3 Festivals and a Tragedy

These past few days have been filled with many delights including my very own birthday celebration. For some reason turning 23 feels like the oldest birthday I have had. I know that sounds strangely obvious (23 is the oldest I have turned thus far) but I think there is some unfamiliarity of having a birthday when you are no longer in school and even more so in celebrating your birthday in a city you are still getting to know. I did have a fabulous weekend though and I thank all my wonderful New Orleans housemates and friends for making my birthday special. I spent Saturday night celebrating at my favorite bar Maison on Frenchman Street. A fabulous brass band was playing and even covered one of my all time favorite rap songs by 50 Cent called "21 Questions", which was indescribably awesome. I talked to the trumpet player after their set and he complimented me on not only my recognition for the song but my enthusiasm for it. Win.

My (belated) birthday lunch at Good Time Sushi Friday afternoon - Philadelphia Roll and Volcano Roll. To. Die. For.

What would a birthday be without some Jenga? I also took the picture at the perfect time because the tower collapsed on the next move.

Before all these birthday celebrations ensued, however, Valentina and I attended Fess Fest at New Orleans' infamous bar and music spot Tipitina's on Thursday evening. It was a fundraiser for Professor Longhair's house that included performances by Hugh Laurie, Joe Jackson and several high school students. Tipitina's is known for supporting local musical talent and these high school students, aged 12-17 playing any instrument from trumpet to clarinet, quite literally left me speechless. One boy played the trumpet so fluidly it was like each note fell into the other. I couldn't keep still and found myself dancing and cheering instinctively. Hugh Laurie is excellent on piano and had two duets with beautiful woman voices that made me question why I have not been blessed with such a gorgeous voice. It was a great night of music and entertainment for an amazing cause. The show sold out and I know Project Homecoming was especially excited about that.

Tipitina's! If you are interested in learning a little more about their history and all the famous names that have played there (there are many), click here.

I highly suggest watching this video all the way through! The trumpet player that blew me away (no pun intended) begins at around 1:30. I hope these kids impress you as much as they impressed me.

Hugh Laurie playing the piano and singing Go To The Mardi Gras! Amazing.

Following an extremely lazy Friday, I attended Gumbo Fest at Armstrong Park in the the wonderful neighborhood Treme on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. Armstrong Park is beautiful with it's grand, welcoming arch, water fountains and bridges. The park was packed with gumbo stands and tents filled with art, clothing and jewelry. I decided that I am not a fan of gumbo (so un-New Orleans of me!) but I was a HUGE fan of the shrimp and corn roasted cheesy grits. I actually liked them so much, I plan to go to the restaurant and eat them again. Delicious. We walked around the park eating our treats, drinking Abita, and laying in the grass. It was a gorgeous 70 degrees and sunny and a perfect day to be out and about.

Gumbo on gumbo on gumbo!

My shrimp and roasted corn cheesy grits...my first but definitely not my last.

Sydney, Colleen, Anna Leigh, Emily, Hannah, and I all enjoying Gumbo Fest! 

Having a weekend filled with such fun and New Orleans specific entertainment, it's strange to think that I also experienced a terrible tragedy this weekend as well. One of my friends from college passed away Friday evening from a heroin overdose. It is tragedies like this that put me in a place of extreme questioning and self reflection. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends who are even more directly affected by this terrible event than I am. It is also times like this where I struggle with the distance that I have put between myself and those that I love. Grieving from a distance is very difficult - I want nothing more than to hug and be hugged by my home friends during hard times like this. I have realized, after much thought, that there are many layers to being present and not all of them require your physical body being there. Being physically present in New Orleans is what I need right now and finding the balance between being here and supporting my grieving friends through technology is something new to me. I am still perfecting it.

Lesson from the Journey: One of the goals that I set for myself this YAV year was to become more emotionally independent. For so long I have relied on friends, family and love interests to be the foundation and support for my emotions both happy and sad. Creating separation from a lot of that support has been extremely difficult and has left me feeling painfully lonely at times. But as time passes it is becoming evident that I am more independent than I thought and although I have not mastered this by any means, I am growing stronger and more confident in myself alone every day.