4th Trip to New Orleans January 16, 2008

I can say with complete honesty that this is the most successful service trip I have been a part of. While having more than 40 people, we have managed to run effectively and work at an impressive rate. All logistical concerns/organizational problems that I expected with a group of this magnitude have not happened. I am extremely pleased with the way this trip is progressing.As the title of this post states, this is my 4th trip down, so I have been able to see the “progress” of this area over the course of the last two years. After two years, I can honestly say that the level of improvement in the poor areas of New Orleans is embarrassingly abysmal. Dont get me wrong, most of the relatively wealthy areas of New Orleans have improved greatly, as have the roads and other public areas. However, if you come to the lower 9th ward its as though the storm hit yesterday, with only the slow growing mold to prove otherwise.On monday I had a truly chilling experience that brought this home to me. I was quite tired from waking up at 6am, so around noon I left my work site to try and find a gas station to buy an energy drink. I knew the general direction of the gas station but forgot to ask just how far away it was. So, in my tired haze I started walking towards the gas station. In all truth, it was like walking through a post apocalyptic wasteland. On the busy road that I walked on, the only inclination that this was once a city were the cars going past. Every building was empty, every house deserted. Businesses that looked like they could be open, at closer look were all boarded up and devastated within. KFCs and Walgreens that looked open from afar revealed their depressing reality up close.

I found myself taking wrong turns and getting lost. I started to run, beginning to get overwhelmed by the endless devastation. I asked a homeless looking man on a bike that I finally saw where the gas station was, and he said it was about 6 more blocks down. I asked him if there wasnt one closer to my work site, and he said no, thats the only store open for miles. On the way, I saw up close the buildings and their remains, seeing shopping centers where only the edifices stood and the rest was collapsed. Shamelessly, political posters hung from these remains and many others, since they knew no one would be by to take them down. I ran several blocks, before finding a gas station that was clearly destroyed. I knew the real gas station was out there somewhere, most likely just a block or two more, but I just couldn’t keep going anymore and turned back.

Last night we met with the Head of the Department of Health for New Orleans, who as been in charge of the department even before Katrina. He was a brilliant man and had many imortant ideals and no doubt would have been great for the improving the health of the city if Katrina had not struck. However, in my mind he has not adequately reacted or changed his approach to the terrible realities of post-Katrina new orleans. He blames structural federal practices and personal behavior as the problem instead of searching for ways to get the city back up and running. He said himself that we should not aim to get back to where we were, we should aim to create something better than we ever had before. However, when thousands of people are subjected to a land ravaged by filthy water, rotting corpses, endless mold and mildew monuments, and only 1/4 of the pre-Katrina hospital beds are still open, you have more than a structural problem that needs long term change, you have a ungodly 3rd world crisis on your hands that needs to be addressed immediately. When I asked him about Katrina cough, all he could say about it is that he hasnt seen any evidence that it is life threatening, although he admitted that it generally caused painful coughing that would last for “several months”. And when asked about the health hazards of moving back to a neighborhood with a moldy house nextdoor, he said that its “a concern” but did not concentrate on them. His major issues were ending smoking and better diet that would lead to less diabetes, and stating his hopes for getting more health insurance to the people. Basically, I saw him as an idealist who didnt and still does not fully comprehend the full effects of Katrina on the city, and who would prefer to think that it didn’t happen. That is probably an overly harsh assessment, but he definitely came off that way to me.

Thats all for now, today harsh rains kept us from the worksite, which gave me time to write this long blog, but we will be back to working tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Michael Strom

Another Day In Na’Orleans…. January 16, 2008

Today the rains came. And, because of the threat of flooding we were ordered back to F.I.S.H. camp for a day of bonding, planning, and relaxing. Interestingly enough, none of the students in my troop wanted to return, as we were already pulling into the driveway of the house we were to be working on all week. They wanted to get started, in hopes of completing the projects that they had begun working on. The word of the day was “accomplishment.” This is what everyone referred to in our car as the feeling they wanted at the end of the week when we turned around that one last time before we locked the door and left. Hopefully, in the two days ahead they’ll accomplish exactly that.

The rains made me think of something different. It made me wonder what the locals in these areas think of every time it rains and a little creek develops in their front or backyards? Does it bring back bad memories? Does it threaten the security that they’ve worked so hard to bring back into their lives? Probably not for the majority, but for a few I’m sure it does.

A day of reflection. As I look around the main tent, it seems to me that everyone is having fun. Talking amongst each other. The seniors are talking with the freshmen and all are laughing. It seems like one of the goals of this trip, unity, has been attained. Definitely.

Attached are some pics of the day.

Harpreet

My First Look January 16, 2008

Well its Wednesday at fish camp. My experience here has been pretty good and has been turning out better than I had expected. It was a little bit of a shocker and a getting used to experience when we first pulled into fish camp when we saw the pods and the portable bathrooms we had to use. And when they told us that we would have to take turns cooking we thought it would be grilled cheese almost everyday, but the food has been great! It was good being able to taste other people’s food.

On our first full day we went on a tour of new Orleans. I think I was expecting worse but it was still in a very sad condition. In the 9^th ward you would see a lot of empty space of where houses used to be and then the remains and ruins of homes, and later a family or two. It is hard to imagine what it would be like living in an area with hardly any neighbors and remembering who used to occupy those home. Our bus driver who was on the tour spoke to us about her perspective and the things she saw, she said theat there were even coffins that were floating in the water and the stench of everything was unbearable. The neighborhood appeared very solemn and quiet, but slowly people are coming back. To break the saddened mood we participated in a scavenger hunt which was ALOT of fun!

At our site we got a lot of work done tiling. I learned a lot of new skills so it was pretty cool. and we had a chance to meet our homeowner who was a pretty nice guy. When we talked briefly about his experience he said that he had evacuated on Saturday and the storm hit on Monday. He said what ios normally a 45 min drive to baton rouge took 4 hrs. His relatives; sister brother and cousins also lost their homes so the house we are working on will be used to accommodate all of them. One interesting and different perspective he said was that, for him and a lot of survivors one way to look at it is that they still have their own life, and it is an awareness that our materialistic things hold lesser value than your life because at the end that’s all you have.

I’ve been having a pretty good experience though

<pNatasha Celius aka ~Tasha f. babbyyy~

Our fifth day in New Orleans!! January 16, 2008

It’s our fifth day in New Orleans and unfortunately we cannot go to our work sites due to bad weather. I am very disappointed because I was looking forward to working on my group’s house. We are working on Kenneth’s house on St. Rock Street in Gentily. We are currently tiling the whole downstairs floor. It has been such a wonderful and rewarding experience. We all have so much fun at the house. It is a great opportunity for all of us to not only work together, but to also get to know each other better. This trip has meant so much to me. It is absolutely wonderful to be able to have the opportunity to help a family in need. Kenneth is a sweetheart who is so optimistic and full of energy. It is an honor to be working on his house.

 -Kimberly Critelli-

Alligator Thoughts :) January 15, 2008

Tonight, Moe, Alissar, Ashley, Ben, Nicole, and Natasha are all sitting in Alligator 5, the warmest “pod” in our little row. We’re pretty excited that this week we’ve all gotten to be closer. It’s hard not to, when you’re living so close together. We arrived Saturday, after a long plane ride, and we partook in some exciting group bonding. Sunday we were able to tour New Orleans. We had a great opportunity to listen to both our knowledgeable camp director Ken, as well as our bus driver Cindy as we traveled around many different parts of New Orleans. Cindy told us her own story of how she dealt with Hurricane Katrina. For some of us, this was the first time we heard a first-hand account, and it was definitely an eye-opening experience. Monday and today we had the opportunity to go to our sites. Most of us are tiling, but Ashley has been roofing and Natasha painted. It’s been really cool to work hands-on doing things we don’t normally do, and we feel like we’ve learned a lot and are helping.

To summarize our experience so far, we decided to write an acrostic to describe our experiences

As we sit in our pod, Alligator 5

Laughing with friends, further appreciating our lives

Learning about painting, roofing, and tiles

I’m sore as if I’d been walking for miles

“Good morning to all,” shouts Todd to our pods

Always suggesting to write in our blogs

Time is coming soon to return to our home

Our work won’t be finished, but others will come

Reflecting on Katrina will stay in our hearts.

<3 Moe, Alissar, Ben, Ashley, Nicole, and Natasha

Tiling-Ben Krupit January 15, 2008

We’ve worked for two days now, and I really enjoy doing the work. The house my team works on is completely structurally intact, so all we’re doing is flooring. It’s a nice skill though, tiling’s a lot of fun, and don’t get me started with the wet saw. It’s great to have the group really get involved, take charge and really make progress.

The whole communal living experience is another big part of the trip. At Fish Camp everyone has to look out for the community and help out by doing chores, or reminding a friend that blow drying your hair in the pods will cause a blackout. For me, part of this removal from technology and the home commodities I’ve grown used to has turned this into more than a philanthropy experience. (This is the first time I’ve been near a computer since our departure.)  After seeing the destruction firsthand, meeting with people who experienced the hurricane and working to help, I’m really beginning to feel like I’m making a difference.

The Perfect Storm-Alex B January 15, 2008

It doesn’t seem that Katrina could have hit with more precious and accuracy into the worst possible situation that could be created in the country. With its winds it exposed the underbelly of America. The rotting poor, the wholly uneducated and the rising inadequacies of our country. It was not so much the failed rescue attempts, the slow response and the meager rebuilding effort, but rather it was the exposure of the societal problems that are rampant in society that were the true tragedy to be seen. This country has lost the vision it was founded with and has become tricked into viewing the world has a battle between competitive individuals. We once said give us your poor, your tired, but now we have ignored our responsibility towards those poor and those weak. If we can ever again call ourselves a civilized people, it must be only when we have confirmed the satisfaction of our people. Our future as a depends solely and exclusively on the degree to which we are concerned with not just the person next to us, not just those near us and not those far from us, but all of our world and the world we are to give to the kids of our kid’s.

Seeing the people of this city with such terrible horrors behind them aren’t the true tragedy. It is traumatic, but not tragic. Tragedy is the fact that these people were already homeless, hunger and without relief or success in the future for them or their children. The only thing Katrina did was to bring a storm powerful enough to get without earshot of mainstream America. The storm blew the roofs of the projects showed the true evils of our society and the aftermath continues to show that we have not learned the lesson we are soon to learn and it may only come at the cost of even more poor people.

Brian’s Blog entry 1 January 15, 2008

The first thought that comes to my mind about this trip is how thankful I am for it.  The activities so far have reminded me of what I’m thankful for and what I take for granted.  At our site yesterday, we met our homeowner who was an inspirational person.  He recalled to us horror stories of children at the NOLA childrens hospital, and told us that despite losing all his possessions and nearly his home, he is thankful for his life and optimistic towards the future, saying “What I’ve gone through is nothing compared to some others, like those kids.” 

 The trip has been a blessing.  Not only have we helped others, but I’ve learned a great new skill…how to do tile work!

 -BrIaN-

Round 2, Part 1 January 15, 2008

While many parts of New Orleans and the surrounding areas look much like our last trip in May ‘06, we are also very happy to see the amount of progress that has been made. It is a good feeling to see people rebuilding their homes and returning to the area instead of demolishing their homes. One homeowner decided to return to the area even after everyone in his family’s homes were ruined. He had a positive outlook on life even though his house was 10 feet under water and he was not able to return to his home for 8 months. We look forward to more encouraging stories from these people.

We are so proud of all of the Bonners–the dedication and hard work that they have shown so far this week and know that we will accomplish great things this week.

Bonner love,

Morgan & Lauren

New Orleans So Far… January 15, 2008

While I was sitting the plane coming to New Orleans, I was trying to picture what the city would look like and how it would affect me. But after about 20 minutes I gave up because I had heard so many different experience accounts that they were being jumbled in my mind and I could not get a clear picture in my imagination. Needless to say, what I encountered on my tour through the destruction was shocking.

My first instinct was to be appalled. I kept asking myself how a city in my country could still be so devastated after two years. Maybe it is because I am young, but I have always thought of two years as a long period of time. So at first I was angry and disappointed with the progress of my country. But when I returned to the camp I started to look at books displaying pictures of the hurricane’s immediate aftermath, and I saw how much worse the devastation actually was. It is incredibly difficult to realize that the streets you are driving down and the houses and buildings you are viewing were submerged in water.

There have been many eye-opening events that have affected me in the last few days, and I know there will be many many more!