Catie - Home

New Orleans rings off the beautiful sound of home
home is being in a familiar, comfortable place, with the presence of peace
peace is being at rest in ones' heart
heart continues to allow one to put effort and "heart" forth in whatever they are doing or trying to achieve
achieve is when one has finally reached their set goal
goal is to become at peace with oneself at home
home is when one finds their way back to God
God is always with us, and New Orleans has the heart and soul to display this through its traditions, friendly community, and sense of togetherness
this is home

Catie, age 16

Bizzy - Home

 New Orleans is just a place, really a geographically inconvenient one if we’re going to be honest. As a home though, it’s different than other cities. They say that once you live in New Orleans, you never really leave. It’s like a fly trap in that way, instead of tempting bugs in with tasty nectar and then slowly digesting them, New Orleans temps tourists with promises of parties and fun, and surprises those who stay long enough to witness all the different levels of good times that it has to offer. People who really call New Orleans home know that it has so much more to it than what can be found on that one particularly famous street in the French Quarter. Those who know what it means to miss New Orleans understand the unique way that we treat each other, like everybody is one another’s friend. For true New Orleanians, home is not just a place; it is the people as well. Even though our city is sprawling, crawling, seeping out from the heart in Jackson Square, we are all connected, courteous, familial. People like to say that home is where your family is, but when you are in New Orleans, family is never very far. 

Bizzy, age 17

Katie - Home

When you look around, you can see that New Orleans has many homes.

The iron balcony apartments, St. Charles mansions, shotgun houses, the
street that houses every person in a family, the Iberville projects,
and the middle class suburbs. Each with a different style- French,
Spanish, or just plain "run down". But you can find these anywhere in
the world really.

These homes are not what home means in NOLA. The people living in them
are home.

Home means never apologizing for talking with improper grammar, for
eating way too much seafood, or for missing a day of school or work
for jazz fest. Home means saying hello or smiling to someone you pass
in the street. People who call this place Home let that New Orleans
culture live in them body and soul. This is why New Orleans is not
defined by the buildings or the houses, but by the people and their
background. The people of NOLA are home.

Katie, age 16

Annie - Home

Home

“New Orleans proud to call it home” this saying on bumper stickers that are on cars across the city shows that New Orleans is a special place. Calling New Orleans home isn’t quite like the other places that people call home. Home for New Orleanians is a bond with the other people from our city. It’s the loving family atmosphere between everyone no matter who you meet. Home is the oneness a person feels with everyone when they are together for a crawfish boil, the joyfulness listening to great music at our multiple festivals. Home for us in New Orleans means we are here and together having a good time and being happy. Home is truly where the heart is and every New Orleanians heart is here. No matter where you are New Orleans is there in your heart as our home. 

Annie, age 16

Caroline - Home

If you were to ask a New Orleans resident what home means to them

Their answer would most likely be along the lines of

The memories to be cherished and the traditions that never disappear

New Orleans is a place of unique culture that you will never forget

The community that we are surrounded by makes us grateful

And when asked if there is another place that they would live

Their answer would be no

Because the unforgettable atmosphere is nothing you will experience

If you lived anywhere else

Caroline, age 16

Catherine - Home

The city of New Orleans

becomes a home to any who enters it.

The call of “hey y’all” becomes our signal.

The smell of fried seafood becomes our weakness,

and the shade of an old oak tree becomes our safe haven.

Here, strangers are our friends.

Here, time slows to nothing, yet slips away like nowhere else.

Here, young or old,

if you want to eat, you better get peeling.

Here is where it doesn’t matter if we’re hot or tired

because if the houses are still standing, we stand together with them.

Catherine, age 16

Leira - Rhythm

The rhythm of New Orleans
That funny feeling in your chest
When you hear that music playing
On the corners of the Quarter
Jazz and Blues, Gospel and Soul
Classic sounds of South

Saxophones and trumpets
Guitars and drums
All kinds of intruments
Played by the mouths and hands of all ages
The old and experienced
The young and creative
Bringing life to these streets
Centuries old but immortal
From the music played before us

The rhythm of New Orleans
Pure joy running in your veins
Pumped throughout your body
The beat of the music infectious
The rhythmic beat of the drums
Matching the rhythm of your heart

Leira, Age 17

Chelsea - Home

Home is where the heart is
Close to me
Comfort in the caring arms
A part of me
A place that I can call home

Chelsea, age 16

Jackie - Home

Home to New Orleanians is the environment that they live in.

This certain environment of ours is unique,

Special, and

Practically beyond words.

Many think that New Orleans is a completely different country.

As a result, it's difficult for some

To feel at home in any other place than sweet old New Orleans.

What makes a home a home is the environment in which it exists. 

Jackie, age 16