As a Tulane University student I had just moved into a new house at the begining of the summer. I spent all summer decorating and getting great pink leather furniture to fill my new beautiful house. It was in this house I experienced hurricane Cindy, which at the time it hit didnt even qualify as a hurricane. it was terrifying. Transformers were blowing up, power lines falling, and tree branches flying against my windows. When I heard a Cat. 5 was on its way I knew there was no way i was staying. I drove with my roomates to Jacksonville florida to stay with my mom. We each brought bathing suits, shorts, flip flops and a few valuables; the same things we evacuated with the previous year for \"hurricane Break\". The day the hurricane hit we went to Islands of Adventure in Orlando and had a great time riding the roller coasters. When we got home and finally turned on the tv, we couldnt speak. Only silence and muffled sobs could be heard untl the phones starting ringing. Everyone wanted to make sure we had gotten out of the city safely. The saddest day was saying goodbye to my roomates. Instead of driving back to Tulane together we all flew to our respective homes and new schools. I took my bathing suit and fli flops and went to Boston for the semester...the weather is a lttle bit diferent then New Orleans. I was finally able to get back to New orleans the day Orleans Parish reopened. I cried the whole way from the airport. A normally unemotional person, I was in shock and overcome with saddnes and fear at seeing the city I had called home for four years ravaged. Just driving by the collapsed and looted Winn-Dixie I had bought my groceries at brought on tears. After a while I had to close my eyes....I just couldnt watch anymore. Seeing my house was devastating. Furniture had floated out the front door, my roomates cars were in the front yard instead of the driveway. My beautiful pink leather furniture was green. My drawers and desk flipped over in the water and I lost most of my clothes books and pictures. After a while I had to leave the cleaning to my parents because I could not bear to see my destroyed belongings. One year later my house is still not livable. The city on the other hand has come back fighting. You can physically destroy New Orleans but its spirit can never be taken. The rest of the coutry feels New Orleans will never be the same, and maybe it wont but that thought rarely crosses my mind. We have returned to our lives as normal and for that I am grateful.