Early Experience in NOLA [Work Days 1-3]

I was fortunate enough to work on an art mural at a local church that was affected by the storm. The battered church was being constructed to become a Multimedia and Arts Center for local NOLA children. I was very excited to commence work. The weather was cold making it very hard to maintain enthusiasm for the work. Although, with such a great team, I was able to muster up a great amount of passion for the art mural. It was such a great experience and each and everyday there were individuals walking by that exhibited vast amounts of thanks and gratitude. I know you may be wondering why the title is labeled day 1-3 even though this was a 5 day volunteer week. Unfortunately, as our mural was beginning to looking absolutely beautiful our site was shut down. Team Art returned from our lunch break and received the bad news. It was a sad day, but we were assigned with a new task. We had to go around the city and try to find abandoned homes that could possibly be used to paint murals on. This was a great experience. I was able to see a very large amount of the city, good and bad. I was able to go to the 9th Ward and really get a detailed look at the devastation of the flooding and hurricane. I was able to see what efforts are being made in order to rebuild the city also, which, in my perspective, seemed very menial. I was also very fortunate because I was presented with the opportunity to walk into 2 abandoned and destroyed homes. Something that happened during that moment definitely gave me a strong, yet unconditional love for New Orleans. A local man came by and told us to be careful. It meant a lot to me that a man that didn't even know anyone in the group felt obligated to walk over from his home and make sure that we would take proper precaution and remain safe. This "Southern Hospitality" was very heartwarming. After the trip was done, I felt accomplished. I was able to enhance my knowledge about the structure of the city, as well as having laughs and other emotional moments with such a great team. What would happen in the next day I did not know, but I was ready for whatever New Orleans had waiting for me.