I miss New Orleans

It's been a long while, at least 3 years, since I've had to write anything about who I am and what made me this way. Today I sat down to being writing my "Frames of Reference" paper and found it dificult to reflect on my childhood in New Orleans. I am truely heart broken and it hurts to write about places and people that are no longer there. New Orleans, the people, the city, the music, it all meant so much to me. I was born in Charity Hospital, grew up in the lower ninth ward, went to school at McDonogh 15 and Bradley Elementary(this one is gone)and spent hours upon hours walking Bourbon Street until my feet hurt. My mother worked on Bourbon Street and knew so many people. We were poor, really poor, as most are in NOLA, but when everyone is living the same poor existence, you learn to rejoice in the little things. The city brought us all together. Its a way of life, it has shaped my world and my life forever. I look at the world differently than those raised anywhere else in the world. There will be more to come, but for now, I gotta stop thinking bout the past and how it shaped my future as person and a professional.

Take a look at this website if you want-gives a first hand encounter from a New Orleans Teacher- after Katrina- Lil Wayne's influence... It can help us understand what its like to really jump right into a culture and let go of your frame of reference and get down to the nitty gritty with the students. "take away the football team, the basketball team, and all you got is me to represent New Orleans"...Weezy

http://www.oxfordamericanmag.com/content.cfm?ArticleID=390&Entry=CurrentIssue

As Lil Wayne says "born in New Orleans, raised in New Orleans, I will forever remain faithful New Orleans."

Here are some more articles that are crazy facinating. Both related to Crenshaw High in LA and intergrating rap music into education. I've thought about this for years...

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/may/07/local/me-hiphop7

http://articles.latimes.com/2003/jan/14/local/me-hiphop14