Rebekah's Two Weeks

So it has been roughly fourteen days since I have completely upturned my entire life to move in with four complete strangers, and I have never felt as sure in a decision until now. We have been sent out to our charities, and for the last few days I have been orienting to the Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans (DCSNO). http://www.dcsno.org/
This is a completely different kind of nursing to me, as I have been a nurse in the hospital for the last 2 years. It is really interesting to see the type of holistic care and the dedication the staff has placed into providing this care. I find it very encouraging.

I have only been at DCSNO since Wednesday, so it is hard to say how exactly I feel so far. I almost feel full of information. In the last couple of days, I have learned an seen so much. I am trying to keep it all straight, but like any first time at a job, it will take some getting used to.

Speaking of adjustments, having roommates is another thing I haven't had in a while. And having more than one is something I haven't had since college! Not only are we all coming from different geographic locations, but we also have very different diets. This is going to create somewhat of a challenge since we have to shop for food together. But it is easily something we can work out. We just have to figure out how to shop to live simply, which will take some work finding out what everyone likes or doesn't like and what corners we feel can be cut to save some extra cash.

One of my favorite experiences so far was going to the Jazz Mass at St. Augustine's. There are hardly words to describe the soul moving music combined with the liturgy. It was pretty amazing to see what a positive effect music can bring into all our lives. If anyone came to New Orleans around the time of one of these masses, I would tell them to go no matter what their religion. The entire church was packed, and although there was no air conditioning on the hot Louisiana Sunday, everyone stayed until the Jazz band marched out the front door. They held the Jazz Mass for the Satchmo Festival. New Orleans holds this festival in remembrance of Louis Armstrong.

I can't help but think that this is definitely the path God has chosen for me. The other three girls here are pretty cool. I was a bit afraid that they would be very different from me, and in many ways they are. We all get along pretty well, and I think that is a really good thing. I think we all ended up here because of different reasons, and though we all have our own experiences and backgrounds, we are all supposed to be here. I am really looking forward to this year and the adventures and experiences to come!