nomadicnate

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

USA | Friday, September 9, 2011 | 5 photos

Life in New Orleans is all about soul. In fact, you can't turn a corner in the Crescent City without discovering something relating to the soul. The scent of soul food, filled with butter, grease, and flavor, teases people on every street. Music that lifts the soul wafts out of every two-bit jazz joint in the Quarter. Cemeteries built to preserve the soul (or at least its memory) rise up like miniature cities throughout every major neighborhood.

My fascination with the soul drew me to New Orleans to experience all the famous city had to offer, and from the moment I landed at Louis Armstrong International Airport, I felt the power of the New Orleans soul. After Katrina, New Orleanians rebuilt their city with a pride that only those who have visited the city can comprehend. The foodies and the musicians came back; the street artists kept painting; and the priests and pastors never stopped caring. These manifestations of a true soul are what make New Orleans a fascinating place.

As I travel anywhere, I seek out the opportunities to discover what tourists don't see. Just as clothes don't make the man, popular tourist districts don't make a city - the hard working, fun-loving, God-fearing people do. These are the people and places I seek. I photograph. I love.

Though I've traveled only a few places in my young life, I hope for a future as a travel writer and photographer so I can share every corner of the globe with others. Just like the New Orleanians, I hunt for opportunities to share my soul and the souls of those places to, in, and throughout which I travel. As a citizen of the world, I have an obligation to do so.