Post-Trip Thoughts and Feelings

Once again I would LOVE to express my BONNER LOVE. I had a great time on the trip and I am EXTREMELY thankful to have been apart of such a wonderful trip. We all had our ups and downs, but it was still a great trip. Being able to witness firsthand the culture, tragedy, and love of the city was such a great moment in my life. I was able to work on a great mural with the best team ever, and I was also able to meet one of the most fascinating men I have ever met in my life. From eating fried alligator to any other sea food you can think of, to painting and standing on two-story-high scaffolding, I can definitely say that this trip was GREAT! New Orleans, to me, is filled with good and bad. There are obvious signs of Katrina and the flooding still around, but there is also happiness with a strong sense of community and togetherness and vibrant culture all around you. For example, you'll see a wonderful rebuilt home on a street of many destroyed homes. It's ironic and sad to know that everyday you walk out of your new home that you are constantly reminded of that horrible moment in New Orleans history. I am very glad to say that I lent a hand in rebuilding the city and making some sort of change, or that I was able to put a smile on one or two faces because of the work I have done. I truly feel a warmth in my heart because of what I have done and experienced on this trip. Despite getting the unluckiest week, weather wise, during the trip, I can honestly say that I wouldn't mind moving to New Orleans. If possible, I would love to go back down and lend a hand in rebuilding the city. I love New Orleans! Something must be done in order to restore this city. IT still saddens me to know that such poor effort has been made. We must make a difference.

Mid Experience In NOLA [Work Day 4-5]

With the new day starting, I did not know what to expect. I grabbed my regular breakfast of two small bowls of cereal, some orange juice, and a cinnamon raisin bagel. After I packed my lunch I walked into the meeting room, and Darryl, founder of United Saints, began speak to everyone. There were updates on each site as usual. Today I decided to sign my name up for Team Booker. This was probably the second best decision I had made since I had been volunteering. I was now able to experience a more construction based type of volunteer work. I personally felt that this work was easier than painting the mural, but it was also a nice experience. Standing on two stories of scaffolding my very first day on the site was a bit scary, but I overcame the fear in about 3 minutes of standing on the homemade structure. Here, at Mr. Booker's home, we removed old siding, put in insulation, and we also put up some tar paper in order to secure the insulation. The most influential thing about this home wasn't the home itself, but the owner of the home. He was such a fascinating and inspiring man. His birthday actually passed while we were down in NOLA and he had just turned 71. He is in GREAT shape, and he moves as if he were 20 years old. He was able to pass off some knowledge to a young guy like me that I know I will never forget. He told us his story, his family's story, and the story behind his home. I decided to stay longer than our scheduled work time in order to try and help Mr. Booker install a window tarp in his home. I swear that a few of us had to sit and listen to him speak to us about his life for about an hour, and the time just passed along on the warm winter day. I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet this man, and I absolutely loved working on his home.

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.

Some Final Thoughts

It's been almost a week since we've been back from New Orleans and I've had some time to reflect about our trip. First of all I would like to thank the Bonner staff for giving me the opportunity to go to New Orleans and to have an amazing experience there; I very much appreciate all the hard work that was put into planning this trip.

Looking back on our trip I feel that I have learned a lot about New Orleans. I am much more educated about Katrina and the many hardships that residents had to endure during and after the hurricane. Visiting the lower ninth was an experience that I will never forget. A simple drive through the neighborhood indicates (even 5 1/2 years later) how devastating the destruction was. The X's that rescue groups used to indicate that a house had been checked are still visible on numerous houses and it makes what occurred more of a reality.

Although we witnessed how devastating Katrina was, we also experienced how hopeful, energetic, and spirited the people of New Orleans are. I realized how passionate and determined people are to rebuild New Orleans and it made me feel happy because New Orleans is truly a great city.

All in all, I had a great time in New Orleans and I hope to go back soon because there is still a lot of work to be done!

Post NOLA 2011

Well, there is only so much I can put into words about my emotions post-NOLA 2011. In my opinion, this trip was actually better than last years, and I am so happy I was given the chance to chaperon for the freshmen and first years. Instead of witnessing the destruction for my first time, I was able to witness those around me react to their first view of it. As a group, I feel like this trip allowed everyone to bond very well, and I was able to meet and get to know most of the group on the trip. The ride back was a lot better than I expected, as my van and I decided to delve into some "interesting" games, to say the least. Anyway, I'm more than ecstatic overall about this trip, and the fact that I was able to meet and establish a relationship with a homeowner this year. I really hope I'll be able to chaperon again next year, but if not I will figure out a way to somehow get down there again. I hope my presence was appreciated and I hope that everyone enjoyed the trip just as much as I did. Peace and love from Decker.

Looking Back

I just left the first Bonner meeting for the Spring semester of 2011. At the meeting, alot of my friends were wearing "Who Dat" t shirts and saints hats/sweatshirts. It shows that the NOLA morale is still high while we are entering out Spring semester. I am so grateful to have been apart of an experience that has changed my life forever. Volunteering can bring me to places around the world, as well as, bring direct service to individuals in need. Volunteering brings thebest of both worlds into my reality.

Van Ride Home

The van ride home from New Orleans allowed me to become closer to Bonners whom I have never talked to before. I sat next to Laura in the van and found out how incredibly hilarious she really is. I now know her whole life story and what she plans on doing after college. Also, we played games in the van ride that brought us all closer.

Esther and Ryan Gale were great drivers and always made the can ride interesting with their music playlists and jokes. I took a few hours, during the long van ride, to think back on my experience in New Orleans and realized a few things.

First, New Orleans is in no way broken. The morale of New Orleans is still high and they share a close bond that I do not have within my own community back in Toms River.
Also, I realized how much volunteers can impact a community with coming down and helping out families who have lost their homes and other resources.

Final Thoughts on NOLA

A few days have gone by since I returned from New Orleans and I've had some time to think about my overall experience in New Orleans. I feel like I saw two sides of New Orleans. When I went to the Ninth Ward, I saw entire blocks destroyed and left untouched. On countless homes, the X's left by rescue squads seemed like tattoos which signified the grim reality of what happened to this city five years ago. There was still so much work left to be done. I also saw the other side of New Orleans. I saw the famous French Quarter and heard plenty of amazing music. I saw the pride that the people of New Orleans have in their city (and football team) and their determination to bring the city back to what it was before the hurricane. There is this spirit present in New Orleans that is hard to describe. I saw it not only in the French Quarter, but also in the neighborhood we worked in for the week and all over the city, even in the most devastated areas. We can't forget about New Orleans and we cannot let this amazing city die. If we do, then a crucial part of American culture will die with it.

One of my favorite musical artists, Lil Wayne, is from New Orleans (and I got to visit his old neighborhood which was so cool) and he wrote a song about post-Katrina New Orleans called "Tie My Hands". It is a truly beautiful song and I want to end this post with an excerpt from it:

Born right here in the USA
But due to tragedy, looked on by the whole world as a refugee
So, accept my emotion, do not take it as an offensive gesture
It's just the epitome of my soul
And I must be me
We got spirit y'all
We got spirit
We got soul y'all
We got soul
They don't want us to see, But we already know

Home

Two days later and after a heavy consumption of caffieininated products we are all home safe with classes starting tomorrow. The trip was a great experience and I am very glad that I was given the opportunity to go again. I hope to keep in touch with Irma, the homeowner who's home we finished and returned to on Friday to give her a card and a stuffed animal- as her bedroom was filled with them and she mentioned her love for them. The trip back, though long, allowed more time for those in each van to bond over delerious jokes and over-played songs on the radio. I hope to be given the opportunity to chaperone the trip again next year. It was an amazing trip and not only did I learn more about the situation in New Orleans, but I also learned a lot about myself and the people around me.

Leaving New Orleans

Friday, January 14, 2010

Unfortunately, due to prior commitments, I had to leave New Orleans a little bit early. So now I sit in the airport waiting for my flight but desperately wanting to be back at the United Saints with the rest of the group!

As I was walking out of the apartments, suitcase in hand, kayla and I turned and looked at each other. We paused for a moment waiting to see who would say it first. We both then blurted out "Do you want to move down here with me and just do this all the time?" As we walked down the stairs, through the church and out to the van we talked about how amazing it would be and started planning. With big smiles on our faces, we decided were going to make this happen!

Looking back on this week it is hard to find the right words to describe my experience. Seeing all the devastation still present 5 years after the storm was a jaw dropping experience for me. While sitting in the van during the driving tour of the 9th ward, I found my self staring in awe of how little has been done. Hearing stories about people hiring contractors who stole their money or being fined for not being able to keep up with their property broke my heart. Additionally, I am still hung up on seeing the X's on the houses. For one reason, in the top of the X was date in which the house was searched. It was upsetting to see that some of the house had not been checked until weeks after the storm hit! Another shocking sight was seeing the Xs, consisting of the number of bodies found, on house that were completely renovated. To me, the gruesome markings seem to cast a dark shadow on the neighborhood, but to the people who lived there, it represent everything they've gone through, all they have accomplished and how strong they have become because of it all.

I hope that with the help of organizations like the United Saints and volunteers like all us NOLA can be completely restored! The natives are by far the most passionate and grateful people I've ever met and they deserve all the help they can get!

Lastly, the friendships I've created on this trip are incomparable! By doing this service I've had the opportunity to form incredible bonds with incredible people. I'm looking forward to spending more time with everyone back on campus and continuing to go on service trips, whether that means chaperoning or planning our own! I am lucky to be able to surround my self with great friends while doing something I love! While preforming service is in and of its self a rewarding experience, it was truly enriched by the company with whom I shared the experience!

Last Day

Today is our last day in New Orleans! In the past week, I have been able to work together with other TCNJ Bonners to finish Irma's house. We met with her again today, after finishing her house house yesterday. We brought her a teddy bear as a parting gift and I look forward to hopefully meeting with her again next time I visit the city. Today, we went to another house and began to tear down the ceiling- the beginning stages of demo and gutting the house for reconstruction. It is was a weird feeling completing a house and turning it over to the homeowner, then the next day working on tearing down a ceiling to rebuild one. My experiences so far in New Orleans, including past service trips, seemed to come full circle this trip through conversations with my homeowner and trips into the French Quarter and enjoying the culture. Tonight, we are going to a restaurant as a group and it should be a nice way to end the trip. I am excited to go back to TCNJ and energized for another semester of service!

The Final Act

The past couple days were like the downturn section of a book. It was much more emotional and things were not going as planned. After two days without seeing my homeowner, Booker, our faces were gleaming as we saw him walk up the street. A regular day quickly changed into one of excitement. My site greeted Booker as if we have not seen him in years! He came with a hand full of lottery tickets, a small gift from him to us. It was not much, but to my group it meant a lot. Booker was originally going to go to dinner with us, but because of unfortunate reasons he had to cancel today. A complete let down, but also understandable. After work, yesterday, we came back to our rooms to find that our electricity had gone out. Also, the hot water ran out this morning. Although the Bonners were thoroughly disappointed, we still went out to enjoy some "Nawlins" dinning and work passionately on our projects today.

One house done, many more to go.

Yesterday we finished Irma's house. It looks absolutely amazing and she was so happy to see it completely finished. It felt great because last year I worked on a home in it's beginning stages and this year I had the chance to work on and complete a house. Irma is a wonderful, deserving woman who wad kind enough to buy us a King Cake for our efforts. It was delicious and I was lucky enough to get the piece with the baby inside! This means I need to buy the next King Cake so I promised Irma I will buy one for her the next time I'm down here which will hopefully be a year from now (trying to keep the tradition). Because we were finished there, we were sent to a new site today. The house was badly hit by Katrina, so we are doing demo work and gutting the ceilings. Unfortunately today was our last day of work, but hopefully United Saints will have consistent groups of volunteers to finish more and more houses for the wonderful people down here in the Crescent City.

NOLA

I’ve heard of the devastation the disastrous Hurricane Katrina had caused to New Orleans, but didn’t believe it as I was coming into the French Quarter. The city of New Orleans looks beautiful and someone just by looking at the city wouldn’t believe that something as bad as flooding of 80 percent of the city had occurred, or something as monstrous as about 1800 people dying from the torrential rains that hit this once prosperous city. When taking a tour of the city, and different parts of the city that were drastically affected, I honestly didn’t expect what I saw. I expected a lot more work to be done to the home and streets that were affected by hurricane Katrina. Instead the roads were horrible and homes were still abandoned and left with no foundation. I am honestly appalled with the lack of effort the government has put to make this city at any better. Homes are left vacant and instead helping out the residents who still live in the city, they tax them to the point where they can’t afford to pay.

Today we only had a half day of work and since we finished up our last project yesterday, we began a new project. We were taking apart the ceiling of a house abandoned after Katrina. It was nice to be able to see a second site before leaving tomorrow morning. After work, Tommy, Ryan, and I went to Miss Irma's house (the owner of the last house we finished) to drop off a card and gift we got her (a teddy bear since she told us about how she collects them and loves them) to thank her for her hospitality and friendliness over the past week. As the week comes to a close I look forward to my last night in New Orleans and have already begun to think about how I hope I can come back next year to chaperon the same trip.

1/14/11
Today was a half day working on Booker's house. However, today is the first day that I was able to meet Booker. He was not the 71 year old that I expected. Booker was in better shape than all of us!
He is very nice and down to Earth. Booker welcomed me right into the team and started talking about the house.

The day was very short and right now we are all idle waiting for our next move. The power and heat is out in all of our apartments and everyone is coming down with a stomach flu so I am a bit scared to go into my room because I am just getting over bronchitis.

Tonight all of the Bonners, including myself, are supposed to go out to dinner and to a club that allows eighteen to enter. I am very excited to bond with everyone and to have a good time.

Overall, this trip has opened my eyes to the reality of a disaster and that it is hard to rely on people. Most of the homeowners came to United Saints only after their relief money was stolen by greedy contractors. "One Man's tragedy is another man's fortune."
United Saints has become a safe haven for these people and it is the type of organization that I would like to volunteer for someday.

A Great Birthday!

Yesterday was my 20th birthday and I have to say that I'm very happy to have spent it here in New Orleans with some great people! After everyone sang happy birthday to me in the morning (which was very nice) I along with Shaun, Alaine, Gayatri, and Jenn headed to a home that needs a lot of work. Yesterday was actually my first day working on a house as I was previously painting a mural. I'm very glad that I had the opportunity to work on a home because it's truly rewarding.

Although I was not able to meet my homeowner, I did meet Mr. Booker who is the homeowner of another house that the Bonners have been working on. Even though I only spoke to him for about 5 minutes or so, it was an amazing feeling. Mr. Booker is an energetic and postive person who is just full of happiness. He must have thanked me about 5 times for being here in New Orleans working on houses and it gave me a great feeling.

Today I worked on a different house and my job was to paint the exterior. It was a great experience because I was on 9ft ladders and that is something that I have never done before. However, once I was up there everything was okay and I was able to paint away.

I'm sad that today is our last day here, but being in New Orleans has motivated me even more to continue serving our community once I get back to New Jersey.

Yesterday we worked on demolishing a ceiling of a house. It was a pretty fun task for me and hopefully we were of a lot of help to someone. Coming to New Orleans without any kind of background in construction was certainly a bit of a challenge, however, I come out of it with a love for power tools and demolition!

The house we were working on was very much affected by Hurricane Katrina as demonstrated by the markings where the water hit. Initially, basically the entire house was submerged in water and it eventually settled to having water up to the top of the door. I wish I could see the final product after all the renovations take place. Hopefully it will become a place where the homeowner can once again feel secure, safe and, above all, happy.

Today, I was at a different site. I mainly focused on painting the ceiling. It was an interesting experience for me because before NOLA, I never thought I would be the one to climb to such great heights but I have been volunteering myself to work on ladders almost every single day since we have been here. I spent the bulk of my day on a 12 ft ladder. I feel as though this has been a trip where I've learned a lot, not only about the area, construction and community service, but about myself as well.

So unfortunately, Team Art had to stop working on our mural Wednesday afternoon because of insurance purposes. I was super bummed out about it when I first found out and I'm still sad we didn't get to finish it. I worked on painting a house for the past few days but definitely was not as much fun as the mural. I'm still happy that I get to help people, but I got really attached to the mural. I really hope they finish it soon because the kids deserve it and I really hope they will send us pictures so we can see the finished product.

The Oil Spill and New Orleans.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/louisiana-damage-deeper-than-spill_n_807274.html

Exhausted.

I have so much to tell you all! This happens to be my first blog {SORRY} of the entire trip, so I will be covering as much of my week as possibly.

Sunday, January 9th-Wake up call

We began our day with some normal, "up-North" breakfast (pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, omelets, etc.) on Decatur St in the French Quarter in New Orleans after deciding that not to wait on the very huge line that snaked outside of the popular Cafe Du Mond's doors. Tummies full, we broke into our scavanger hunt groups and began the adrenaline rush. Our list consisted of a range of activities which included (but was not limited to) being very friendly to complete strangers, visiting certain hot spots in The Quarter, and tasting beignets.

We then got hit with a painful, yet inspiring look at New Orleans. Just as described in countless articles, about 80% of the homes have been repaired. Unfortunately, that number does not seem to be accurate when you take a look at the Lower Ninth Ward. Apart from the twenty or so homes funded (and apparently built) by Brad Pitt, there were very few homes that have been rebuilt. None of the homes in the Lower Ninth were in good enough condition to need only repairs after sitting in eight feet of water (minimally) for over a month. As a result, the Lower Ninth had been completely bulldozed and consisted of huge plots of land which were once known to hold dozens of homes. Every so often, there were piles of debris or a set of cement stairs--a symbol of what once was.

Monday, January 10th-Work Day # 1

Booker! As described by some other blogger, our morning began with delegation of duties and picking our sites. I chose Mr. Booker's house and was fortunate enough to meet him on the first day. He's a 71 year old, inspiring homeowner who is very knowledgeable about construction and home repairs. He actually built the majority of the scaffolding that we stood on in order to remove the siding from the right side of his house. Just saying...

Prior to beginning to work on the exterior of his house, Mr. Booker pulled us inside to give us a tour of his very beautiful, but damaged home. We learned about his family, and his story. He showed us all the damage that Katrina itself had done to his house. Booker's house hadn't even been flooded, but suffered severe water and wind damage. The entire guest-house/back-house was destroyed and pulled away from the main house, leaving a gaping hole in the wall of one of his rooms that he covered with a giant slab of wood. His rooms were filled with the personal items of loved ones that he hadn't had the time to sift through or the heart to discard. He showed us pictures of his son who had passed due to the violence in New Orleans and his daughter who was away looking after her sick mother.

Mr. Booker let us see the collapsed backhouse from the inside and told us that he was very eager to tear it down but was still waiting for Road Home to give him the money to help pay for the demolition. He said they had finally sent him the paperwork declaring that part of the house unsafe and offering to help pay for it to be removed. He's still waiting for the check to arrive (5 years later)...

We walked outside having heard and seen the full extent of the damage--knowing that the road to recovery was a very long and trying one for Mr. Booker. For a moment, I felt useless and lost and so I picked up a hammer and did the one thing I could do to help. We began by prying the siding off the areas that we could reach and removed the nails that had been holding the siding in place. After lunch, we reinforced the scaffolding in the areas that were weak and began building more scaffold in order to access more siding that was impossible to reach safely with a ladder.

To my surprise, Mr. Booker worked alongside us the entire time, teaching us how to do things properly as we worked. He was very willing to answer any questions we had, which was fun. We spoke of his life and his youth. Mr. Booker told us that he played football and that he sang in a group called Swiss Movement that opened for The Temptations. This little fun fact is what gave away his age. I had to ask. He then shocked most of my group by stating that he was 71! Seventy-one and climbing up these scaffolds without a care. Seventy-one turning seventy-two tomorrow!

Tuesday, January 11th-Happy Birthday Arthur!

Our workday got off to a slow start due to the absence of our very energetic homeowner. He had explained to us that he would not be able to work with us again until Thursday, since he had to take care of his mother who has Alzheimer's. It took a while for Duncan Duncan Duncan to bring us the supplies we needed to continue to build the scaffold, but once he did, there was no stopping Team Booker! We learned how to use a staple gun and practiced our hammering like there was no tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 12th-"I wanna be on ya team"

So, apparently, Team Booker really did an excellent job talking up Mr. Booker because by day 3, 3 more people showed up to work at his house than Darryl (boss-man) had intended to have. Boo yaah!!! We reinforced and added to the scaffolding by cutting two by fours a length of roughly 116 inches to lay across as our floor. We also used this length for our banisters; so that we wouldn't fall off the scaffold ("ya know?"). I learned that certain people are afraid of unstable scaffolds, while others aren't and that some people can't keep their tools in their hands. I also learned that some people are amazing with a hammer, while others work best with a staple gun. Oh yeah, and that dust can find its way to your eyeballs despite a pair of prescription glasses and a set of safety glasses! GOOD TIMES.

Thursday, January 13th- Art Team--Intruder Alert! plus paparazzi

Today we began by making sure the flooring was in place and ripping off the last of the siding that was within reach from the scaffold that we had installed. Once that was done, we began cutting insulation and placing it within the gaps of the house. This required plenty of teamwork, since we had to measure and cut the insulation, then stuff it along the side of the house between levels (floors) in the scaffold.

A-Rod showed up to meet Mr. Booker, but we put her to work. Dave Karas followed shortly after to 'make it happen'. And then, the man that everyone had been waiting for--Mr Booker arrived. He let random members of the Team Art take photos with him and let us read the cards that he had received for his birthday. We exchanged information and vowed to keep in touch. Before long, the day was over.

Friday, January 14th- Half-day?! What the ...? Errr. Bye Booker!

The day began with the news that we were only going to have half a workday, which worked for the amount of sleep I had the night prior, but not for the level of enthusiasm I had for my work site. I believe I speak for everyone on Team Booker when I say that we wanted to get as far along in the project as humanly possible before the day ended and were kind of disappointed to only be working until noon that day.

As we waited for materials to arrive, we began to caulk the left side of his house so that it could be finished with some paint. It was getting late in the day (relative to the time we would have to be leaving) and Team Booker was getting antsy, so I called him. He came shortly after and lifted our spirits. We worked pass the time that we were told to because we were all enjoying his company. He implored us to ask anything we could think of--"Anything ya'll wanna know"--and so we did. We found out more about his past and his outlook on life in New Orleans. Nikki (Nicole Thompson) asked him to name a popular song that he sang with Swiss Movement and he said "For the Moment". Look it up, it's not bad. =P


"Team Booker go hard!"-Roger

1/13/2011...I am blogging for yesterday and today. Yesterday was very productive and I learned a lot. I worked on the Booker site and used a hammer and nail gun for the first time. Unfortunately my hammering skills are very poor, to say the least. However, I got to work with Erika, Gary, Randy, Roger and Nicole and we all worked very well as a team.

Right before dinner, however, I came in contact with an 18 year old New Orleans resident who experienced Katrina. He is in the church everyday because he works for the pastor and he is always looking to spark up a conversation. He expressed his feelings to me about how many of the residents believe that the levees broke on purpose. In 1925 the government blew up the levees to flood the lower 9th ward in order to protect the rich sections. Many New Orleans citizens believe that the levees were made to sink when the water pressure reached to a certain point on purpose. This came as a shock to me because he was very "on edge" when talking about this subject with me. I would like to explore this theory further on my own time.

Finally, I was able to witness fist hand the impact that Bonner is having on the local citizens of New Orleans. All of the home owners are very grateful and involved in our projects. Everyone is so welcoming here and the culture is like no other. I have come to fall in love with New Orleans.

Dust in the wind...and the throat, nose, hair and ears

I had my best day here in New Orleans today. Gutting a house to prepare it for it's renovation may seem like a trivial, less than perfect way to spend a day, however for me it was bliss. Together with a few other Bonners from TCNJ, we were charged with the task of tearing down the a sheetrock ceiling. Not only did we all end up with coughs, tears, and feeling like Pig Pen from Charlie Brown, we also had to knock out the metal twine that was inconveniently located between the ceiling and the floor joists.

By the end of the day, which unfortunately ended early, we had caused a good amount of "damage" to the ceiling. I was determined to finish the entire portion of the two rooms I was working on however our team leader Mike told us our day had to be cut short. For the first time in a while, I was totally engrossed in an activity that I did not want to leave. I could have continued working until the sun went down, but alas, there is always tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the week here in NOLA will end tomorrow. My goal is to finish off the demolition of the ceiling, so that the renovation period can begin and I can leave NOLA with that sense of accomplishment I always long for on job sites.

Today was a good day.

Meeting the Homeowner

In New Orleans, I am working on Irma's house. We have been painting and doing small things around her house in an effort to finish the project up. Today we made a lot of progress in painting the outside of the house and we should complete the house by tomorrow. We also got the chance to talk to Irma today. She told us her story of how she stayed through Hurricane Katrina and was the first one to return and live in her house in her neighborhood. She returned one month after leaving her home upon the completion of the storm and mentioned the National Guard urging her to evacuate, but she stated that she was willing to take the chance of death to stay in her home through the storm. She is a warm, welcoming woman who showed us her home, bought us a King Cake (New Orleans tradition of Mardi Gras season), and made us hot chocolate. I look forward to speaking with her further before leaving. This is the first homeowner I have met in my three trips to New Orleans and I'm glad I got the chance to speak with someone who was directly affected by the storm, but also was helped out by volunteers such as us.

Breaking Down Barriers

New Orleans Has become one of the most eye opening experiences I've ever had and its not over yet. I have only begun to crack the surface of the things I could learn here. If someone would have told me in high school that I would be in New Orleans breaking through giant concrete slabs I would have laughed at them. Being able to work so hard with a team of really good friends has allowed me to appreciate friendship and teamwork on a whole new level.

I've always felt better knowing that i could depend on myself in projects, but now I have a bigger dependance on the work that can get done in groups. Before we began our work with ripping out concrete slabs, I remember doubting our capabilities but now I know we can do anything.

New Orleans has become on of my favorite places. I've learned so much about myself and the work that still needs to be done to get this beautiful city back on its feet. I can't wait to meet a home owner and listen to their story. Theres nothing better than having people listen to your life and understand the pain and want to help. The work I'm doing is really having an impact on the community.

Experiences in NOLA

It was great to be back in NOLA! It has been three years since the last time I was here and I can certainly say that a lot of visible changes have been made throughout the city. While this is great to see, it is not nearly enough. The improvements made in the last three years since I have been here are great, but the city is still in shambles and the work is not even close to finished. Countless homes are still abandoned and the poorest areas of the city still need a lot of help.

To the average tourist and unaware visitor, NOLA may look like it was never hit by a storm, many homes in the area of St. Charles Street and Gentilly Blvd, the French Quarter, etc are beautiful. But if you take a drive through mid city (where we stayed) and especially the lower 9th ward, the devastation is still visible. Entire blocks of homes have disappeared and countless number of homes are abandoned. It really upsets me to know that a city that was once so beautiful and rich in culture and history is being allowed to sit in destruction. We need to get the word out more about the problems that still exist in New Orleans. The city needs help to restore its beauty because the people who live there and have come back to rebuild deserve it.

During the week I worked on a mural. While this wasn't a traditional rebuilding project, it was a project that brought beauty to the city. The mural was about anti-violence and it was designed by students from a near by community center. I think that little projects like a church mural can help to liven up the culture and life that once flourished in NOLA. And finally, I hope that the work we do as Bonners, both in NOLA and Trenton, inspires others to get out and do a little bit to help those that need it most.

The trip was a great success and I can't wait to go back to New Orleans in the future!

"I'm going back into action," the words by the courageous Kate as she put her hard hat on. Similar to her, my group members were all ready to brave our site. My site was at a man name Booker's house that had wind-damage from Katrina. We were pulling down the siding and building scaffold to be able to get up as high as 30ft in the air. Majority of the people at my site, including myself, were new to doing any kind of construction. The home owner, Booker, worked side-by-side with us, teaching us as we go. I was not even sure how to properly pull out nails, but he showed me how.

After the work day, I met a native to New Orleans. He was a recent high school graduate that comes to the church, that we stay near, and hang out. While having a conversation with him, he mentioned the constant violence that they had here in New Orleans. He loved the city, but wanted to venture out as soon as he could. It was nice to hear that he had high hopes regardless of his circumstances. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to speak to more New Orleans natives.

Cultivation to the Mind…and Stomach.

January 11^th, 2011,

Today was the second and surprisingly the most tiring day I have experienced yet on this trip. Although I was exhausted, it was a very productive day overall. I continued to work on A. Booker’s house and continued to build more scaffold with my team. Mr. Booker was not with us today but our team leader John told us what we needed to accomplish in order to help build the house. We helped reinforce the scaffold by nailing different parts of the wood to help us reach higher levels on the scaffold that we were beginning to reconstruct. Although it was a very chilly experience due to the weather, our team continued strong and was able to make some progress.

What was different about today was that I had “Dinner Duty” and so I had to leave my site earlier than required. I was fortunate to cook along side with Ashley Hunt, Shaun Field, Roger Barrett, and the interesting and quirky chef Chris. We cooked Coconut Chicken Curry and Rice and Beef stew for the forty-nine volunteers that came down for the week. I was tired enough by working in my site and I expected the kitchen to be a little easier but surprisingly there was a lot of work involved in cooking. Overall the food was great and I believed the kitchen crew did a fine job in providing some quality food for the volunteers.

I am amazed at how much work there needs to be in many different sites; just the kitchen alone requires some heavy help. It was an eye-opening experience for me because I learned how impacting effective teamwork can be. From my site at Mr. Booker’s to working “Dinner Duty” with Chris, I realized that all of us can make great results whether it is finishing up certain parts of a scaffold or serving up a well-cooked meal. I hope that each day brings greater results and greater bonding moments not with just other TCNJ Bonner Students but the rest of the volunteers that are staying for the week.

Hump day.

Wednesday is traditionally known as "hump day" as it is the middle day of a work week and exhaustion can sometimes catch you off guard. I feel like it is safe to say I made it over the hump and into the second part of the work week. This second part, although it may be tough due to fatigue, will be the best part because we all will be able to see the immediate impact we have made on the community.
Today, I worked with Alaine and Americorps NCCC member John to fix up the rotted floor in the church we are using as our common space. For us, hump day posed no threat. The day was a solid work day and Alaine and I worked hard together to help John put down all but the tiles of a new floor. It is a little different than working on a house because you are missing that sense of ownership from an on-looking or helping homeowner, however at the end of the day when you see the final result you can only be happy.
It was also a great day for me because I was able to transfer my building knowledge to Alaine and help her learn some new skills, and like most build days for me, I also learned from John and picked up some new skills and habits (the most important thing about a build day to me). I am pleased with the job that we accomplished today and look forward to what ever the next two days have in store.

Helping Build a Home!

Today, I traveled to a new site. (The group I traveled in consisted of John, Courtney, and Kevin who are from Ameri Corps, and Erica, Gary, Roger,and Randy, who are with TCNJ's Bonners.) Previously, I was working on the mural, but today I went to Mr.Booker's house. The moment I got there, my nerves was jumping because I was excited to help make an impact in someone's life, by fixing their house. Prior to this I have never done any construction work, so this was all new to me. Immediatley, I got a crash course on how to safely use the ladder and many other tatics. Even though I was a little bit afraid to climb really high on the ladder, I took the chance and before I knew it I was traveling up and down 3 stories high with no fear.

Also, for the first time in my life I use a saw to cut a lot of two by four and four by four blocks of wood, which was used to help build the scaffold. After constructing a new portion of the scaffold with my group, we then went on to taking out all of the old nail's on the side of the house. We also put tarf to cover it. I really enjoyed working on Booker's house and I can't wait to meet him.

On the Second day of NOLA

TIME IS FLYING! Being in NOLA, I have become more and more anxious to help make a difference. As I am being exposed to the city, my empathy for the people here continues to grow. Although I may not be able to completely feel what they have been through, I can empathize with them and bring to them encouragement and hope, that maybe one day they will have their city back. Yesterday, I worked in the kitchen for majority of the day. At first, I really did not want to do kitchen work, because I wanted to be out reconstructing houses and lives of New Orleans natives. However, a little kitchen job turned into something much more meaningful. Despite the fact that I learned how to make enough rice to feed a hundred people ( after a few mess ups) and learned how to dice a group of vegetables NOLA Natives call "the trinity" ( which is celery, onions, and bell peppers) I also was able to speak to a teenager from the church. Jasean, was an evacuee during the storm, who luckily was staying in an area of the city that did not experience flooding. During the period of time of him being away from the city, he expressed that he never wanted to come back to New Orleans. Jasean was originally from a broken area of the city, so he said that a lot of times he did not feel safe in his city. On the other hand, as he went through YOUTUBE to introduce us to some New Orleans traditions and dances, his eyes had a glow and his smile was huge. He loved his city. Even though there may have been some struggles, he had to come back. One thing Jasean told us was that he heard and believed rumors that the government never wanted New Orleans to be revived. Which hurt him in many different ways. Above all, I learned a lot from the conversation I had with Jasean in such a short amount of time and I am looking forward to talking with more people from New Orleans.

PS. I having so much fun here! I do not want to leave !

BLOG 2

Ever since I have been in NOLA I have been overwhelmed with a vast amount of different emotions. I have seen the horrible devastation that still remains because of Hurricane Katrina, and sights such as these make me feel even more motivated to lend a helping hand here in NOLA. I am really enjoying my time spent here as well as the work I am doing. The plus side of things is that, not only am I helping rebuild the city, I am able to experience the remarkable culture of the city via trips to the French Quarter. I have also been able to stroll down Bourbon St., and structurally, it is exactly what I had imagined. I am about to start off my work day any minute, and I am very excited despite the cold. I love here in NOLA.

NOLA Round 2

After being back in NOLA for a few days since I was here last year, I am proud to say that things are looking better for the city. After going on the driving tour, we saw the Lower Ninth Ward and I was so happy to see all of the modern looking house made by Brad Pitt's Make it Right program. Last year I saw maybe about two or three of these but this year I saw atleast a dozen. Anyway, this year we are staying at United Saints Recovery Project whom gave us an apartment in Central City. It's location is a lot different than where we stayed with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance last year. At United Saints, I am working on Team Erma. Erma is a very personable homeowner, whose home is in its finishing stages and should be done by tomorrow, if not today. We are pretty much just finishing and touching up the exterior painting. It's nice because our apartment is within walking distance of Ermas house. I'm not sure what or where we will
be working when we finish here, but I'm excited nonetheless. This city and trip were nothing short of amazing for me last year, and this year is already looking like it will surpass that and be even better. Peace and love from The Big Easy.

According to Aesop, Slow and Steady wins the race...

The recovery in New Orleans is slow and steady.

No doubt there is a continued influx of volunteers and service workers into the area.

Homes are being rebuilt, and families are being welcomed back to their home town.

The driving tour of the Lower 9th ward was a reminder of the extremity of the situation and the great

amount of work that still has to be done. In contrast, the street where I am working

has many refurbished homes.

It is interesting to note that today is the 1 year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti.

One can only hope that the progress in New Orleans can be translated to Haiti at a greater scale.

However both places still have a need for help.

It is a wonderful thing to see how many more volunteers there are staying with us and

the slow but important change that is coming to New Orleans.

Team Art!

Yesterday, Caitlin, Jennifer and I went to Angel Food Ministries and bagged groceries for customers. They distribute on a monthly basis to specific area codes and also operate as a thrift store. It was an interesting experience and the distribution center reminded us of The Rescue Mission but on a much smaller scale.

Today, I joined Team Art and assisted in painting a mural which is supposed to become the site of an arts and media center for children. I feel like we accomplished a lot and many people came up to us and thanked us for our work which was also rewarding. Hopefully we will get to meet the children before we leave!

Mural Painting

For my second day of work, I joined Team Art, like we like to call ourselves, to paint a mural on the side of a church. The church will become a Visual and Media Center for the kids in the community. The mural was started by kids and we came in to finish what they had started. During the day, one of the people who works with the kids invited us to come on Saturday morning to meet the kids who started the mural and thanked us for our help. During the day, many people came up to us to say thank you for what we were doing and it really made me feel happy that I was able to put a smile on someones face. I hope that I will continue to meet more N.O. residents during our time here.

Our third day!

Today is our third day in New Orleans and so far this trip has been very rewarding. My team and I are in charge of painting a mural on the side of a church that will soon become a visual/media arts center. Various students started the project and chose an anti-violent theme for the mural.

So far, I've had a great time working with my team. I think it's amazing that we have the opportunity to beautify the community.

While we were working, a couple of New Orleans residents stopped by and thanked us for what we were doing and it gave me a great feeling. I hope that the students who started the mural like what we've done with it.

I'm very excited to continue working on the mural!

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.” Andrew Carnegie.

This quote is posted on the soda machine in the common room at our host site, United Saints Recovery Project. It made me think a lot about what I wanted this week to be for me and for all of the Bonners that are here with me.

Inspiring Hope

For me, this is the first time I am staying in this part of the city (Mid-City) and I am excited to experience a new section of NOLA. I started off the week visiting an old homeowner, Laura, who I worked with in 2007 and have stayed in touch with over the years. Every time I visit her I am reminded of how kind, appreciative, and welcoming the people who have had volunteers help them put their lives back together really are. Laura invited Maria, my friend Andrew, and I into her home to visit with her and her family. Her son is now in his first year of college and her daughter in high school. As I was talking to her son Gavin about college I realized I first met him four years ago when he was in his first year of high school. Laura’s daughter, Lauren, even invited us to play her new Kinect games (which Maria loved). I had the chance to talk to Laura’s husband and Andrew played with their new dog Seven.

I tell all of these details because I did not only work on a house when I was in New Orleans that year, I made friends with an amazing family that I will forever keep in touch with and visit when I am in the area. When Laura thanks me repeatedly for helping her get back into her home, I can’t help but thank her back for being the person she is and inviting me into her home.

Beginning the work week with this visit really inspired my hopes for this weeks work and for the experiences the Bonner students will have. I hope they have the chance to become as close with a homeowner as I have become with Laura. On the other hand, I also know that us being here inspires hope for the New Orleans residents. I have been told many times, by strangers, homeowners, or friends that the site of volunteers in the city is really a sign of continued hope for everyone still trying to get back into their homes, even five years later.

Liberating Energy

The first workday of this trip allowed my team and I to liberate a lot of energy. We arrived at our site and began to tear down walls and ripe up floors. I was working with a group of great girls and we did some very good work. There was not too much conversation going on while tearing the walls down due to the safety equipment covering our mouths, eyes, ears, noses… but during lunch we were able to have some liberating laughs and some more serious discussion about the condition of the house we were working on.

Raymond’s house was under at least eight feet of water after the storm and the damage is, in most places, not repairable. We talked how much water there had to be in New Orleans during the storm for his house, one in the middle of the city, to be under eight feet of water, but I can’t even imagine it.

After every trip to rebuild, I have been rejuvenated for the coming months. Spending time and sharing this experience with new Bonners is unparalleled. I have the chance to share with them something that I have come to love: the city, the work, and the people.

Commanding Thought

A huge part of this experience is the conversations and reflections we have through the week. Each night we talk as a large group and reflect on the day and the experiences we are having here, but the conversations that happen outside of that guided time are just as meaningful. The questions that are presented during conversations really show that the Bonners are thinking about more than the daily tasks they are completing and more about the larger picture. Once presented with the problems, they want answers. Most I cannot give them. They want to know how the country has not pulled together to help those affected, why the government cannot help more, why some people did not come back, why the United States could not save the 1,800 people that died in the storm, and what we can do to fix it.

Having these conversations pushes the students, and me, to try to find the answers. Not just answers here, but back in Trenton where we work on a weekly basis.

I hope that the week continues to be as successful and meaningful as it has been so far.

Thanks for reading!

Britt

Monday in New Orleans - Overview

Monday was the first day of work for the Bonners in New Orleans. We were broken up into six teams.

Art Team - Eddie, Nicole, Bridget, Pricilla, Esther, and Ashley R.
The art team is working on a mural that was started by kids in the neighborhood last week. By adding some extra detail and words, the mural will be a great asset to beautify the community.

Erma – Ryan, Tom, Shaun, and Roy
This house is almost finished! The boys are working on some exterior painting and final touches to make it perfect for Ms Erma.

Booker – Randy, Erica, Gary, and Roger
Mr Booker has been working on his house to try to get in back into shape. This week the team is working on the exterior of the house, pulling down old siding and…

Angel Food – Caitlin, Alaine, and Jen
Every Monday, United Saints sends volunteers to help at Angel Food where people donate food and the organization bags it and gives it to those who need it in their community. The girls bagged lots of food and we able to give some bags out to local residents.

Raymond – Laura, Lexy, Kayla, Britt, and Maria
Demolition. This house is still in the beginning stages of rebuilding, so the team took down walls, removed old floors, and began tearing down ceilings. This team also worked with students from William and Mary College who are here for a few weeks over break to rebuild. There is a lot of work to be done here before Mr Raymond can move back in to his house.

Holmes – Christina, Angel, and Gayatri
This team spent the day painting the inside of Mr Holmes’s house. They worked with students from Colgate University. The Bonners had to leave their site a little early to come home and help cook dinner for more than 60 people staying at United Saints!

After working, the Bonners came back to eat dinner and reflect on their first day. During the reflection we talked about all the different projects we worked on and what we were looking forward to for the rest of the week.

Some people spoke about meeting their home owners, while others described the condition of the neighborhood they worked in. One thing that was apparent is that the people in New Orleans are very grateful to have volunteers here helping rebuild.

After reflection we all went into the French Quarter to explore and learn more about the culture. Everyone had a great time and look forward to going back later this week!

The first few days in New Orleans have been amazing! I am working with Team Art on a mural at a church which will be renovated into a visual arts/music center. At first, I was disappointed that I wasn't working on an actual house, but it is turning out to be an awesome experience. Not only am I working with really amazing people, but also we are actually adding onto a mural which was started by local children and centers around the theme of nonviolence. The kids came up with the theme themselves and also wrote a letter to their community which will be featured on the mural. I was talking with one of our team leaders from United Saints and she told me some stories about the local kids and they reminded me so much of my kids from Hedgepeth, so I am so happy that I am doing something that will benefit them.

The theme also seemed especially relevent in the neighborhood we're staying in during our stay in New Orleans. Across the street from our house, there is a a memorial and I asked our team leader who it was for. She told me that it was for Jeremy Galmon, a two-year old who was killed in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. That really shocked me and made the message of the mural even more relevent, but it also really motivated me to make this mural amazing. I hope the visual arts and music center will be a way for kids to stay off the streets and hopefully our mural can be a source of pride and inspiration for the local community.

Second Day of New Orleans

Today was our second full day in New Orleans and working on our sites. I am working on my site with three other Bonners (Tommy, Shaun, and Ryan) and two Americorps. We are at the tail end of our work, finishing up our painting and hopefully we will finish tomorrow. So far I love the city from what I have seen from it. The work we have been doing so far has been very enjoyable and we have gotten to meet the homeowners and it is interesting getting to hear the story of someone directly touched by Katrina. I look forward to seeing the finished product of the work we have started that the Americorps have been working on for a while and getting to see even more of the city.

Two Days In New Orleans

The first two days in New Orleans have been a very exciting experience! The culture is extremely rich in the downtown area and the devastation is severe throughout the city. I'm currently working on the home of a Mr. A. Booker. Mr. Booker is 71 years old today and in amazing spirits and physical shape. It's amazing! Mr. Booker has been working on his home for quite sometime and it's wonderful to be able to help him out. After 5 years he still does not have running water and his electricity is spotty. This both amazes me and surprises me. The storm caused so much damage and the effects are still being felt today. More to come......

Day 2

The day began with all of the volunteers meeting with the Director of United Saints to discuss all of the sites. Once he briefed us on all of the sites, we got a chance to select a service project of our choice to work on. Since there are a lot of volunteers, many of the sites got filled very quickly. I after seeing what was still available to sign up for, joined the art team. Our group traveled to a church which isn't to far from the United Saints' building.

At the church we were told about the art project we would be working on. The kids in the community started a mural to express how they feel about their community, and we were there to help finish it. In the beginning we looked at a sketch and discussed how everything should be. Then we jumped on in and began to paint. Before we knew it, we had paint covering ourselves, but more importantly it was covering the walls in which we diligently made an effort to enhance. The mural is only partially completed, so it is a work in progress.

Driving Through New Orleans

Yesterday, was a shocking day for me. This is due to the fact, in terms of reconstruction the city did not appear how I expected it to be. In the afternoon, we got a chance to take a close look at the lower 9th ward and see some of the damage that Hurricane Katrina has done. We saw so many houses that are destroyed. There were some houses with a marking of and "X" and a number to symbolizes how many people was found in that house during the time of the flood. There was also many empty lots that use to contain a house and now only contains small pieces of the house such as cement stairs.

As we drove we saw a few houses that was built by Brad Pitt's program, that has helped out this community. Brad Pitt has done a great thing, but I can't help but wonder what is the nation doing to help out the rest of New Orleans. I can honestly say I only saw about 25 houses built, but its been 5 years! How can a nation that prides its self on being the smartest and strongest country in the world let its people to continue to suffer when they are in need? Where is the humanity? Who will step up? We was asked last night, "How long do you think it will take until the city is fully rebuilt?" My response is it will take how ever long it takes for us to get up and do something about it!! We are the solution!We can easily continue to go on and say, "Well it will get better one day" or we can stop wasting time and make a change. I am fired up to do so.We have to realize all of these people who lost their homes could be us at any given day. Natural disasters can flip anyone of our lives upside down, so we have to do all we can to help those in need.

One of New Orlean's Supermen

January 10th, 2011

Today was our first service day in the city of New Orleans. After witnessing the atrocities and horrendous conditions that still plague New Orleans citizens, all the Bonners along with other community service organizations dedicated themselves to lessening the hardships of reconstructing the neighborhoods that many have lost since the disaster hit. Personally, I became angry and eager to help as many as people as possible. Although the work would be difficult, I knew that it was necessary to endure anything that came our way to help make a difference, no matter how big or small.

After an early training session with United Saints, all of us went to work in various sites. I was fortunate to meet and work with an incredible man named A. Booker. He seemed to live by himself and he needed a lot of help trying to reconstruct the side of his house and so myself and three other Bonners worked with Mr. Booker and two AmeriCorps leaders. What amazed me about this man was that he was very agile for his age (He is seventy and his birthday is tomorrow). He easily climbed up and down the side of his house and built a scaffold entirely by himself in order to help him reconstruct his house. He had an amazing background where he used to be singer for a group named "Smooth Jazz and the Louisiana Purchase." Since the disaster, he is now focused on fixing his house while still waiting for some sort of response or aid from the government.

Today was long and exhausting but well worth the experience because not only did I learned how to help make repairs to the side of a house but was also given the opportunity to hear the stories from one of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. I was also happy to hear that Mr. Booker was very appreciative of all the volunteers for coming down and offer a helping hand. I cannot believe I learned so much in one day and we still have an incredible four days ahead of us. I look forward to tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next....

Our first day!

Today was our first day in New Orleans and I can already tell that this will be a great and rewarding experience!

Today I experienced a mixture of emotions ranging from sadness to anger to disappointment and to hope. During our tour of the lower ninth I truly realized how devastating the hurricane was. I was very shocked and sad at how empty and abandoned the neighborhood is. I expected it to be a lot more lively than it is and for there to be many construction projects. I was also very disappointed to learn that many of the homeowners who decided to live elsewhere (many who were denied help from the government) are being fined for not keeping their properties clean.

Despite all of these devastating things, I am glad to know that there are many people in New Orleans who have a lot of hope.

I am looking forward to our first day of work tomorrow!

1st Day

Touring New Orleans was unreal. I was expecting it to be a bit worst, but still not impressed with the little improvement that was done in five years. To think that some of the places we drove over were once submerged is mind-blowing. Our lack of preparation and engineering ability left those people helpless. Shockingly, majority of the people were nice and seemed to be happy. The scavenger hunt allowed us to interact with people that were visiting, may have just moved back, and some that never left. Experiences that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Today will be our first day of actual work. I am unsure of what to expect, but more than ready to tackle whatever challenge comes my way.

1-9-2011

Today, January 9, 2011, was an incredibly eventful day in Bonner sense. Britt sent us on a scavenger hunt of a most convoluted nature, which resulted in a wonderful bonding experience with our respective teams. One of my favorite tasks of the day was to get a stranger to make a human pyramid in front of the largest church in the city (Team C claimed success, I might add.) At the end of the game, I found out a lot about the streets and stores in New Orleans as well as the genial nature of its people.
However, thought the first half of the day was light-hearted and fun, as Bonners, we never stray too far from reality. A visit to the 9th ward was a grim awakening to the infamous destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Even though I am well aware of the extent of the damage, I still can’t say that I was truly prepared to see the state of the 9th ward today. There is just this vast emptiness that illustrates the pervasive themes of abandonment and neglect. Many of the houses still have X’s spray painted onto them, along with a combination of numbers that give information as to the body count inside. These markings make for a grim marker of those souls entombed inside. Five years later, we are still reminded of how much we still have left to do.

NOLA Tour

While driving around NOLA today, I felt disappointed. Disappointed at the fact that after five years, this city is not built to atleast half the city it was before Katrina. Driving around and seeing all those abandoned houses with X's on them was really heartbreaking. I know many people have looked at pictures in the news but seeing it in person is completely different. Seeing how much people lost because of this storm and on top of that enduring obstacle by obstacle is unfathomable. Why is it that when people most need help, they can't get it. For this to be happening in a developed country, its embarassing to see how much little progress has been accomplished. One of the things that really got to me were seeing the stairs to the entry of a house but nothing else. Thinking about how someones life can just disapper in an instant makes you really appreciate what we have even more. I hope that during this trip, I will be able to give back a little of what these people lost during Katrina.

Driving Tour

Today we got to have a lot of fun in the French Quarter of New Orleans. We went on a scavenger hunt around the French Quarter and really got a feel for the spirit of New Orleans. In the afternoon, however, we got to see the harsh reality of the damage left by Hurricane Katrina as we took a driving tour around the Ninth Ward. We saw the levees which failed the city so horribly five years ago. We also drove around the local neighborhood and though a lot of progress seemed to have been made, there were still many vacant homes left untouched. On one lot, all that was left of a home was the front steps - there was literally nothing left of the house. It was so upsetting to imagine the owners of this house coming back and seeing it completely destroyed. On some of the homes, we also saw the markings left by first responders indicating whether or not they searched the homes and how many dead were in the homes. On this one house, a first responder initially put a zero for number of dead, but then crossed it out and put a two. Seeing that was really disturbing but also really powerful because it vividly illustrates the toll Katrina had on New Orleans.

I am looking forward to tomorrow when we start working on the houses. Hopefully we can make a difference and help this truly amazing city.

New Orleans Day 1

Today was our first full day in New Orleans, comprised of a driving tour of the city, a scavenger hunt in the French Quarter and a solid night of Wal-Mart shopping. Though the weather wasn't too great, it was still an interesting experience. This is my third consecutive year in New Orleans and it was important to compare what I saw today to the past years. In the Lower 9th, the properties seemed to be overgrown, more so this year than any other. However, there were definitely more houses built around the city and many more people around. It was great to see the French Quarter populated and bustling, despite the low temperatures and rain. I am looking forward to finding out what I will be working on for the week!

Driving Tour of NOLA

Today, after the scavenger hunt, we took a driving tour of certain areas of New Orleans. While I have watched When the Levees Broke, to actually be able to see the devastation that is still evident years later had a major impact on me. One thing that struck me the most was the emptiness. In the lower ninth ward in particular, we saw so many empty blocks where the most that remained of houses were its concrete steps. I cannot begin to fathom how hard it must be for people to come back and see their homes just completely gone or to come back and see that all the houses around you, all your neighbors and friends, are gone-- coming back to emptiness. Nevertheless, we also saw a sign in the ninth ward that said "Remember our past but celebrate our future." This just goes to show you the strength of the human spirit. Despite all the hardships that they have went through, they still hold fast to hope and I believe that it is this hope that will be the driving force to rebuild this city.

While I'm extremely upset about how slow progress is being made in fixing all the damage done, Britt brought up the question of "what would we do if we were in the situation of the government?" This really made me realize that it is simply not enough to be sad, it is not enough to feel for these people. We have to come up with ideas to bring about the change that we want to see occur. While I honestly don't know what I would do if I was in the position of the government, I know it is something that I must think about.

I can't wait to start working tomorrow!

Driving tour of the lower 9th Ward

The first day out and about in New Orleans was both pleasant and disturbing. On Bourbon street, we enjoyed a nice breakfast at a corner restaurant in the french quarters. After, we completed the scavenger hunt;moreover, I am betting that my team won. During the scavenger hunt, a lot of locals knew why we were here and were very kind and generous to us in helping us complete our list of tasks.

When the scavenger hunt was over, we took the driving tour of the lower 9th ward. I was able to witness the "green" houses that were financed by Brad Pitt. According to some of the Bonners who were here last year, the Brad Pitt houses were built very fast because only a select few were there last year. This opened me up to some hope for the future of New Orleans. However, I was able to witness the endless number of concrete slabs that still remained, five years later, in the areas where homes once were.

Moreover, I was told that residents who have never returned to the area after Hurricane Katrina are now being taxed because they are not maintaining what is left of their property. This outrages me because what are these people expected to do? These are people who have been subjected to a disaster that was not properly handled, during and after, by FEMA and the government. Also, most were not given enough money to build back their houses. Furthermore, crime rates sky rocketed after the disaster. Who would want to go back to that? Atleast give the proper means of aid to the citizens of the lower 9th ward for them to have something to come back to before you tax their sad excuse of a "property."

What can we do about this? Instead of taxing the citizens who have now created new lives for themselves all across the country, construction and labor jobs can be created for the citizens who have come back to New Orleans. Hire a jobless man as a gardener or a construction worker to rebuild houses and to upkeep the land. There are other options besides taxing the previous citizens. That should be the last option.

Sunday in New Orleans

Bonner Scholars awoke for an 8:30 a.m. congregation. During this time, the Bonners participated in a timeline activity, that chronicled the events before Hurricane until a few days into it's aftermath. Each participating Bonner was given one or two fact slips about Hurricane related events. The papers were numbered and the Bonners spoke consecutively in order, creating a flowing overview of the disaster. After reading the fact slips, students reflected briefly on the harsh series of events, while viewing snapshots of the disaster in action.

After the timeline activity, the Bonners drove into the French Quarter for breakfast and their first look at the heart of New Orleans. Passing many well-known streets and venues, Bonners were able to see what makes New Orleans shine. Splitting up for breakfast, students experienced a New Orleans' meal and conversed about the scavenger hunt that was to follow, among other things. At 11:30 a.m., they convened at a raised view point of the Mississippi River.

The scavenger hunt followed, with Bonners splitting into five teams with the goal of familiarizing with the city and to bond. A plentitude of pictures were taken of Bonners doing interesting things, such as wearing the famous New Orleans, serving food at local restaurant and important city locations. Bonners also had to interact with the local community as well as the many tourists to complete the scavenger hunt.

After the fun and excitement of perusing the city, Bonners were once again hit with the stark reality of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina during a driving tour of the cities most effected areas. The vans drove through various relatively desolate areas that impressed upon the Bonner scholars the actual reality of the hurricane destruction. For returning Bonners they were able to measure the current conditions against the benchmarks that they set the last time they visited the region. Bonners saw first hand many areas that were depicted in the Spike Lee documentary: When the Levees Broke, which they had watched before the trip.

The experience was enhanced by the rainfall and winds that reminded Bonners of how strong Hurricane Katrina was. The currents of Lake Pontchartrain were strong, due to the storm, which brought about speculation of what the conditions were like during the hurricane. After the driving tour, the Bonners returned to enjoy dinner, reflect on the day and relax to prepare for the forthcoming work week.

Randolph Portugal & Shaun Field

So today I started my journey to New Orleans and I can say that I am extremely excited. I’ve never been there before and have heard great stories about the city before the hurricane and terrible stories about the city afterwords. It’s such a culturally rich area and such an important part of the American culture. However, the hurricane has destroyed much of this once wonderful area. Both of my sisters went to New Orleans with Bonner and have told me that this trip is one of the best experiences they have ever had. With this I look forward to the experience and hope to make a difference in the conditions down there. I know we can only make a small difference but it is a difference. I think this experience will change the way I look at different things and I hope that it is a wonderful and meaningful experience!

NOLA

Is this thing on? ( taps mic ) ! Okay, so, today is the day ! I cannot begin to explain how excited I am for the service we are going to be doing ! I feel beyond privileged to be apart of a team that share the same drive and passion for helping our communities as I do. Honestly, It's been awhile since I really paid any attention to what was going on in New Orleans after Katrina. When it first happened, I felt a sense of devastation that so many people were affected by this storm, yet even then I don't think I really understood the severity of it! As the years continued to pass , the thought of katrina even happening sort of got pushed to the back of my mind! I never forgot that it happened , but due to the fact that it seemed so far away from me, and I felt disconnected from NOLA as if it was happening to another world ! As i watched When the Levees broke , I was brought back to a reality, only this time it clearly dawned on me that Katrina did happen and people are still being affected by it ! As I was watching the movie , I began to feel connected to the community of NOLA! Yes, I am miles away, but I now felt connected as if I was once there , or knew people there ! Hearing the stories about the families tribulations gave me the urge above no other to get down there and get to work ! The fact that parents were moving their children out of the place that made them the person they are because there was no place for their children to play, frustrated me in a sense! WHY HADN't i already been down there , helping make this situation better for these kids?! They need us, we need them! WE are the community, no matter what state, district, city or town! No matter how many miles apart, we need eAch other! With that being said, NOLA here we come baby ! :)