O'Doherty - Introduction

In the past week that I have been at Loyola, I have learned several things about myself. For starters, I
learned that I am not as shy as I once was. I came from a small all-girls Catholic high school in San Jose, California, and I was a little worried about going across the country without knowing anyone. However, as soon as I moved into my dorm I surprised myself! I started talking to people- asking them what they were majoring in, where they were from, why they chose to come to New Orleans, and then more random questions like what their favorite fruit is. I was surprised at how easy small talk became, especially for a girl who usually waits for others to initiate conversation. With every new person I talked to, I gained more and more confidence, making it easier to talk to the next person. Another thing I learned about myself is that I get along with all different types of people- hipsters, jocks, nerds. I think the reason why I enjoy hanging out with a variety of people is because I am a listener. I've learned a lot from the people I have talked to this week! Not only did I gain new perspectives, but I also realized that there is so much more that I have to learn! Not only am I excited to get to know more people, but I am also excited to get to know the culture and the city of New Orleans. I have heard so many amazing things about the city, but I have yet to experience them, which is to be expected considering it is only the first week. So far this week I have gone on a music tour, walked through Auboun Park, went down to the Fly, and watched live music in the French Quarter. I've created a Bucket List of things I have to do before I leave Loyola like go on the swamp tour and ghost and vampire tours, go to the zoo, celebrate Halloween and Mardi Grasm, and go to the French Quarter at night! I can't wait to go meet the rest of you and go on all these adventures!