This was my very first international conference trip and while I was thrilled, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. The funny part? I only asked my professor if I could present ten days before the conference. Yeah… most students lock this in months ahead, but my case was a little different. I had just graduated from USC a month earlier and was waiting for budget approval before committing.
Truthfully, I didn’t think I’d get the green light, so I hadn’t even started on the presentation. But when the “yes” finally came through, it was go time! I teamed up with my supervising PhD student, and together we went through countless revisions to get it ready.
What made the trip even more exciting was the location - New Orleans. It’s quite a journey from Los Angeles and a city I’d never explored before. I even started a detailed list of must-see spots and must-try foods… although, if you know me, you know that no matter how many plans I make, everything ends up being spontaneous in the end.
Day 1: I flew from LAX to New Orleans. As soon as we touched down, the skies opened up and it was pouring. Our flight was one of the last ones allowed to land before the weather shut things down, with several others diverted to different cities. First order of business? Trying a Lucky Dog, the city’s legendary hot dog. Fun fact: in the past 50 years, they’ve sold over 21 million of them. Crazy, right?
After landing, I grabbed a cab straight to my hotel - Jung’s Hotel. Funny thing: when I first booked it, my brain immediately connected the name to Jung Kim, the main character from the comedy Netflix series Kim’s Convenience. If you haven’t watched it, add it to your list, it’s hilarious.
Everything was going smoothly… until it wasn’t. Apparently, I couldn’t check in. Of course something had to go wrong, my trips never go 100% smoothly. Turns out, my school hadn’t authorized the credit card on file, which meant the hotel couldn’t process my booking. And just to make things more interesting, it was a Sunday. No one from the office was answering calls or emails.
Luckily, I know quite a few people in the engineering school’s admin team (perk of having worked closely with them on events and projects in the past). I called one of my supervisors, and he patiently helped me sort it out. Two hours, a lot of calls, and some back-and-forth later, it was finally resolved.
And the very first thing I did after checking in? No sightseeing, no unpacking… I crashed on the bed and slept like a baby.
Day 2: I woke up bright and early, ready for the first official day of the conference. We were greeted with some free merch, a cool bag, a thumb drive, and a few other goodies which felt like the perfect way to kick things off. After the keynote speech from the guest speaker, it was my turn. My presentation was scheduled right after his, making me one of the first speakers of the day.
I took a deep breath, walked up to the podium, and presented. It went better than I could have hoped, a few questions came my way, and I managed to answer them confidently. I was definitely shaking on the inside, but I was also incredibly proud of myself.
Before she left, I made sure to thank my supervising PhD student for trusting me with this opportunity. She was only attending for the day, so once we parted ways, I switched into explorer mode.
The rest of the day was all about discovering New Orleans. I visited a brewery and tried out some free-spirited, non-alcoholic drinks, wandered through the vibrant French Quarter which is a must-see for any visitor and capped off my night with a hearty Cajun dinner.
For my last couple of days in New Orleans, I went into full solo explorer mode, soaking in the city’s rich history and vibrant culture. Every corner seemed to have a story, from the music filled streets to the centuries old architecture. For a few parts of my adventures, my new friend Ryan joined me, but most of the time, it was just me wandering at my own pace.
It was a beautiful journey, one that left me wanting more. I’ve already promised myself I’ll come back someday, maybe during Halloween. There’s something undeniably spooky about certain streets here, and from what I’ve seen, this city might just have the best scary Halloween costumes in the entire country.
Until next time - signing off,
Utkarsh