Prior to departing for this trip to the states, I shared the difficulty I was having in leaving here once more. I chalked it up to just not wanting to go and leave here, but on the plane to New Orleans I discovered it was so much more. During that summer of 2005 prior to the levee breaks, I sat on the porch swing on my terrace with my friends Joan and Sue. We were talking about my upcoming interviews in the UK, my place here in France, my house in New Orleans, and the direction my life might be taking. Sue turned to me at one point and said: "Why would you keep your house in New Orleans if you'll be working in the UK and you have this place here?" I remember railing at that question and saying: "I could never get off the plane and not go home to Columbus Street." About that, I was very clear...at least for a few more months.
On the plane from CDG to New Orleans, I was having a wonderful conversation with my seat mate Maya. Maya was from Honduras, and knew New Orleans well. Our conversation turned (as these conversations do) to the storm and conditions five years later. Our love for the City and our ongoing sadness over the events were shared. And then, there it was out of the blue: "This is the first time in the five years since the storm, that I have flown directly into New Orleans from France." As my British friends would say, I was "bloody blown away"! Here I was five years later, and only now flying directly into New Orleans for the first time. That, then conjoured the number of times I got out of planes and rental cars in New Orleans over that last five years somewhere other than Columbus Street. I'm not sure what it is about this five year mark for me. Sitting on that porch swing with my friends and digging in my feet about New Orleans then, is sure a long way away for me from my New Orleans now...never in a million years!
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