Heck List of Things Not Previously Known about New Orleans

10. How slow people walk in the South; at first it was really frustrating, as I would outpace my orientation leaders and co-workers by many feet. Then, the temperature started to skyrocket. Now, I understand.
9. Who Satchmo is; this name is thrown out all over the city, and on our very own Loyola campus. I now know that Satchmo refers to Louis Armstrong.
8. Bourbon Street kind of smells like a mix of alcohol, barf, and trash; not a huge surprise, but would have been nice to be forewarned about!
7. Jazz permeates everything; music is not just confined to the smoky lounges and bars of the French Quarter... It pipes through the speakers at the grocery store, we play it at all of our orientation events, companies use it as hold music for phone calls. Literally, it's everywhere. I love it!
6. Potholes; I thought Michigan's roads were the worst in America. I was wrong. I learned yesterday that U.S. states get money for enforcing the drinking age, and some of that money is directed toward road repair. Louisiana, home of the to-go cocktail and lack of open container laws, laughed at this for years apparently, meaning there are lots of roads in dire need of repair. Also, the streets in New Orleans proper are bordered by many large oak trees, whose roots don't like to be contained by sidewalks and pavement. It truly is a recipe for car destruction. Check out the New Orleans Pot Hole Patrol.
5. Mardi Gras is not the only time of year when you may be pelted in the face with plastic beads.
4. One word: Nutria . Gross.
3. "Late" does not translate well; New Orleanians are okay with taking their time. This includes staff and student leaders, much to my own dismay.
2. Open doors; Everyone here likes to hold the door for me. However, if I were to hold the door open for a man here, he will refuse to walk through it, and will wait for me to go first. Awkward, if you don't realize why you are having a stare-down contest with an elderly man who seems to be smiting you for your polite gesture- yup, that was me.
1. That the Big Easy was easy; I have actually adjusted really quick to life here. I have been able to cope with the heat, get around, and assimilate into Loyola's culture with relative ease. An occasional daquiri I am sure has helped with that, but for the most part livin's easy in Crescent City!