I've so much enjoyed serving the community in different ways this semester. Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity really made me think a lot about the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan, a time during which my family didn't have our own home for a little while. Thankfully, we were in a situation that enabled us to quickly get back on our feet and into a house that we would one day call home, but being able to help someone else get into a home of their own, and for some their first home, really meant a lot to me.

On a much lighter note, I also had the opportunity to volunteer at KIPP and help out an old sorority sister who is a teacher there! Her first graders provide enough hugs and smiles to brighten anyone's day. I plan on helping out her class regularly next semester and am very much looking forward to spending time with so many precious and bright college-bound scholars.

Community Service Hours Summary:
Habitat for Humanity: 24 Hours
KIPP: 6 Hours
Total: 30 hours

November sure was a busy month! Between friends and family coming to visit and Thanksgiving flying by, I can't believe it's already December and the semester is coming to a close. I was lucky enough this month to do some of my favorite things in the city: go to a Saints game and attend Poboy Fest, one of my all-time favorite New Orleans festivals (quite a feat, considering the fact that there are so many). It’s been a little harder to be a Saints fan this season as compared to other seasons, but I’m trying my best to stay optimistic for future games!

Thanksgiving was another great opportunity for me to learn about and enjoy all of the wonderful things the state of Louisiana has to offer. My grandparents live in a tiny town outside of Lafayette called Abbeville, where my mother and her siblings grew up. You drive through a few hours of sugar cane fields in order to finally reach a small cluster of buildings surrounded by other sugar cane fields. A few of the radio stations broadcasted mostly in Cajun French, which felt very much like being in a foreign country. However, if you’ve never tried boudin and/or cracklins, please stop whatever you are doing and attempt to find some. Two specialties of the Atchafalaya River basin that you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else, these are some of the tastiest (and fattening) foods I have ever tried. I ate so many cracklins that I made myself sick. I just couldn’t stop! Thankfully, the geographical distance that generally separates myself from the cracklin supply is substantial, so I think I can hold off until next Thanksgiving.  

The most beautiful October I have ever seen

This October has surely been a busy one!  My dad came in town and took me to a Saints game (Who Dat!), I participated in another Habitat for Humanity project, my mom came in town to visit, and we’re finishing up the month with New Orleans’s biggest holiday after Mardi Gras, Halloween (okay, so maybe the third biggest holiday if you count the time the Saints won the Super Bowl as one).

            The Habitat project I participated in this month was very different from the other projects we have participated in, where we helped build homes for people to eventually live in. This time, we worked in the warehouse, organizing tool sheds, testing power tools, and throwing away the tools and equipment that no longer worked. This definitely isn’t what most people think about when they think about volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, but definitely an area where lots of help is needed. Where they store all of the tools and equipment and building materials is definitely a very important part of Habitat, and without a functioning, organized, efficient warehouse, Habitat builds wouldn’t be possible.  Although very much a “behind the scenes” activity, we had a lot of fun. I learned what a lot of different power tools were and how they worked, and I have to admit, testing out saws and drills is kind of exhilarating. They make loud noises, are heavy, and in the right hands, can be very effective at doing lots of work. Maybe not my hands just yet, but one day!

            While that wasn’t a day to enjoy the beautiful weather we’ve been having, I surely have been taking advantage of all of this wonderful sunshine before “winter” comes to New Orleans. My mom and I spent lots of time last weekend walking all around the French Quarter and going to some of my favorite places, and trying out some of hers that are still around from when she was a nurse at Charity Hospital back in the day (Croissant D’or is always a winner). While enjoying the picture perfect day, my mom and I were discussing the medications she takes for hypothyroidism and blood pressure maintenance. I knew all about lisinopril and could tell her all about its mechanism of action. She had no idea that it was an ACE inhibitor or how exactly those work. It was really neat to be able to apply what I’ve been learning to casual daily conversation.

            I’m very much looking forward to this spring, when we will be learning about endocrine pharmacology. Thyroid malfunction runs in my family, and I was diagnosed with Graves Disease at fifteen. I have been fascinated with the thyroid and treating thyroid disorders ever since. Apparently there are issues with taking generic levothyroxine vs. brand name synthroid, and I very much look forward to learning more about what the differences between the two drugs are.

I have never volunteered with Habitat for Humanity before, but as a group, myself and other students from the Pharmacology Masters program at Tulane University participated in two builds this month. This was a great opportunity to not only give back to the community, but to get to know my classmates a little better. With three part-time jobs, I don't get many opportunities to spend time with my classmates outside of the lecture hall.

Taking a quick picture break from leveling dirt in the backyard at our first build. I call it a "service selfie".

Trying to recreate "American Gothic" with my new friend Trent.

A snapchat I received from one of our classmates of Zeinab working hard at the build.

Before starting the Masters Program, I assumed that many of my classmates would be like me, coming from an undergraduate career at Tulane, looking forward to continuing life in this great city. Little did I know that I would meet so many interesting people from all over the country (and world; we have one classmate from Canada and another from Senegal) who had never been to New Orleans before. Lucky for me, I love to show off my city and talk about it all of the time, especially to newcomers. It has been a lot of fun showing my new friends and classmates some of my favorite things to do in my favorite place in the world. 

Although I love taking new friends to some of my old favorite places, I've had fun exploring new activities with my classmates as well! I've driven for a few field trips to Hong Kong Food Market out in the West Bank, which is a great Asian-style grocery store. They also sell some of the tastiest (and cheapest at $3-4 per sandwich) banh mi in town! Between that and their crazy vegetable and produce selection, I seem to be going almost every weekend! I'm taking my dad there when he comes to visit in a few days. 

Another activity that I am now interested in along with a few classmates is yoga. I hostess at a John Besh restaurant near school, and one of the girls I work with there is a yoga instructor who teaches a class every Saturday at Jennifer Coolidge's (famous actress/comedian) historic garden district home. I've been busy the past few Saturdays, and my classmates have been going without me! I'm sad I can't make it every time, but I'm glad I can help my new friends find new activities and things to do that they like in my hometown. New Orleans is known for its hospitality, and I hope that I can help show the best parts of the city to some of its newest residents.