Wow, these past few days have been busy. I have had little to no access to the internet, and not a spare moment to sit down and write. This is my first opportunity and I couldn't wait to write you.
To catch you up, I left New Orleans last Wednesday, headed to CA for a very dear friend's wedding. The wedding was a traditional Indian-style wedding, which is very different from the traditional American-style wedding. The Indian wedding is a 3-day event. Basically, it's a pre-funk hosted by the bride (Friday), followed by the actual wedding ceremony also put on by the bride (Saturday), and then a post party put on by the groom (Sunday). The women also attended a special women's night on Thursday, similar to a bridal shower.
It wasn't easy getting here but I am so happy it was possible. I had a such a wonderful time. On Thursday, I met up with a sorority sister of mine and an old college friend. The three of us decided to share a room, and we spent the rest of the weekend catching up and enjoying time together. We ran errands for the bride, prepped for the different events (Mehndi, Nikaak, Vlima), participated in ceremonies, and enjoyed amazing Indian cuisine, music, dress, dance, and eac hother.
I am so blessed to have been able to experience this amazing traditional Indian wedding and to have met all the beautiful people in my friend's life.
Congrats, Jah & I love you!
Pictures coming soon (swamp pics, too).
Cute Little Gecko
Sitting at my desk typing with the shades drawn to the backyard. I glance to my left, look out the windowm and see a cute little gecko run up the table leg.
Small Disappointment
I wanted to take Amber on the ferry because I’ve heard nice things about the ride from a number of people. After our experience today, I’m not sure what everyone was talking about.
We’ll just say our trip to Algiers wasn’t exactly what we expected. As were boarding the ferry, which runs from New Orleans – Algiers – Gretna, I notice another ferry dock across the water. I jokingly said to Amber, “I bet that’s Algiers across the water,” and sure enough, it was. Our ferry ride was probably all of seven minutes. At this point we figured oh well, we’ll enjoy a nice lunch and then head back. Once we got off the boat, we realized we were surrounded by houses, there weren’t any restaurants in sight. A bit confused I was as when I looked into our trip to Algiers I read that we would dock next to an area with lots eateries and little shops. I asked a fellow passenger and he told us how to get to the 3 restaurants. Amber and I start walking and half way down the road we hear thunder, look up and see a very nice size black cloud right above us. Neither of us wanted to walk in the rain, so we decided to head back. Though I was a bit disappointed in our day, we ended up enjoying the rest of it.
Once we were back in New Orleans, I took Amber to a restaurant called Dragos (a seafood spot), famous for char-grilled oysters and I wanted her to try them. I was really impressed, she tried one and actually liked it. We had a nice lunch and then returned to the French Quarter to find some souvenirs. Finally, after 6 hours downtown we decided we were exhausted. We’re home now and getting Amber’s things ready for her flight tomorrow. We have to wake up at 4:45 AM. No New Orleans time for this--must be on time.
We’ll just say our trip to Algiers wasn’t exactly what we expected. As were boarding the ferry, which runs from New Orleans – Algiers – Gretna, I notice another ferry dock across the water. I jokingly said to Amber, “I bet that’s Algiers across the water,” and sure enough, it was. Our ferry ride was probably all of seven minutes. At this point we figured oh well, we’ll enjoy a nice lunch and then head back. Once we got off the boat, we realized we were surrounded by houses, there weren’t any restaurants in sight. A bit confused I was as when I looked into our trip to Algiers I read that we would dock next to an area with lots eateries and little shops. I asked a fellow passenger and he told us how to get to the 3 restaurants. Amber and I start walking and half way down the road we hear thunder, look up and see a very nice size black cloud right above us. Neither of us wanted to walk in the rain, so we decided to head back. Though I was a bit disappointed in our day, we ended up enjoying the rest of it.
Once we were back in New Orleans, I took Amber to a restaurant called Dragos (a seafood spot), famous for char-grilled oysters and I wanted her to try them. I was really impressed, she tried one and actually liked it. We had a nice lunch and then returned to the French Quarter to find some souvenirs. Finally, after 6 hours downtown we decided we were exhausted. We’re home now and getting Amber’s things ready for her flight tomorrow. We have to wake up at 4:45 AM. No New Orleans time for this--must be on time.
Beautiful Sunday Afternoon
Amber and I decided not to take the ferry to Algiers today, so instead we walked around the French Quarter. I gave Amber a tour of some of the well-known attractions like the French Market, Jackson Square Park, Café Du Monde, Pat O’Brien's (and their fabulous piano bar, I wish Amber was old enough to experience it), and of course, the infamous Bourbon St.
We walked down Bourbon St. as we headed back to catch the street car. It was nice, not too crowded yet not empty. A couple spots on our way tried to pull us into their bars…I had to tell them she wasn’t of age. We returned home, had dinner, and fell asleep to 16Blocks.
Today we are going to catch the ferry and have lunch in Algiers. I need to start getting ready, but I’ll be back. Stories of our swamp tour and pictures of this week are coming soon.
We walked down Bourbon St. as we headed back to catch the street car. It was nice, not too crowded yet not empty. A couple spots on our way tried to pull us into their bars…I had to tell them she wasn’t of age. We returned home, had dinner, and fell asleep to 16Blocks.
Today we are going to catch the ferry and have lunch in Algiers. I need to start getting ready, but I’ll be back. Stories of our swamp tour and pictures of this week are coming soon.
The Value of Time
The longer I’m here, the more I learn the importance of“The Value of Time.” I can honestly say that over the years, I have become worse at being prompt, so it’s something I’ve been working on. I have definitely grown a bit frustrated at times with the lack of timeliness here.
New Orleans is a very laid back city. I'm not sure if all of Louisiana is like that, but I have a strong feeling that it’s probably a trait statewide.
It’s don't know how anyone can rely on public transportation here as their main means of transportation because it ever gets anywhere on time. Yesterday, on our way to church, the street car driver stopped twice, once to have a mechanic come fix the coin machine and another to switch drivers. All in all, we were stuck sitting in the heat for an extra 15 - 20 minutes.
I'm learning. I figure the key is to always allow for delays :-).
New Orleans is a very laid back city. I'm not sure if all of Louisiana is like that, but I have a strong feeling that it’s probably a trait statewide.
It’s don't know how anyone can rely on public transportation here as their main means of transportation because it ever gets anywhere on time. Yesterday, on our way to church, the street car driver stopped twice, once to have a mechanic come fix the coin machine and another to switch drivers. All in all, we were stuck sitting in the heat for an extra 15 - 20 minutes.
I'm learning. I figure the key is to always allow for delays :-).
Good Night
Amber and I are getting home from a long day in the sun. We had a great time experiencing new things and spending time together. I'm very happy she's here.
We found a Unity Church which isn't to far from us so we are going to attend there service tomorrow. Have a great night and tomorrow I'll fill you in on our adventures from today.
We found a Unity Church which isn't to far from us so we are going to attend there service tomorrow. Have a great night and tomorrow I'll fill you in on our adventures from today.
TGIF
So I fell in another hole today. Well, actually it was more like a big divot, and, yes, it was in front of people. I think I was in too much pain to be embarrassed--actually, I didn’t really care but I did try to play it off :-).
I’m not saying I'm getting old, but I’m not a young whippersnapper anymore. I feel all those years of playing goalie and throwing my body at every shot taken and slide tackling when on defense. My ankle is a bit swollen so I will ice it just before bed. We’ll see how it is tomorrow.
I’m not saying I'm getting old, but I’m not a young whippersnapper anymore. I feel all those years of playing goalie and throwing my body at every shot taken and slide tackling when on defense. My ankle is a bit swollen so I will ice it just before bed. We’ll see how it is tomorrow.
