Fin

That's right folks: the trip is over. Most of us are home, taking warm showers, and wishing for a white Christmas at last.

I think Katie said it best when she said the end was bittersweet. Quite honestly, if it weren't for the holidays, I could spend weeks more working away. On the drive home I vowed to stay awake until we crossed the lake... my heart ached to see the city go.

Over the course of the trip I took the role of unofficial tour guide (a part that was sometimes fun and sometimes frustrating to play) and it only made me realize all the more that my heart is with New Orleans. It's hard in such a short time to not only give cursory details ("This is where we are...") but also try to express the social and political situation in New Orleans. I hope that somehow I gave some understanding to the others on the trip-- that they were touched by what they were doing. We weren't just working on Habitat houses; we were working in New Orleans. How the heck was I supposed to explain the history of the city, the demographics, the attitudes, the culture-- anything worthwhile-- in those brief car rides? As someone who likes to think she's got some way with words, it's hard for me to not be able to express just how I feel about Nawlins.

I miss it all... the sights... the sounds... the food (Po Boys, jambalaya, gumbo, seafood, oh my)... the feeling you get after a hard day's work... the accents... the people... the architecture (if only we could have done to the Garden District... or could have seen the French Quarter during the day!)...

I was already planning on heading back over Spring Break and now I'm counting down the days. Some people on the trip asked me why I didn't just move down there; at the time I laughed it off, but now I'm starting to realize that they were genuinely asking and a little part of me is ever so tempted. With graduation rushing my way this May, it's just about the best time in my life to do something like that. Who knows what the future holds?

With this I bid adieu to blogging and I'm going to help myself so some of my homemade attempts at Cafe Du Monde's coffee with chicory and beignets (aka square funnel cakes). The trip may be over, but I'll be darned if I couldn't bring a little New Orleans home with me!

--LeeAnne