Its January!

Hello friends, it’s the first month of the New Year! It’s hard to believe I have already spent 4 months in the city of New Orleans. Time really flies! I've learned a lot about pharmacology and treating patients in a clinical setting, more than I could imagine. I've also made a lot of great friends. However, as I was reflecting on my first semester over the holiday break, I realized something. I may have amassed a large amount of scientific and clinical knowledge, but I didn't really know the city of New Orleans. I got a sense for the New Orleans creole flair, but I didn't really know much about the culture, the best places to eat, or get coffee. I hadn't even seen the city's biggest attractions, like the world-renowned WWII museum. So, this semester, in addition to completing community service and interacting with the people of New Orleans, I am going to make it a point to really explore the city of New Orleans and acquaint myself with its unique cultural identity.

This month, I haven’t done any community service yet. However, I had a chance to eat at Antoine’s, a famous restaurant in New Orleans that has been open and family run since the 1840s. Its one of the oldest independently owned restaurants in the United States. Through its 100 years of existence, they restaurant has done a good job maintaining the traditional décor and design it had in its early years. I felt like I was taking a walk back in time when I visited. My friends and I also had the chance to go on a tour of the restaurant and its multiple rooms. The most interesting window back in time was the entrance to the speakeasy in the women’s restroom. Men would use this entrance to drink alcohol on the sly during the prohibition era. I read about these hush-hush rooms in my history classes, but this was the first time I got to see one. It was exciting! As I finish up my Master’s Degree this semester in New Orleans, I look forward to more of these adventures back in time!

Total hours for the Semester: 0