The city of
New Orleans is a suspended land hanging in the middle of a body of water. It is the levee system that surrounds the city protecting it from floating. It is a city that you will experience different bodies of water, from river to lake to canal. Lake Pontchartrain is to the north of the city,
Mississippi River hugging the city from the south, and a number of canals branching from these two bodies of water. It sounds an unlikely place to live, but yet, I still want to be in this city.
For one of my seminar classes, we all went to the Mississippi River to get on Natchez River Boat. Upon boarding the boat, I suddenly felt something. I didn’t know what it was, but it was something that I had never experienced before. It might be the fact that this was my first time taking a boat tour. It might be the smell of the river. It might be the hot humid weather.
Sitting at the edge of the boat listening to the narration of the tour was really interesting. I learned a lot of facts that I didn’t know about landscape of the Mississippi River. I learned that the silts from the flooding of the river would compress under their own weight and sink. The next flood would rebuild the silts, creating a natural levee that protects the city. I also learned that both sides of the river are partially shaped by hurricanes. But for me, it is the people and the activities in this river shape it. It is not the land on both sides of the river creating the landscape, but the activities within the river create it.
Even though the Mississippi went through a number of disasters, I noticed that people still come back to this river. It is the people who have the potential to rebuild their city and their river because they depend on it so much as a part of their daily lives. The river is a means of receiving and shipping goods for the people of New Orleans and is represented in the products they use on a regular basis. They use the river as a site for their industrial factories ranging from warehouses to barges sitting at the edge of the river. The river is also a recreational site attracting the tourists and the locals alike. I noticed two extreme surfaces on each sides of the river, one is filled with high rises and the other is filled with horizontal housing. Connecting these two surfaces are boats and ferries that carry people, bikers, and cars back and forth.
During the tour I met a tourist on the boat. He was talking about his unique feeling about the city of New Orleans. He was fascinated by the food, the music, and the people here in New Orleans. He compared New Orleans to his home town Paris. He said: “I am from France and this is the French Quarter, yet I see they are very different.” The one comment that he made looking very shocked “Look at this city, are we really under sea level?” This statement made a strong impact in my own mind. I realized that the people of this city are not worried by the fact that they are living under sea level, but instead they are facing it and living it. The opportunities presented by the water surrounding New Orleans are more stimulating than the fear of it.
1 comment:
Alwan,
The very first line of your entry really packs a punch! It’s quite poetic.
I appreciate your argument that people shape the river. A very astute observation that speaks to its development as an industrial waterway. I also appreciate your observation that although NO is below sea level, the opportunities afforded by this place are more stimulating than the fear of it. I think this is very true.
When you state that the people of NO use the products that enter its port, you can even take this further to state that the entire country depends on the port. For example, 50% of the coffee consumed in the entire US comes through New Orleans’ port! Doing some research on these statistics might add to the story.
Can you elaborate on your observation that the surfaces of the 2 sides of the river differ? It’s a perceptive observation, but can you make some guesses or research the implication of this difference? In general, this is a good rule of thumb for every observation you make: going that extra step of saying WHY the observed fact is important will give your writing more impact.
A minor point:
1. Just like in architecture, saying something is “really interesting” is kind of empty. It’s not very descriptive. Be more specific and we will then understand why it is interesting.
There are still grammatical errors and some awkward phrasing, but overall, much improved from the last blog. I think the writing is a huge leap forward from the last entry.
Finally, I enjoy that you are stating very clearly what you are learning while being here. It is obvious from the piece that you are taking things in.
Thank you for writing this piece.
Liz
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