Bookpackers™

A goose stands searching for food at the bank of a pond. This little pond is just one aspect of City Park that the students got to explore.

The front doors of William Frantz public school stands looming over its onlookers. This was the site of the infamous Ruby Bridges story in which a six year-old child paved the way for the overturn of Plessy V Ferguson.

Students stand surrounding a sign posted in front of a school. This sign explains the event that prompted the desegregation of schools.

Cole and Aidan stand in the street in the “Music Village,” of New Orleans. In this area all of the homes are colorful and vibrant and there is a music school as well as a music themed park.

Kamryn sits at the bank of a pond looking out onto the swans swimming by. This was the groups adventure to Audubon Park in which they strolled along the trails and nestled up into a gazebo for their seminar.

Rows upon rows and shelves upon shelves of literary greatness fill the walls of Faulkner House of Books. At one point in the authors time, William Faulkner lived in this very location which gave way to the name.

Aidan sits fixed on Professor Chater listening to the daily seminar. Chater’s seminar today was focused on Literary New Orleans which sparked a riveting discussion of all the literary “Greats,” who once lived in New Orleans.

Simone stands on the porch of the “Big House,” on the Whitney Plantation. Earlier that day Simone bought a pin that said “I am my ancestors biggest dream.”

The students clamor around the tour guide to learn the history of the Whitney Plantation. This portion of the tour gave students the opportunity to look into a slave cabin and what life was like for people of enslavement.

Sultan’s Palace, or Sultan’s Retreat stands tall in the evening light. Sultan’s palace was described on a group Ghost Tour. It is said that the Sultan was buried alive by a group of hitmen hired by his brother back in the 19th century and his body still remains in the courtyard today.

The cemetery remains closed to visitors, unobstructed by human interaction and graced with the natural falling of winter leaves. This is one of the most enticing cemeteries to visit in New Orleans because of it’s out of the ground grave sites and beautifully constructed tombs.

Kiki sits on a stoop, sketching, waiting for the streetcar to the Garden District. Kiki is an architecture major who loves to sketch in the beauty of the city.

A plantation style home stands guarded by a white picket fence in the Garden District of New Orleans. The Garden District is known as the wealthy neighborhood of New Orleans since the 19th century.

Andrew stands lecturing the group in front of a streetcar stop. This was the group’s first outing with the use of a streetcar to the Garden District.

A face mask covered in vibrant beading stands atop a full body costume. These costumes are a blend of African American and Native American culture that plays tribute to their intertwined past. These costumes are so ornate that they take a full year to make because of the complex beading, which are then worn only on five occasions by those that make the costumes.

Simone stands in Louis Armstrong Park in front of a live oak tree. Live oaks are a popular tree that defines the southern landscape, even more importantly in New Orleans.

A statue of a diety of the VooDoo Culture stands strong with an offering of a $1 bill. At this point in the book packing explorations, was filled with Voodoo and Vampires. This woman was just one of the many pieces that make up the entirety of the VooDoo culture.

Simone walks across a street in the French Quarter. In this area of New Orleans, there is a wide variety of architecture in an array of colors.

A member of Southern University band plays trombone alongside a band of about eight others. This group played for over an hour in the scorching heat right outside Jackson Square in the French Quarter.

A display of various pharmaceuticals line shelves and cabinets at the Pharmacy Museum in the French Quarter. The Pharmacy Museum documents the medications, medical tools, and medical procedures that were prominent within the last three centuries.

An alligator swims through the water blowing bubbles. As the tour guide was feeding the alligators marshmallows, this little guy was left out. In an attempt to get the tour guide to notice him and a slight huff of frustration, the alligator snorted, making a wave of bubbles around himself.

Ciena holds a baby alligator with its’ mouth taped shut. Aboard the swamp boat at Cajun Pride Swamp Tours, each student got the change to hold a baby alligator.

An alligator lays on a swamp bank basking in the sun with its mouth open. While the alligators look almost fake and staged, it is only when they move can you tell they are real. Alligators open their mouths in order to cool down just life a dog. It is a form of panting that these reptiles do.

A boat drifts through the waters of the swamp. As part of the Maymester journey, students were able to experience a swamp tour filled with a variety of animals including gators, hogs, raccoons, and other native mammals.

An alligator jumps up from the swampy water to devour a bite to eat. The group of Bookpackers learned that alligators can jump 2/3 of their length out of the water.

Mr. Jack stands in the Downtown Jeaux Coffee Shop in Houma, LA. Mr. Jack is a regular at this little spot, where he always gets a root beer float, and a longtime resident of Houma, LA. He greeted the students with a smile and an array of stories to share. Meanwhile the owner of the shop treated the students to a round of beignets fresh from the oven.

Francesca is walking through the sand of the Grand Isle beaches. During this time, we took all of our portraits on the island during “Golden Hour,” and were simultaneously devoured by bugs.

Simone sits on the porch swing in the Grand Isle reading The Awakening. The first four days of Bookpacking was spent in a holiday house on the Louisiana coast.

Kamryn and Simone stand together smiling on the Grand Isle coast. This is one of the many opportunities that the group had to bond and truly relax.