Our Thursday Team Bloggers are Rachael Naumann & Stacey Rupolo

The day started normally… at 6 o’clock we dragged our worn out bodies out of bed and down to the cafeteria for breakfast, then shipped out to the work site for our final contribution to Ferry Place. Work went by quickly. We completed the foundation, which we have been working on since Tuesday, and before we knew it we were saying goodbye to the Rhino staff, site managers, and Canadians. As a farewell parting, we had a national anthem face off. Needless to say, the Americans, with five patriotic anthems to choose from, schooled the Canadian forces.










Next stop, the hotel, to get ready for Le Krewe d’état (a political satire parade, which is a play on words of le coup d’état). We stopped at the church to grab some snacks, which consisted of single servings of chips and cookies for some to party sized chip bags for others. After a laborious walk to the parade ground, our group found an acceptable spot to sit and wait for the parade to begin. As it grew darker and darker, the anticipation for the first floats to appear grew more noticeable. Within the hour, horses, banners, police cars, and torch wielding men began to congregate throughout the street. And the parade began.

It was a phenomenal spectacle that opened our eyes to what the spirit of New Orleans really meant. People were shouting, jumping, throwing beads, and thoroughly enjoying themselves amidst the chaos and commotion. As more and more floats went by, the enthusiasm and excitement of collecting beads was rampant among the group members and many were practically fighting for them. By the end of the night each person had racked up enough beads to match their body weight. Once the magic of the parade had faded and our hunger and coldness took over, we made our way to an amazing pizza parlor called Reginelli’s.





This Matt Van Houten who was on last year's team and is now at Tulane.






We stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the many locals who were enjoying their dinner, but it was well worth it. The food was delicious, and the day could not have ended on a better note.