Day 1: The Recap

5:15am
Arrive at airport

6am
Find out we could have slept later

6:30
...much later

9am
Arrive in Memphis and discover the gate at which we were deposited, a half hour later than anticipated, is two airport lengths from our already-boarding flight.

12:30pm Arrive at the hotel with Jorah, Mataya, Devin, and Tony, and some of their luggage. We decided to leave the rental car place with Becky behind us, otherwise the students would miss the tour--a very important overview of the city.

1pm
We boarded the tour bus, and had a great tour. Everyone was relieved we would be stopping for some quick takeout, as it had been some time since we'd eaten!

4:30pm
Arrived back at the hotel, and had a much needed break to unpack!

6pm
We went to Tippitina's Uptown for the weekly Fe Do-do. Bruce Daigrepont's Cajun beats filled the hall, and the 50 or so people who weekly arrive at 5pm to dance were already reeling around the dance floor!

Junior-High-dance-style, we all sat along one side of the dance floor in folding chairs. Everybody danced eventually, and Tony even discovered his true calling: washboard musician!

7:45pm
Dinner Break!

9:45pm
We left for our second musical epiphany of this loonnnnnng first day: to see tue Hot 8 Brass Band at Wolf's Den.

By now, dear reader, you may be questioning the pedagogy behind the music, but the first venue was to bathe in real local culture--one where cake and ice water are the prevailing vices, contrary to the NOLA first-timer's view that there is nothing beyond Bourbon Street. But the Wolf's Den was so our student Tony could meet up with one of his desired subjects for his documentary film on Brass. By this last late, but incredibly rewarding, musical wonderment, our numbers had dwindled to two students, Becky, and me. Becky and I were exhausted. But I'll tell you, there's a reason there's a brass band at every funeral. That music lifts you up.

12:30pm
Some late-night blogging and catching up via email with our mortal lives, we all probably had the most restful and sound sleep we can remember in recent history!