NOLA-Final Day

With a sense of sadness, I woke up and got ready. I knew that it would be my final day here at the HandsOn New Orleans base camp and that I would need to return back to my life in Massachusetts-work, lousy public transportation, chilly weather, dear friends and all.

I just saw another team member off. It's funny-we are all going back to Boston but not together and though we will be a phone call or an email away, we will likely fall into being so busy that we won't have that shared time like we did during this trip. We definitely will get together to see off two of our team before they return to Korea in December.

We are also going to establish a flick'r account so soon you will all see photos that I and the group took during our time here. As Jamie and Ethan both said it will be interesting to see the different perspectives in shots of some of the same sites taken by different people. A photographer's composition is unique. My photos of the Lower Ninth Ward may convey a different sensibility than say those taken by Joey and Justin-the two engineering students from Korea.

I am looking forward to trying to get in on a last gut today since those can be completed in the morning time. My flight is not until later in the afternoon and I really would like to get one more physical job in.

While he was waiting for his taxi, Brian used Google Maps and information from the New York Times coverage to show how Katrina affected the areas we've been working in.

Tomorrow I will definitely be able to post some reflections hopefully along with whether or not I was able to make a last gut!

NOLA-Day Five

Well, it's the fifth day and in keeping with its original mission, Sunday was a day of rest.

As mentioned before, HandsOn New Orleans operates out of a church. The First Union Methodist Church located on Dryades. Reverend Eden, a young and dynamic preacher, preached quite the sermon today. We could hear it in the bunkhouse and it reverberated off of the walls. The "breast" reference turned quite a few heads. I thought about attending. I laid back down in my bunk somewhere about 5:30AM after I showered.
6:00AM rolled around. Then 7:00AM. Then 7:15. Then 8:00AM appeared, when is when the service began. I could hear it lound and clear. in fact, I thought for a moment that it was on the radio. Somewhere in my early teens, my mother took to listening to religious services on the radio. The station was WILD, which unlike NOLA, was one of the very few stations devoted to a format that serve a Black population. Sunday began with Christian services and ended with Islam. There was the usual mix of gospel songs. Then there were the news programs. I was surprised that I had forgotten all of that until now.

After getting ready, I walked around the neighborhood with one of the members of our team named Christy. She was one of the members of the group that I spoke to the least, even though her name was familiar to me. I found that we had more in common than one would think and that she was a great charmer of cats. There was a black cat that looked at us and that definitely did not want a part of me. Seh

The Boston Cares group went to have brunch at the Columns Hotel located at 3500 St. Charles Avenue. Two benefactors from Boston set it up as a 'thank you' to us before we all left on the trip back home. The hotel is beautiful. The paneling alone makes you feel that this is a special space. It definitely This hotel was also the setting for Louis Malle's movie with Brooke Shields called "Pretty Baby."

Brunch was wonderful. I had the smoked pork tenders with sweet potatoes and REAL key lime pie. It was nice to have champagne for breakfast on a day that was not New Year's Day.

We all took a group photo on the steps as well. It was a bittersweet moment because it would be the last time that we would all be together.

Later on we were left to our own devices. Those who had not seen the Ninth Ward took a tour there. Others went on the Riverwalk and others went downtown. I went downtown. I thought that I had joined the group that intended to go downtown. I was mistaken and mad at myself for not paying attention. I consoled myself with the fact that I got to change into my jeans, which was an opportunity that I would not have had.

I walked part of the way downtown and took a cab the rest of the way since I was unsure. I also figured that I would memorize the path and walk it on my return. My cab driver was another Katrina victim. No house really to speak of left. He had to resort to renting. I was dropped off near Jackson Square.

NOLA-Day One

Well, I made it to NOLA (New Orleans). There is a group of about 40 from Boston. We all had our share of airplane stories-the worst being the people who took American Airlines out of Boston and had their flight cancelled and then were routed to Continental and then missed their connection in La Guardia and made it finally to NOLA but without their luggage, which was still sitting on the original American Airlines flight. They were surprisingly nice about it all. Of course the Boston Cares group came together and offered clothes and stuff.
My flight was all right. I loved listening to the XM Satellite radio, which has channels for every type of music imaginable. I basically lived in the 40s-90s stations with forays into the country and alt stations. As we landed at at the NOLA airport, (a beautiful flyover by the way as is Atlanta, GA) I listened to "Ring of Fire" by the man in black (Johnny Cash) and "Physical" by Olivia Newton John. I will take the time to apologize now for those who read this and go "Arrgh! These songs are stuck in my head...."
The neighborhood we are staying is decent enough though there seems to have been a major drug ring bust prior to our coming. There is increased police security and we have been told to go out at night in threes and the places that we need to avoid.
Driving down St. Charles Avenue was interesting since you would see chain restaurants housed in buidlings that you would associate with the 19th century.
It has been more than a year since Katrina hit. You can see that downtown has made a lot of progress. I was actually pleased to see children going home from school in the afternoon, which to me is a sign of nornamlcy.
The weather is in the 70s-a welcome change from the freezing rain that I left. I did not hit any of the nightlife yet. Traveling made me tired and I felt like staying close to home. But tomorrow...
Our hosts, Hands On New Orleans, are great. They have energy and they are practical. One of the staff memebers is also named Emma (a very lovely name to be sure). After we arrived, we receeived a great orientation and safety lecture, since as you can imagine, there is mold and stuff to be concerned about as well as falling debris.
Definitely no frills here. Everyone mucks in with chores and we sleep in bunks not unlike barracks. I signed up for kitchen patrol (cleanup) on Thursday. As I stated before, I can sleep on a concrete floor with a sheet and be okay. Our group is on the top bunks. I joked that it reminded me a bit of the movie "Rooftops."
The Boston Cares group, headed by Whitney, is a great group. Clearly we are all people who want to make a difference no matter how anonymous it is. Many of us don't know each other but we came together rather well. I had a great time playing (and winning at) UNO with Ethan and Pam. I also got a kick out of our reaction to the recent elections, including the Democractic wins.
And though I felt a bit silly, Whitney's idea about us all wearing the yellow Boston Cares shirts was a good one.
Tomorrow I will be a part of a "last gut" team. This team completes the gutting of a house with things like nail removal.
I'll blog more later.

Travelin' down to NOLA-11/8-11/13

I'll be joining a group organized by a great non-profit called Boston Cares that will help with the ongoing rebuilding effort in New Orleans (NOLA).

We will be hosted by Hands On New Orleans, which is a member of the Hands On Network. (Boston Cares is a member also!) I am told that a lot of the work will include mold removal, long days, and 3 minute showers. All of this I can do and willingly. I hope to be able to blog about my experience there for the next few days or at least provide a report once I get back.

When the Katrina disaster took place, I experienced the covereage largely through the net and through listening to the television broadcast on my headset. I never saw the footage as it unfolded. Hearing the desperation and fear of the victims and the utter incompetence of those who should have known better gave me a different perspective on the disaster than I otherwise would have had if I watched it on television. (I moved but had not unpacked my tv and was not really missing it since I could hear all of the shows that I liked on my headset).

Wish us well. We go to do good and to effect change, which is what Boston Cares, Hands On New Orleans and the Hands On Network are all about.