In Louisiana you look out side and you see trees and beautiful birds and the sun bringing everything to life. The state is literally bursting with life. Sometime when I leave for school there is a blue heron on the pond behind my house. When I walk outside I hear crickets chirping, frogs croaking, and insects buzzing. When we cross Lake Pontchartrain, we see pelicans swooping down to catch fish. Living in Louisiana, gives me the freedom to enjoy the outdoors and culture with my family in many different ways.
One thing I like about Louisiana is the chance to go camping on the river. This past February I went camping on the Bogue Chitto River. We went with my Uncle Alan, Uncle James, and a friend of ours named Jeff Bush. We had to dodge trees that had fallen in the river after the storm as we were riding down the river. Once we arrived we set up camp. My cousin Scott and I went fishing. Then I went exploring. I just followed the river. At meal time, I learned how to cook jambalaya, biscuits, and fajitas in a Dutch oven with coals from the fire. Later we set out fishing lines. We only caught one catfish out of 50 lines we set. The next day we went fishing and caught two perch and one catfish.
There is much more to do in Louisiana. Every year we celebrate the food, music, and culture of the state through the festivals. One of the music festivals I have enjoyed is the Jazz Festival. But no matter which festival you attend there is music. When I lived in Lafayette I went to the Rice Festival, Frog Festival, and Crawfish Festival. At every stage you can see a different band playing jazz, zydeco, or “Cajun” music. And at every booth you can sample a different food.
Holidays in Louisiana, I spend with my family. When we lived in Lafayette we enjoyed going to the Acadian Village to see the Christmas decorations. There were lights and all kinds of decorations. There were cabins with different things in each one. They had a cabin with a Santa. Outside they had a merry go round over a little pond. They had a train ride that went around the village. Every cabin had a Christmas theme on the front porch. You did not have to worry about the dark. The place is covered in beautiful Christmas lights. A special Louisiana Christmas spirit is all around in the Acadian Village.
We spend a lot of time a lot of time with my Uncle Jim. On Saturdays we get together and barbecue. The temperature is just right for grilling or doing something outdoors. When it is warm enough we go water skiing on the Tchefuncte River. If it is cold or damp, there is plenty of left over wood from Katrina for a fire. And then there are the family birthday parties. My aunt has a country place with 300 acres in Amite. It is always a blast to go for a cook out and fish on the lake.
Another thing we all love is sports, especially football. It is a really cool experience to see a football game in person. I have been to a couple Saints games in the Super Dome. What is really fun is that you can scream and yell and just go crazy. Even when you cannot go in person, watching the Saints this year has been especially cool. The first game in the Super Dome after Katrina was a great game. They were playing Atlanta, and everyone was very excited about the game.
Louisiana has many things you will not find anywhere else like the food, the festivals, community fairs, and crawfish boils. It is a privilege living in Louisiana. I get to live close to my aunts, uncles and cousins. It is a good opportunity to grow up in a non-urban area. With all of the wild life, culture, food, and music around, it is a great atmosphere to live. Louisiana has especially great food and good spirits even in hard times. As much as I enjoy the outdoors, Louisiana is the best place for me.
