New Orleans ACTFL Conference for Jody- Day 3

The ACTFL conference launched with thousands of teachers gathering in a massive room.  Suddenly we heard a jazz band and they marched into the conference with dancers and everything!  It was so cool!  There was a gospel choir that was enchanting (I Believe I Can Fly).  The opening ceremony was just awesome!  

We spent the day in classes learning about best practice in language teaching.  It was awesome!  At the end of the day, I went with Kristy on a "ghost tour" of the city of New Orleans. It was honestly hilarious, especially the people who were believing the haunted tales.

We met up with the group at a jazz diner and bar for some music and Po-boy sandwiches which were to die for.  We topped off the night with browsing around an outdoor art show before we headed back to the hotel.  Another fabulous day and evening in New Orleans!

New Orleans ACTFL Conference for Jody - Day 2

What an incredible day!  We awoke early since we had signed up for two 3 hour trainings at the pre-conference. We ate breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn and then took an Uber to the conference center.  On our way, we passed the arena where the Saints practice and the Mercedes Dome where they play their games.  We looked for signs of Hurricane Katrina but didn't see any where we were driving.
Our morning sessions were amazing.  When I walked in early to the 2nd session to introduce myself, the presenters said, "Oh my gosh!  You are the group from Utah!  We have been anxious to meet you guys."  It was so awesome.  We also experienced food terrorism when my colleague, Jen, was breaking off bites of a banana and found a needle at the bottom.  We are so grateful she didn't bite into it!
After our day of training, we walked about 3/4 mile through French Quarters to a little restaurant with high ratings.  We sampled alligator, crawfish Etoufee, grits, Jambalaya, beans and rice etc.  We were dying over how great our food was!  Then we headed to a Sweets shop where I bought my family and parents pralines and caramel turtles.  Yum!
We explored the French Quarters by walking around, seeing Bourbon street, and then ended in Cafe de Monte for some beneigts and hot chocolate before heading home. We were falling in love with the food, music, art, architecture, and culture of New Orleans!