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!