Katrina- for some people it was the best thing that ever happened to them- others, and probably most, it was the most terrible thing to have ever happened. I was a lucky one- My family\'s homes weren\'t destroyed, no deaths or illnesses.\r\n My mom, younger sister, our two dogs and cat all piled into one car, packed only enough to suffice for 2/3 days as we had done many times before. Not knowing that we wouldn\'t be able to go home for another month and a half. We left that Saturday night before, headed to my older sisters 1 bedroom condo in Baton Rouge, which she had just bought and moved in doing renovations to the place. For the first 2 days, it was my mom, two sisters, my sister\'s boyfriend, my sister\'s two friends, her boyfriend\'s friend and me. 8 people in a small area. Having lost power, and with too many people and animals. \r\n The Tuesday after on the 30th, my mom, younger sister and I headed to Kaplan, La to stay with my grandparents because they had electricity. Everything that followed in the days ahead what somewhat of a blur- the images that I saw on T.V., the news I heard was all very surreal to me. I soon learned I wouldn\'t be returning home anytime soon- I needed to go to school.\r\n I enrolled in UL at Lafayette, but soon changed my mind and enrolled in LSU in Baton Rouge to be with my boyfriend. So I stood in line for hours in order to enroll in LSU. It was pretty crazy-So I was part time at LSU and part time at UNO online. I set up camp, literally, at my sister\'s condo. I borrowed a cot from my grandparents and set it up in my sister\'s living room. Her two friends slept on the two couches and another friend on the floor. Luckily, my boyfriend moved in with two of his friends, so he had and apartment and I spent most nights there for that semester. It was a lot of instability- but it worked. \r\n My mom and little sister were able to move back home at the end of October. We all had money to live and eat thanks to FEMA. Like many, I\'m sure; FEMA money went to buy new computers and clothes. We were also lucky enough to get food stamps every month. My father, who has had a kitchen cabinet business since 1997, suddenly found himself helping hundreds rebuild their homes. At 68 years old, he found himself the richest he\'d been in his life. He needed help so he hired my two sisters. I was there to help on the weekends. Katrina brought blessings to my family. For me it was life changing. I had the opportunity to move away and live for free in France for almost 6 months.\r\n The Universite d\'Orleans created 30 scholarships for UNO students. The airfare, tuition, and living were all provided- we even had a monthly stipend and our own French bank accounts. It was truly amazing and awesome. Sometimes I feel it didn\'t happen. I was able to travel over Europe and experience things most people don\'t ever get a chance to do. While most were back home rebuilding their homes and lives, I was very lucky enough to have the most amazing 6 months of my life. Thank you, Katrina, but please don\'t come again anytime soon and hurt my home town. \r\n