Change is good, they say. It’s hard to know in the moment whether a change is going to bring wonder and adventure or irrevocable regret. Here marks the beginning of what I think will be a glorious adventure.

Over the weekend, I moved to New Orleans. I stepped foot into the three bedroom I am leasing with my two roommates. New Orleans is very different from my hometown and extremely different from Princeton, New Jersey. It’s a noisy, musical town. Proof: last night when I tried to sleep, I heard a trumpet rendition of “Happy Birthday.” It was beautiful and…loud. This move means that I have to get used to driving again. This move means utilities and a landlord and grocery shopping. I’m in the process of setting up WiFi in the apartment; and so, I am currently camped out in Starbucks. I don’t tend to study outside of my room, so this is actually quite the change. This move means that I need to perfect parallel parking. Let’s just say that my parking is a bit rusty. This move also means that I’m in a culinary wonderland.

First meal in NOLA with my family! Absolutely wonderful meal at Houston’s. This is the wonderful Creole Barbecue Shrimp. I definitely recommend.

Confetti Cupcake gelato at Sucré. Go for the macarons, stay for the gelato.

Over the past month (as you already known) I have been in two MPH courses. The first is an Introduction to Health Policy, Management, and Systems (my first test for this course is tomorrow, keep me in your thoughts!) and the second is a Survey on Environmental Health. Prior to this course, I was naive to how comprehensive and important the field of environmental health is. In the course we have discussed air pollution, waste management, radiation, hazardous waste, water quality, wastewater, environmental toxicology, occupation health, and some other topics. The lecture that left me thinking was the lecture on Food Safety in which the professor discussed food contamination, FDA, pesticides, preservatives, and etc. Honestly, you do not want to know the nitty gritty of what goes into making food aesthetic. Nonetheless, the lecture has pushed me to eat clean.

The eat clean movement aims to eat food that is deemed “natural” — limited GMOs, limited chemicals, limited process foods, limited preservatives, etc. The Gracious Pantry does a wonderful job explaining what clean eating is all about.  There are a group of individuals who eat clean who are Paleo — far too intense for me at this point. I’m excited to venture into the world of clean eating and exploring new recipes. As I stumble across and try new recipes, I am likely to share them with you all.

Change is exciting and a bit nerve-wracking. Okay, it’s time for me to get back to study. I’ll remerge once I conquer the two exams I have this week and…when I have WiFi.