Outer Journey
I believe that my most interesting experience today
was the Old Ursuline Convent. The gentleman who gave the tour is what made the
tour. He wore high waisted kahki slacks with a belt, a plaid shirt and brown
dress shoes. I thought that the grounds of the convent were beautiful and kept
up well. There was bushes and plants that were trimmed nicely and had a design.
The convent was white with a gray roof. The inside of the convent was nice.
What really stood out to me on the appearance was how shiny the bricks were on
the floor. What I really wanted to do was climb the free-standing stairs and
explore the building even more. I wanted to see where the nuns slept and what a
personal room would look like. The wood work in this building was beautiful and
looked like it had been freshly stained. The whole building was clean and had a
new look to it. I wonder if this is what the walls and floors looked like when
the nuns lived there. Inside the alter was also beautiful. I thought the blue
ceiling above the alter was a wonderful idea. It made me think that there was a
purpose for the blue paint and that it opened up to the heavens above. It was
very peaceful.
The brown beams in one of the rooms that we toured reminded me of my home. We have beams that look like this in the living room of my home. There were 12 there and the cypress trees had to have been 200 years old when they were cut down because of the size that they were.
Below are a few pictures of statutes of nuns that were
significant to the Old Urseline Convent. These statues were located in the garden
of the convent.
Our tour guide went into great details of explaining
how the convent came to be and the great nuns who ran the establishment. I
thoroughly enjoyed his explanations. He explained how they were able to get a
new convent from the one that was given to them when they first arrived in the
United States. This was the first convent in the United States, and the nuns
that came to the convent were the first to arrive in the United States. Apparently,
the nuns tried to use the national government to help get what they want too,
even if it doesn’t work. The nuns wrote a president because they did not want
New Orleans to run a street in front of their property. But they were told that
the president would not be able to help in matters such as these because he can
not govern every matter in the United States and that they should seek the help
of their local government leaders. Overall, this was a pleasant experience for
me. I enjoyed that tour and the tour guide. I loved that this convent was
preserved and I hope that this will stay maintained and tours will be able to
happen for many more years to come.
Inner Journey
The homeless and their dogs are what spoke to me
today. I was saddened by that amount of people that were sitting out and
playing music. I was in disbelief at the number of dogs that were with these
people. Many appeared to be on drugs and I am just assuming but believe that it
is the drugs that have led them to the lifestyle that they are living. Or is it
the lifestyle that led to the drugs. Either way it hurts my heart. These are
someone’s children. Someone’s brother or sister. Someone’s mom or dad. They
play their instruments well and I am sure if they were the right circumstances
that these individuals would be hard workers. What options are out there for
these individuals in New Orleans? What can we give them? I know that I cannot,
but I want to take them all in, and feed and clothe them. I want to provide
showers. I want to help them get clean. I know that I cannot help them but
there has to be a better way of life for them. My other major concern was for
those poor puppies. I did not see one that looked happy. You can see in a dog’s
face when they are happy and well nourished. A dog will smile really big and
wag their tails a lot. My puppy gets so excited he starts wagging his tail so
much that it sounds like a big thud when it hits something. When it is time for
him to eat he also gets so excited and can barely contain himself when the food
is put out for him. He is so lively. I did not see one of these dogs get overly
excited by the sight of another person. I am sure that they are out there every
night and are just immune to the people who are walking by. Almost all of them
were laying down and did not look like they had very much energy. I also do not
think that I saw one bowl of water sitting out for these dogs. They get thirst
they get hungry. I am sure that they are used as a companion for the
individuals who are with them, but do not look like they are given what they
need. I know that I am unable to make a difference, but I will try to buy a
couple of cans of dog food prior to leaving New Orleans and hand them out to
the individuals with these dogs.
