GOOD TIMES MARTINI

This past Tuesday I turned 21, the last “good” birthday, and as my friend, Adam, sarcastically wrote on my Facebook wall, “Sucks that you had to celebrate your birthday in New Orleans. I don't even think there are bars there. Oh well, hope it was good anyway.” Though I had the opportunity to mark my big day on the likes of Bourbon Street and various bars and happy hours, my experience at Hookah Café on Frenchmen Street ranks as the best day of my birthday week. Whether it was the people there or the general ambience of the location, the night was fun beyond words. It was marked by many laughs (“Let me focus like a laser beam until the saxophone player starts playing”), good music (supplied by the one and only Troy Sawyer), and good people.

Until that night, my perception of college social life was limited to the typical bar scene or club. I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy my time spent dancing to such sweet tunes as “Wannabe” by Spice Girls with my friends, but it was a narrow-focused idea of fun. Since starting college, I have viewed socializing under the context of drinking as the norm, and I will unabashedly say that my college experience would seem incomplete without it because I would not have the friends or memories I do now. Though I always knew that there was more to college social life than late night cheese fries/Cosmic Cantina, PhotoHunt, and Shoots, July 19, 2008 marks the day I fully realized the classic simplicity behind good times.

Good Times Martini

Ingredients:
1 part Good people
1 part Good music
.5 part Legalized fun (e.g. hookah) - Optional

Directions:
Prepare a shaker full of ice, then add Good people, next add the Good music, next add the Legalized fun. Shake for half a minute or so. You should get a mild meringue on top when you pour.

WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT ME

As Sunday approached and arrived, I realized it was once again time to blog and as usual, I struggled to arrive upon a subject worthy of consideration. As I sat at Rue de la Course (a quaint, coffee shop located on Magazine Street) with others from the program, I asked out loud, “What should I write about?” “Me!” was the emphatic response from the three people closest to me. I figured those replies warranted an entry on the diverse individuals I have had the pleasure of getting to know these past six weeks. Ashley said it was odd that no one had written about the people on the program, so I guess I will be a pioneer and explore the many personalities encountered on the 6th floor. Of course what I write will merely be basic character summaries, but hopefully, I can expand on them as my time in NOLA comes to an end.

My first interaction with everyone on DukeEngage NOLA was at our group’s workshop. Upon seeing them sitting around eating Dillo, I thought to myself, “This summer will suck.” I thought this because I did not personally know any of the people around me besides Shantel. They were strangers, just faces I had sometime seen walking to class, eating at the Loop, or studying in Perkins. However, as my close proximity to New Orleans these past few weeks has led me to embrace the city, my close proximity to those once-strangers has led me to embrace them as friends.

I would like to preface the following summaries by saying that I have the utmost respect for everyone on this program and that nothing I write below is meant to be sarcastic or offensive.

To be continued...

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Every week I struggle to choose a topic or theme on which I should focus my blog entry because there is the need to not only give my NOLA experience justice, but also the desire to entertain those who may happen upon my thoughts. Therefore, the more exciting the week, the more choices I have and thus, the more time is required to decide which subject provides the “right” fit (aka "What is the flavor of the week?"). This past week, I had the following options:

1) Health-care policy discussion (Pre-K & Post-K) over Thursday night dinner at Dr. Bronfin’s
2) Education policy in New Orleans over an alligator sausage po-boy and sweet potato fries
3) Friday night at the Superdome for Essence Fest ‘08
4) My thoughts on DukeEngage at the halfway mark of the program

During my free time, I often start blog entries, but whether it is due to time restraints or my general ADD behavior, the entries rarely see their endings. Therefore, I am left with fragments of sentences, thoughts, and experiences, making my time in New Orleans seem disjointed and incomplete.

In a way, I do believe my NOLA experience is incomplete. It’s shocking to me that I have finished my fifth week of DukeEngage. Where have the past five weeks gone? What work do I have to show for my time here? Who have I helped? I find this particular question alarming. I have seen little physical evidence of the work I meant to accomplish, and I fear my goals for why I came to New Orleans will be unfilled by summer’s end. As fun as it has been to see the historic sites and experience the rich culture, I feel there has been an unfair exchange between the Crescent City and me. Whereas I’ve gained a wide range of knowledge about the history, food, and people, I feel my contribution has been close-handed and insignificant in comparison. Since my visit post-Katrina my freshmen year, I have yearned to come back to see how much or little the city and its neighboring areas have changed. Upon learning of DukeEngage, I immediately applied to satisfy not only my curiosity, but also my interest in helping a beleaguered city get back on its feet.

During the dinner discussion at Dr. Bronfin’s house this past Thursday, the talk turned to how the role of local doctors has changed due to Katrina, the lack of primary care physicians and specialists, and the ineffectual method of reimbursing healthcare providers. The only factor I can impact is the second; it is well-known fact throughout the medical community that almost every health-related profession will show a shortage within the next ten years. Due to this statistic, Ochsner’s Knowledge Management (KM) and Academic Outreach (AO) programs has entrusted me to develop an online career exploration program to encourage local middle and high school students to pursue medical-related careers. The first step involves creating a collection of mini-videos highlighting different health-based jobs (e.g. medical coder, pediatrician, physical therapist), which will be available online. These videos will profile individuals from the hospital talking about their day-to-day activities, their career influences, and their occupational goals. Ultimately, the hospital hopes that providing students with an easy portal for healthcare knowledge will provide hope for a brighter future and inspire students to aspire for something bigger and greater than what they thought was possible.

This program is still in its early stages, and although I have interviews set up and understand it will take time to get this project off the ground, I cannot help feeling anxiety about its completion and success. I’m flattered that KM and AO believe in my abilities to effectively complete the videos, but I also know that a large portion of the project’s success relies on how well I make all the parts come together as a whole. Although it is impossible to say if local students will watch these mini-videos and gain motivation, something is better than nothing. Even if I learn that only one student was influenced by my work, then it will all be worth it. Yet, I still feel restless. I believe in “Seeing is believing,” so until I see the finished project, I do not see my worries going away. Eh! Responsibility is really a double-edged sword.