called “Snoballs”. Shaved ice, compacted together, and then covered in syrup. So good and so refreshing. They were the only reason I left the sea lion enclosure during my day at the zoo.
Working in an Irish pub in a foreign country is great craic, as you would expect it to be. Last week, I worked at a pub quiz, or as they called it, “trivia night”. I spilled an Irish coffee down my front at the beginning of the night and had a laugh with each of my tables about the fact I was an Irish Irish coffee. Funniest joke I’ve ever heard repeatedly. Never grew old. Ever.
The nightclub scene here is popular, but I much prefer listening to live jazz. There’s a place called Tipitina’s which is free in for two live bands on a Friday. People dance/sway/twitch to the music, whatever they fancy, and everyone else just chills and chats to each other. Fridays are generally the best nights to go out here, as you get into many places for free and everywhere always has better drinks offers at the weekend. I would recommend finding your own local jazz club though and just sticking to that. The clubs that aren’t crammed with tourists are always best.
The one problem we’ve had here is that summer is hurricane season in New Orleans. I have had an experience of trying to unchain patio furniture outside the pub I work in while thunder and lightning were creeping closer and closer to me. And I did get caught in a mild hurricane on my way home from work once, which was rather entertaining.
All in all, New Orleans is the most fascinating place I’ve been in a long time. It is definitely my home away from home and I want to come back for Mardi Gras already even though I haven’t left yet. Just do a J1, pick a place, bring a friend, and expect to have the best summer of your life.
