Wednesday, March 7, 2012

UNKNOWN YANKEE TERRITORY

As I prepare to leave home for an extended trip around the south, I’m feeling a little sad about being away from my home and friends for a few months. I’ve planned this trip for a long time now and I am excited about going but those sad feelings keep popping up.

I tell myself that I can cut the trip short if I get too homesick. It’s kinda like a mind game I play where I tell myself things to make it easier to leave home. I want to go but yet I wish I were back already. The weather here is so perfect for the beach and it calls out to me, distracting me from my planned journey.

Grand Isle State Park - May 2011

Grand Isle - September 2011

When I was younger, these feelings would never have been felt. I just wish I could have traveled more before reaching the age of retirement. I’m happy being at home now. It wasn’t always like that. However, now I’m fortunate to have a comfortable home with no one to cause any drama in my life. I’m in a pleasant daily routine and keep busy intellectually and with my hobbies as well. I’ve always wanted to travel... just not alone.

So, I leave in 4 days and the coach is ready to go. I’m really trying to concentrate on what I will be seeing and learning on this trip. I will be visiting some historic sites and attending some festivals and immersing myself in my own culture. That may sound strange but it is possible to have lived your life in a state that you are totally unfamiliar with. We have a saying down here in south Louisiana that anything north of Baton Rouge is Yankee territory... and you know what that means.

So I’m going to venture out into unknown Yankee territory and hope that they are friendly towards a Creole Lady traveling alone.

Inspired by my upcoming trip around my home state, I’ve decided to make a list of reasons why I live in south Louisiana. I’ll add to the list every day and we’ll see how many I can come up with by the end of my trip.  I'll place it at the bottom of my blog.  I've posted the first 5 and they are in no particular order.

I live in Acadiana

I live in Terrebonne Parish.