In 2014, my divorce demanded that I diminose from the Connecticut house I loved. So, I returned to my native California, where I had a network of support for family and friends.
I knew that I would move from one region dear to another and that it could be difficult to find something affordable.
Nevertheless, I quickly settled in a spacious (but expensive) apartment near the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, where I enjoyed the daily sun, the magnificent beaches and the company of old friends.
There was a lot to love in the County of Los Angeles, but traffic was terrible and the high cost of the region of the region set my budget.
I knew I should leave California and soon heard Louisiana call my name.
After a little contemplation, I moved to New Orleans
New Orleans is much smaller than Los Angeles. Robin Horton
My daughter lived in New Orleans, and even if I had visited several times, I had never planned to move there.
Now I started to contemplate the advantages of life in the city of Louisiana. First of all, I would be near my daughter, who had just had a baby.
The neo-Orleans I had met during my visits were incredibly sympathetic, and the feeling of community of the city has always impressed me. In addition, it is famous for its unique culture, its delicious food and its legendary music.
New Orleans is smaller and tends to have much less traffic than my county-something that seduces me after spending several hours on the bumper on the Los Angeles motorways.
I decided to move once I found the perfect house in a street bordered by trees in the upper district of the city, where I could walk towards restaurants and shops nearby or jump on the tram to the French district.
Better yet, the monthly rent for my two-bedroom house with 11-foot ceilings and a backyard is lower than it was for a small studio in Santa Monica.
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My move came with a learning curve
New Orleans often feels full of life. Robin Horton
Moving to a new city can be difficult, and my jump to New Orleans was no exception.
I have a bad sense of orientation and I had trouble getting my bearings. This does not help people here rarely seem to use cardinal directions – north, south, east and west.
Instead, everything is by the lake (near Lake Pontchartrain), Riverside (by the Mississippi river), Upriver (Uptown) or downstream (downtown). Years later, I still count on my GPS to move.
Once I moved, I also needed to learn local pronunciations and an appropriate jargon, which largely stem from the French colonial heritage of the city.
Although I spoke French, I did not speak in French Louisiana and I was soon embarrassed to discover that I was badly pronounced many street names in the city. For example, rue Chartres is actually pronounced “Char-Turz”.
I did not know how to qualify the city of “newlins” (the inhabitants hate it), but I did not know that it was a misstep to call the sweet Creole candies of New Orleans a “Pray-Leen” instead of a “Prah-Leen”. Live and learn.
I also familiarized myself with humidity and hurricanes
When I moved to the city in the middle of the summer, I immediately had second thoughts. Los Angeles was quite dry and warm, but New Orleans was wet and hot.
The city often experiences sudden floods and my car has been totaled in one. During my third year here, Hurricane Ida arrived with revenge on the birthday of Hurricane Katrina. I have evacuated the north, spending several days on what many here call for “hurrying”.
Although I don’t welcome hurricanes, I used to stay prepared and check weather reports, because my native California has treated earthquakes and forest fires.
With hurricanes, at least there are often warnings in advance.
Above all, I built a community here and I learned to embrace the quirks of the city
In New Orleans, I found a big house, I made friends, then I met my future husband. Robin Horton
For me, there is simply no place like New Orleans, and I liked to build a life here for seven years.
When I moved, I didn’t know anyone in town in addition to my daughter, so I made an effort to get involved in the community. I joined a French conversation group, where I developed significant friendships.
Then I met the man who would later become my husband. He introduced me to the city’s music scene, made me try the spicy foods of the region and taught me more about the region.
Admittedly, I am still not used to the oppressive heat and humidity that the summers of New Orleans bring – but I learned to face it.
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