So I guess it's been three months since I've posted. Not sure if that's because I had too much going on, or if I just lost track of time. I am guessing it's more of the latter, as after 5 months living in New Orleans, my gauge for time has changed. Things in New Orleans don't seem to operate on a standard 24 hour clock. This can be annoying at times, and takes some getting used to, but in some ways I slid right in.
The plan to spend a summer in New Orleans came about by accident after I had a foot injury in late May. I wasn't too upset about that prospect, other than the fact that meant I lost all of my short term part time jobs and it is more difficult to find tenants in the sweltering summer months. Through the wine store, however, I was set up with a temporary job where I could stay off my feet, in a law office in Metairie, a suburb of NOLA. At first, I really liked it. There is something about an office job that tends to be a mystery to teachers. The main idea- they get to GO TO LUNCH! I know, it sounds silly, almost ridiculous, really. But the idea that someone can leave the building to meet a friend for lunch, or plan a doctors appointment during their lunch break is a small....freedom. Within a week I was offered the job full time with benefits, and at about that same time, I was absolutely bored with answering phone calls and taking messages, and the commute was making me crazy. Fortunately, the lawyers at the firm were wonderful people,so I will never question, "well, maybe if such and such were in place, it would be a better fit." No, I am just not an office girl.
I found a tenant for the month of July, Jennifer from New Mexico. She is a grad student at University of Texas at Austin, and was doing research on music. We were a perfect match from the beginning. We met new people, and ended up on a short road trip to the Gulf of Mexico. We laughed at the idea of going to the beach in the Gulf, after spending so much time on West Coast beaches. But sure enough, once we hit the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama (who knew there was beach there?!), it was unbelievable. White sand beaches and turquoise water that was tame and warm enough to swim in was the backdrop for our adventure. It was absolutely stunning.
After Jennifer went back to Texas, I really put the feelers out to find someone to rent out my entire apartment. I had at least a month of things I wanted to do in California before I even entertained the thought of anything international. (California trip to come in another blog- maybe by December? HAHA)
But it was summer, and nobody wants to move to New Orleans during the sweltering heat of August so it took some time to find someone trustworthy to rent my home. Kati, the producer for Disney's The Imagination Movers, moved in mid-August. She signed the 7 month lease two hours before my plane left for California! I was relieved! But then the strangest thing happened. I got to the airport, and all I could do was cry. I just gave someone my home. This is what I wanted right? To not have anything to babysit? To be free to travel? To be free of any itinerary at all??
On Being Fed
So I spent my first hour on the plane with my iPod in hand, scrolling through song after song, trying to find the one that perfectly described my emotions. It was cliche and pathetic, and hysterically funny at the same time. I just sat with my journal, not exactly knowing what to write, not exactly sure of what I was feeling or wanting. So I made a list. I'm good at lists. They're not emotional, non-committal ways of emptying my brain onto paper so I can maneuver my thoughts into some sort of pattern.
I wrote on the top of the page: Reasons I want(ed) to travel. And then it went something like this.....experience new things, learn a new language, be exposed to new ways of living, learn about social and cultural events and festivals, eat food I've never eaten before, be away from my 'norm' so I can have some headspace to think about what's next for me when I'm done with this 'leave of absence', meet new people who live differently than I do, slow down, live by my own clock and the list went on and on. Something clicked, then, as I realized that most of these things, I've been fed by living in New Orleans.
I thought about my typical morning, first being gently woken up by the sound of the horse and buggy going down my street, moving into the real awakening as all of the dogs in the neighborhood start to howl when they hear the vegetable peddler, Mr. Okkra, sing about his wares. "I got watermelon, I got corn, I got eatin pairs, I got the mango." What time did that happen anyway? Was it ever the same time from one day to the next? And what's with people wearing money pinned to their shirts on their birthdays, and what's it mean when my friend asked me, "Oh it's your birthday? What'd you make?" And how did I get all of these jobs where I call them and say, "I can work Friday, but I won't be here for the month of July. But I'll see you in August, ok?"
And that's how it came to be that I realized I didn't need a long arduous journey to experience all of these things. I have been experiencing them the whole time. This made me both happy and sad at the same time. But mostly, relieved. I'm a drifter and a dreamer, and I doubt that will ever change. I still plan on taking a trip internationally, to grasp onto those few things that I wasn't fed here in New Orleans ( I say here, because I am back, just living in a different place than my own), but not for quite as long, and not with the same list of expectations.
So what's next? is the usual question at this point, and my answer remains the same- continue doing what I'm doing until it doesn't work anymore. Maybe that'll be a week, maybe 6 months, maybe a lifetime. One of my biggest lessons I've been lucky enough to have the time to learn is to not worry about what it means in the end. Just enjoy it while it's happening now.
So I sign off to go enjoy the lifestyle I have here right now, no promises, no commitments, but lots and lots of interesting tales, people, and cultural experiences. Don't wait til I've 'settled down' to take a trip out here. Not sure that's the kind of thing that will happen for quite some time, if ever. I'm settled with myself- like a turtle or a snail, I have my home on my back, and so much support that this will doesn't scare me. I can't promise a bed or a couch for a while, but I can promise an excellent time.
I tried to upload just a few photos, but it isn't working. If you would like to sift through my album, please visit:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccaLrobinson/NewOrleansSummer2007
Take care, be well, and I look forward to seeing you all at some point in the very near future.
