“This is a State of Emergency.” New Orleans, Louisiana: the home of jazz, creole cuisine, and little ‘ol me. Well, as of 10 years ago. One month and a few days shy of my eighth birthday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall, not only ruining countless cities, but also destroying homes, businesses, lives, and displacing families—mine included.
Being a little girl in an even smaller city was as convenient as you’d probably expect: any and all family members were at most 10 minutes away, with my favorite cousins and grandparents living just around the corner for comfort. Straight A’s were all I’ve ever known throughout school, as the Honor Roll is something I still hold fond memories of. Life seemed pretty simple, right? Of course. Although I was still young, I was just old enough to realize that, as this storm touched down, returning to the life I’ve once known was close to impossible—and I was mortified. As we followed government orders and packed what was a couple of weeks worth of clothes, we took to the road toward the beginning of the rest of our lives.
As we inched closer to our home in Houston, I quickly felt the “culture shock” without even knowing there was even a phrase for it. Transitioning from a predominately African American city to one of many different walks of life was slightly exciting, but also terrifying in every sense of the word. As a child, the eagerness I once had to go to school was quickly replaced with sleepless nights and anxiety each morning, as competing with different people of different cultures was something I couldn’t grasp quite yet. I even questioned why I started getting B’s (psh, perfectionist)! Little did I come to know, what I thought was a setback turned into a lesson of resilience in the face of adversity.
Months passed. We moved out of our rental house into a newly built home of our own. My love for school and interacting with my peers returned. Years passed. I formed friendships that I would grow to cherish for the rest of my life, both in school and out. I took up hobbies and started to find my niche. As time continued to move forward, I realized that this was it. This is home. I am happy. What was once the big unknown became a new way of life, something that I wouldn’t change for absolutely anything. Homesick, all of my family moved back to the Crescent City, as my mom, dad, little brother and I continued to make traditions of our own, teaching me that home is definitely wherever your heart is.
Currently writing this as a college freshman in San Antonio, I reflect on how blessed I am for past experiences, current memories in the making, and the many ones to come. Some people have one home. Some have more than 10. These circumstances do not separate the strong from the weak, but make us all beautifully unique. Both Louisiana and Texas hold a deep place in my heart, as I have made family in these neighboring states. Growing up through the biggest trial of my life has certainly been an experience that you couldn't pay me to change, showing me that things will, in fact, be okay in the end. Who knew that the third strongest hurricane ever recorded would turn into the biggest blessing ever experienced?
