Throughout the duration of my Senior Project experience, I tried my best to not be limited by my initial question. I instead opted to let the project take me where it may and take in everything equally rather than seeking out one thing in particular. Having concluded the process, I now feel as though I made the right decision by doing so, and that both the quality of my project as well as the authenticity of the experience benefitted from my approach. I would approach my interviews and encounters with locals with the same mindset every time: ask them about their experience with the floods and leave it at that, letting them tell me as much or as little as they wanted without trying to control the information I received. When I interviewed the elderly couple in Lake Charles, for instance, I asked very few questions, simply letting them impart their experiences of more than 60 years of residency in the town to me however they wanted to do so. While driving back to where I was staying after conducting that interview, I was amazed by how eager they were to speak about their experiences. This was a common thread in many of the interviews I conducted, something that I find very interesting. Almost everyone I spoke with seemed enthusiastic about speaking with me, despite the fact that for many of them it was a deeply difficult experience that forced many of them to relocate. I can only conclude that experiences such as that that are so difficult for people to cope with are best healed by speaking about them. 

Although I tried to not limit my experience by adhering to a restrictive initial question, I did have certain expectations for my experience before it began. I expected to secure a few good interviews only after convincing the individuals of the legitimacy of my project. However, similarly to the unexpected enthusiasm I spoke about above, I did not expect people to want to help me with my project as much as they did. Again, in the case of the elderly couple I spoke with, although in their late 80s, they both offered to drive with me all around the town so as to show me where the flood damage was most prevalent and least repaired. I was immensely surprised by this, as I had not expected them to be as invested as they were. They spent nearly three hours driving with me all around town providing me with immensely helpful context, especially given that they have lived there since 1955. Having their perspective helped me understand the struggle of the town and subsequently the region much better. This happened again when I spoke with the local Director of Homeland Security for the region I was staying in. We spoke for over an hour, and although he was extremely busy, he took the time to mark several places on the map for me to see myself. These were all places where the levees had broken during the 2016 flood, the worst flood in recent memory. He also pointed out all the places where the local legislature as well as his office had worked to shore up in the inevitable case of another flood. I was very grateful (not to mention surprised) that he took the time to do this. He seemed genuinely passionate about preventing such a disaster from occurring again, something I admired him for. 

During the experience, I did in fact realize something about myself. While speaking with these people, I realized that I genuinely enjoy listening to and interacting with people about their own experiences. I felt as though I was helping them move forward from the experience while also learning by hearing their stories. This was a very positive realization for me that will no doubt inform how I go about my life, both academically and personally, in the years to come. That being said, the project did not come without its challenges. However, the generally fulfilling nature of the entire experience almost entirely overshadowed any roadblocks I encountered. The only real challenge I was faced with was the distance I was forced to travel to collect footage and conduct interviews. I ended up driving nearly 400 miles in one day roundtrip to conduct an interview and get some footage. However, although the day was difficult, what I was able to accomplish by making the trip made it worth it easily. In closing, I would only say that I expected the project to be satisfying, but it vastly exceeded my expectations in that regard, going above and beyond to become an immensely influential, formative, and educational experience for me.