Reflections on the First Two Days

Because I was already on vacation in Pensacola, Florida, I drove over here (New Orleans is only 3 hours away from Pensacola by car), I was able to see some of the destruction on my way in. Driving on the highway through Mississippi, I saw giant Southern Pines snapped in half like matchsticks. The wind is truly a powerful force.

Coming into Louisiana, we crossed the makeshift bridge across Lake Pontchartrain. It was four lanes, but divided into two separate bridges. The huge gaps in the grate were the a bit disconcerting, but to avoid Lake Pontchartrain is to add many hours to the trip, so we crossed anyway. I saw the new bridge they are building across the lake and thought that the contractor in charge of that project must have been happy to get that huge job.

As we came into New Orleans, I was surprised at how many people still had "blue roofs" two years later. (For those of you who have never lived in or been to a hurricane-affected area, a blue roof is one that is still covered by a tarp -- which is invariably blue -- because the roof has not yet been repaired.) I saw houses and apartments that were completely gutted. Not to be too depressing, I also saw some apartments with the stickers still on the windows; rebuilding is taking place, but it can only happen as fast as it can happen.

I arrived in New Orleans earlier than everyone else on Monday. I walked around and enjoyed the madness that was New Orleans on the day of the BSC Championship game. While enjoying a cafe au lait and some beignets at the world famous Cafe du Monde, I met some friendly Ohio State fans who were down to see the game. We enjoyed our coffee together and then went on our separate ways.

Everyone else arrived around 6 p.m., and then we partook in some authentic New Orleans cuisine before resting for the next morning's work.

On Tuesday, we went to NOLAC to see what tasks awaited us. Our first task was to write a memo on a professional responsibility topic. After searching diligently for a while, I remembered the great resource we at Seattle University are all lucky to have: John Strait. He helped us with some search terms and some background information. For all those who have him for PR -- pay attention to him! He really does know what he's talking about, and I am sure that information will help all of us when we take the PR portion of the bar exam!

After a long day of work, we enjoyed dinner at the House of Blues. I had never been to the House of Blues before, and I was very impressed. The walls were covered with beautiful artwork contributed by various African American artists. I loved the richness of the colors and textures that made the art feel alive.

After dinner, we returned to our hotel, where I got a good night's sleep and am now ready to see what Day 3 has in store for us. I'll let you know how it goes!

Chrissy