www.seattleworks.org

I did it all for a t-shirt

Posted by a volunteer who participated in our January volunteer trip in New Orleans.

I’ve been down in New Orleans this past week with 15 other Seattle Works folks (Patrick, Noelle, Susanna, Megan, Chris, Blake, Nora, Erin, Beth, Trisha, Kelsey, Michelle, Kristin, Laura and Gillian – with all of whom I feel I now share a special bond), and have joked several times “I just volunteer for the t-shirts.” While this has usually been my attempt at levity to try and keep the group loose and in good spirits, I now feel there is actual meaning to my statement.

I’m not one that always boasts about my volunteer activities; those close to me know I volunteer with Seattle Works regularly, that I am happy to discuss what we do, and I have even recruited some people to come join Team Works. However, I typically only wear my Seattle Works t-shirts on project days, or as lounge-around-the-house-wear; somewhat intentionally, as I have viewed my volunteerism as the very personal relationship between helping people in need and the feeling of satisfaction that I garner by helping to build a better community.

I guess what I didn’t expect from my New Orleans trip was the profound spiritual and emotional impact it would have on me. For all the city has been through, I am amazed at how resilient and friendly the local population has been: waiters and bar tenders, the principal of the elementary school in which we were working, the residents of the damaged homes still living in FEMA trailers, the congregation of a neighboring gospel church, and just passers-by on the street. Southern hospitality is not a myth, at least not in New Orleans.

Perhaps the most enlightening experience was when Shelton “Shakes” Alexander, a national poet who lived through Katrina (and is interviewed in When the Levies Broke) came to the volunteer house, shared his experience, recited several of his poems, and answered questions about the city’s recovery. Erin asked him pointedly “what more can we do to help?” Shelton answered simply “exactly what you are doing, being here.” Shelton then said it wasn’t so much the tasks we were performing; painting in schools, helping rebuilding homes, caring for animals in a shelter, etc., but rather the spirit that volunteers bring, that someone cares and is willing to help. Erin then asked “what can we do when we get back home?” Shelton responded, “Tell people about your experiences here, the destruction that is still evident, and how much more needs to be done. Hopefully, more volunteers will keep coming.”

The next day, I ventured off on my only solo excursion of the entire trip to the National World War II (D-Day) Museum. New Orleans was the production center of the Higgins boats, the beach landing craft like those seen in the movie Saving Private Ryan; of the 14,000 vessels in the U.S. Navy during the war, 8,800 were built in New Orleans, thus a good site for the museum. After viewing the exhibits, which were amazing, I ventured into the gift shop to buy, ironically, a t-shirt. The shop keeper asked “what is Seattle Works?” and I realized I was wearing my Team Works shirt, probably since it was the only thing clean on our last day! After explaining it was a volunteer community involvement organization, I mentioned that 16 of us were down here doing work to help with the Katrina recovery, and the shop keeper was really impressed and thankful for our group.

As my new friend Blake has mentioned several times during the trip, “I like interesting t-shirts, they are great conversation starters.” I couldn’t agree more. I plan on wearing my new purple Hands On New Orleans t-shirt with pride, and on collecting more volunteer t-shirts in hopes that they will all be great conversation starters and I can better pass along the kind of work being done by volunteers and how much more work is out there to be done for ours and other communities.

I really did do it all for a t-shirt.

Bryan Fiedor

Looking back at transformation...

Posted by a volunteer who participated in our January volunteer trip in New Orleans.

So I'm down here at HONO and getting ready to leave (actually I'm all ready but we leave in about 3.5 hours so I'm working on not getting any sleep it seems) and I'm looking back. At transformation. I just read through everything everyone has posted up until now and it's great. It helps me remember all the good work we've been doing down here. You know, that stuff we do in between having a lot of fun and checking out the city.

Wait.

Strike that.

The good work we're doing down here IS a LOT OF FUN and it's a great way to CHECK OUT THE CITY. Better than standing around on some cold street corner all day waiting for a parade and yelling for throws (down here they have made that a verb for the parades) that I don't really want anyway.

Still, transformations. I'm talking about the people. We got off to a rough start as a group, a moved meeting and no Spike Lee documentary. No follow-up meeting. Lots and lots of emails about going to see "The Breach" and finally someone saying "I'm going on this day, if you want to come great." Still, nobody knew everyone so it was a lot of an unknown quantity coming down here.

Its strange, because it feels like if you have dinner with someone, as we did before the play, then maybe you know them some, but now that we've spent a week together, I realize I had no idea who these "people" were. I remember getting to the airport, seeing everyone and, after getting some names, heading over for a nice morning beverage. I spent a great time being delayed on the runway talking to Gillian and after we landed in LAX for the layover we moved out as a pack to look for food. I'd forgotten about that. Entirely. Then I remembered tonight and I realized that the people at the time didn't have distinct enough personalities for me to particularly remember who I ate with. Now everyone stands out so distinctly.

I was really proud of myself when I could name everyone on the first day, but that's so basic, such a surface item. Now I'm looking back, at the people, and I realize that everyone I'm here with is a really great, dynamic, interesting person. Its different than the "usual world" I live in though because even when I know someone for a long while, I don't really know them in a lot of way. I've never shared a bathroom with them, I haven't listened to them snore (p.s. of the 4 guys, 3 of us snore, with the 23 total people in our room for the men, I count that there were 6 people snoring), I haven't brushed my teeth
alongside them, I haven't seen the way they pour milk on their breakfast. So many little details but things that you really start to see, and appreciate, when living with folks in tight quarters for a week. Which, at the end of the week, is still just a week. Not much time at all.

Transformation though, that's the theme. Even though I know everyone now and I can speak to something about them and we have approximately 168 hours of shared experiences (that's how many hours are in a week), I know we're different people than when we came here. Its easy to put yourself at a distance from what's going on outside your immediate work and, taking a leap, even one that only last a week, is an intense way to make things more real. As a group, and individuals, we've grown, we've transformed, we've tried to walk in someone else's shoes, and that's important to who we are. When you realize how many specific moments you can remember who make you who you are, there are precious few. As time goes on, I'll be able to pull on this to point out some of them.

Now, I'm going to get personal, because I do appreciate everyone here, and I want to be able to spell that out, so it's a personal thing, and not a general thing.

Noelle - Wow, it's crazy that I was your team captain so long ago. Now you're here, gung ho as always, and providing a really good focus and insight on the trip because of your experiences in the area, doing the work. Now a leader, I really appreciate that.

Patrick - The thing that sticks out in my mind, is that when I talked to you about taking a train to DC, you expressed that you thought it sounded like a great time, instead of the "that'll be fun for you" track everyone else gives me. Also, you've taught English abroad before, like I'm headed to soon, and it's good to know that it was good for you, it helps me stay excited the more I talk to people who share the notion.

Laura - Unfortunately I haven't been able to interact with you an awful lot but I've seen you take charge. I know that you got the first stud award for our group when you stepped up and helped everyone, including the organizers of the project, find their way to Sarah Reed for the children carnival. Now I was able to check out a bunch of pictures because you looked out there and found a good site for us to post photos on, and, I suspect, you posted most of the ones there right now. Also, since you let me use your sleeping bag its been much softer sleeping in my bunk. Better than the sheet under me before.

Michelle - I know that the other night we were talking and the bar got too loud so it was strange but I really appreciate the conversation. The way that I absorb and incorporate other viewpoints is by asking questions and trying to get your perspective and making that work with mine. I was able to do that and I really appreciate it. Plus, you stayed around with me while I finished my beer, which is really great, a nice thing to do.

Chris - For a few days, I wasn't sure if I was just getting on your nerves or what but I gradually got the vibe that you were cool with me, despite that fact that I was one of the snoring folk in your room. I also recall you mentioning, at Tully's, that your job had agreed to postpone a project that you are key in, while you came down here. It's great to see that and it's good to know that good people are willing to do that for others, its really self-less. In a trip with 12 girls and 4 guys I've appreciated that you're around to talk with while we walk to the streetcar or while eating dinner at Jack-eh-moz.

Beth - "I'm in science." Well I was able to listen in on your explaining what you do to someone else and "it's really important work." It was cool though because I remember reading about it and it sounds like very fascinating work. Also, you have an easy laugh and a bit of a laid back manner that's really pleasant to be around. Plus, your family is from Montana even if you aren't really, and we talked about Butte (I think we did?).

Nora - Well you let me sleep on your couch so we could share a cab (with Kelsey!) and save some cash. I feel like I still owe one of you for my part of the cab fare, is that right?!? Aside from Noelle you were the one I knew before coming down here and it's been nice having you around. It was very reassuring to come with people I knew and it's been great you have around to give me a hug and ask how I am. Plus, when you headed to the dirty coast store you picked up the shirt I asked you for which is great because I think it's a hilarious shirt.

Trish - Hey! We live near each other! I'm actually hoping it works out we both ride the bus from the airport tomorrow because I really like riding the bus and I haven't had a chance to talk with you due to different projects and night plans. Even though I haven't felt like I've interacted with you much, a really nice smile goes a long way when you're sore and tired. Plus, you live near me! I don't actually know anyone else that lives near me these days. Thanks.

Kristin - Well I missed my last chance at a night cap playing mad libs and drinking "grape juice." Sorry about that. However, you were able to share your experiences about when you were down here before, right after, and every little insight helps. Plus, we bowled together at Ms. May's, and you beat me, but it was a lot of fun. Thanks for being ready and enthusiastic to head out and hang out.

Gillian - Apart from the people I knew before the trip you were the one that I met the first. I really appreciated chatting with you on the plane. Because of that I was also more ready to head out in the cab with you and I'm really glad because the first parade, Crewe de Viewe, was a lot of fun and now I'm safer than before (I think you know what I'm talking about)! You went into the work with a lot of good energy and it was good to have that around.

Megan - No, no, I'm over here! Yeah, thanks to your coaching on the "wrong shoulder tap" technique I feel like I'm much better equipped now than ever before! I remember practicing it then trying to find a good situation to test my new skills on you before finding the right moment and making you look the other way. Now that I write about it, pretty silly, but I had fun. Plus, I feel like we were able to share some little exchanges that were really pleasant. Finally, wear that new jacket.

Kelsey - Well you shared a cab with me. That's pretty awesome. For some reason I feel like we didn't work on any projects together, which makes me sad. Still, you're the last part of what I've been referring to as the "trio" lately to help me keep track of folks. Some kind of a comedy trio and I hear that working on a project with you was hilarious, maybe on the next trip eh?

Susanna - High Five! Chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga, choo CHOOO! Yeah, that's us, what some (Bryan) might call too much team bonding, I think it was great! Plus, now I know what gregarious means! You went to the museum early and had some great details to contribute about the parades and things. That was really nice because its the random stuff that keeps it interesting and entertaining.

Bryan - Conversations we wouldn't have. Plenty of them and heading out with you to the French Quarter was the first time I wasn't with a girl or alone. It was really cool to hang out with you, get your perspective on things, share some random opinions and observations about the group and enjoy some food. Even if the mac and cheese was underwhelming.  Plus, you do a lot of great work with Seattle Works and share that "let's see how much we can do and how fast we can do it" attitude when moving things like huge piles of gravel or bags on concrete in a wheelbarrow.

Erin - UPTOWN GIRL! Yeah, you're my uptown girl and even though everyone seems to know more of the song than we did, that's ok, because we still kick ass. There's that something about your personality that made it a lot of fun when you were around. Plus you totally took charge in the kitchen last (Friday) night and made some great food. Thanks for singing with me even if you didn't work on your lyrics. We'll do the other 35 verses some other time.

Every time I heard about someone's day, I felt like it sounded like I wish I was there. Sharing the experience with you, from Church, to Heading to the High School, to the initial Streetcar Adventures, to everything in between. Unfortunately I couldn't be everywhere doing everything but down here was where I wanted to be.

My summary is, I think we all know about ourselves, and we've had a great time learning it, even the times when we've wanted to, or have cried, it's been good. Character is an amazing thing and you all have a ton of it.

Plus the days went like this -
Monday - wow, it's only Monday, seems like it's been longer.
Tuesday - ugh, this is way harder work than I normally do, can I take a whole week of this? Is it really only Tuesday?
Wednesday - What? It's already Wednesday? What do you mean we only have two more days left, there's still so much to do!
Thursday - rain? No, no, no, we're from Seattle and we're not ready to let rain stop us! Oh...you mean painting in the rain means the rain runs? Dang, I wish we were able to get some work done (and a bunch of us said "we'll paint indoors! we're still going to do something!).
Friday - wow, we got the color around here up, the flowers planted, it looks a lot nicer, are we really done though? It's already been a week of projects? No, we don't want to go home yet!

Thanks.

- Blake Statham

Goodbye from New Orleans

Posted by a volunteer who participated in our January volunteer trip in New Orleans.

Tonight is our last night in New Orleans, and most of the team has gone to bed in preparation of our 3 AM wake-up call for our airport run.  We wrapped up our trip with a Mardi Gras parade that started right in front of our bunk site, and dinner on Magazine Street.  All in all, it's been a good experience.  We've been a little frustrated at times, but I guess you couldn't expect anything else with a trip like this.

I still haven't been able to gauge why all 16 of us came down.  I'm guessing that you'd get similar responses from each of us, something along the lines of "I wanted to come down previously" or "I wanted to see how things are for myself" or "I felt like I could do something to help others"...I actually came down for a couple of reasons:  first, because I'd been to Biloxi last year with the original group from Seattle Works and I wanted to help a new group of volunteers share in a similar experience.  Second, I wanted to see how New Orleans was coming along.  If you manage to even hear something related to Katrina or Rita these days (2.5 years later), it's usually about New Orleans.  I'd visited the Lower 9th Ward on the Biloxi trip, but I wanted to get in there and do something.  The fact that it took me 12 months to come back is a little frustrating, but as someone said to me last night, "you came back."

Today, I got to go back to Biloxi to visit some of the places I'd helped with a year earlier.  It was like going home again.  I remembered exactly how to get to the base site from the airport, and how to get to the project sites where we de-molded a house on the first day.  I remembered where we stopped for breakfast that first morning, and drove by the bar that we all would go to after work each day.  I got to drive across the bridge into Pascagoula (a bridge that was intraversable 12 months ago) and see a playground that another one of my teammates had helped build.  We were both surprised how easily we remembered where things were.  We agreed it was an indication of just how powerful our previous trips down to the Gulf Coast had been for us.

As for this particular trip, there were a lot of things happening for each of us individually and as a group.  I've been encouraging others to post on the blog, and several have.  And I know that many just want to take the time to reflect on what they've experienced prior to telling the rest of the Seattle Works world about it.  Those folks will 'speak out' in their own time.  I've tried to post each day if there was something I wanted to say.  Now, just a few hours before we leave, I thought I'd go ahead and talk a little bit about how grateful I am for this opportunity.  I'm glad I got the chance to travel and volunteer with these 15 people.  I tried to move myself around on different projects, especially if we were split up, just so I could at least work alongside most of them.  I didn't get to know them all as well as I would have liked, but the fact is that they all sacrificed something to come here.  And that makes each of them special in my mind. 

I'm also glad I got to meet some great people from other places and other companies.  Groups from Kaiser Permanente and Shell Oil.  Places like Hawaii, Maine, Boston (HARVARD!), Wellesley College, Los Angeles, Sacramento, New York, and yes, even a few random people from Seattle and Washington. Again, all made sacrifices to be here, and have earned a special place in the hearts of people here in New Orleans.

But I think what I'm most thankful for is the opportunity to be here, and see this city up close and personal.  I got to experience my first Mardi Gras parade.  I spoke with a gentleman who wants to turn a vacant lot he recently purchased into a community garden, in one of the worst neighborhoods in the city.  The "Human Jukebox", now in his 49th year of performing, honored me with a rendition of 'Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay'.  I had one of the tastiest hot dogs I've ever had, purchased from a street vendor outside the Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street, even when I was warned not to do so.  Actually, I ignored that warning twice on the same night, and I've lived to tell about it. 

And I got to meet Shelton Alexander, aka the African-American Shakespear, one of the people interviewed in Spike Lee's movie "When the Levees Broke."  He came and spoke to the group on Friday night at our base site, and it was overwhelming to hear him.  He had been in the SuperDome after Katrina hit.  He saw a lot of things that he himself is still trying to come to terms with.  He talked about his work in the schools here in New Orleans, and his message was tinged with fear for the youth here, with hope that they can indeed overcome the burdens placed in front of them, and anger towards those who are responsible for those burdens.  He performed a few of his poems for us, and stayed as long as we had questions.  When it was done, we gave him a standing ovation.  Then he stayed longer to talk with us one-on-one.  He sacrificed things to get to us through the Mardi Gras madness, and spent more time with us than I'm sure he bargained for.  But in the end, as he put it, it all happens for a reason.  So I am also grateful to him, for taking that time with us and with me.

He talked a little about pain.  There's an awful lot of pain here.  I learned on this trip that it's not all related to Katrina.  There are buildings or homes in just about every neighborhood south of Lake Pontchartrain that look burned out or bombed out, and not all of it's because of the hurricane.  Many of those places stood abandoned before Katrina.  The poverty in this city is striking, more so than any other major city I've ever visited in North America.  I think what strikes me most about it is that it doesn't exist just in one area or neighborhood.  It exists right next to the hotels on the waterfront, or the bars on Bourbon Street, or the fancy restaurants littered throughout the west end of the city.  It co-exists.  And these people, these beautiful people, will smile at you.  Look at you, and bless you, and sing a song to you, and heap praise on you for coming to help them.  They will tell you their story, and even if it sounds like so many other stories you've heard, you will still listen.  You will bear witness to their pain--a pain that may have been epitomized by the destruction of their homes by nature and the failure of their government to act in the face of that destruction, but that also existed long before that.  You will bear witness because it's all you can do.  I personally have never found religion, but there's definitely something spiritual about this place.

It's been a whirlwind week, and I can't believe we'll be on a plane in a few hours.  Signing off from the Big Easy!

"I don't know how I feel.  But He told me I do."--Shelton "Shakespear" Alexander

Patrick

Just the surface...

Posted by a volunteer who participated in our January volunteer trip in New Orleans.

Well, here's really my first blog ever.  Yet another experience from this trip. 

These last six days haven't been exactly what I was expecting from this trip.  I don't know now what it was I anticipated when I signed up for this excursion, but it has been so much more than anything I could have imagined.  It all started with a VERY early morning in Seattle that threw me in the mix with a lot of people I didn't know and is now a bit more than halfway done and I am sitting here in the volunteer housing wondering if I am even capable of writing out the things that I have seen and thought and experienced.  Whether or not I can write that down...  let me restate: wondering if I can really even reflect on everything that I have witnessed and produced. 

In the first day of our volunteering adventure, we went to an elementary school that consisted of about 10 trailers on a plot of land surrounded by a 12 foot gate. All I could see when I walked onto that campus was white and gray.  Everywhere.  White buildings, gray cement, silver chain link.  Not at all what looked like an elementary school where children go to learn.  Next to the elementary was the high school that looked just the same and between the two lied the abandoned and dilapidated high school that these kids used to attend.  We created art for the walls of the schools, planters, benches on which the kids could sit, sidewalk paintings, hopscotch.  Let me be honest here: I thought when I came here to New Orleans, I would be building houses and recreating homes for those without them and so when at first I heard that we would be making art for schools, I was slightly taken aback worrying that I wasn't really going to get my hands dirty while I was here - hard physical labor with building building building and more building.  Now, I did the building work the next day in the lower ninth ward (which I 'll get to...), but I realized when I walked onto campus two days later and saw the green and orange sign welcoming us to Carver High and saw the bright and festive hand-painted murals (by some very talented and some just very eager volunteers) on the walls of the trailers and all over the sidewalks and saw the planters filled with flowers and trees that what I was doing was exactly building a home for those without one; and when I heard the high school kids honestly thanking us for our time and for making their school a more beautiful place, that I was indeed building building and building a community and an educational center.  And all that I can think about, the motto and fact and idea that constantly comes into my mind is that this all happened almost three years ago. 

Almost three years ago.  There is devastation everywhere.  There are broken down homes with people living in trailers next to them and in them because they have nowhere else to go with no money to repair their destroyed homes.  There are people living in trailers because they are recreating their old homes.  There are no schools repaired.  We drive around and see school after school shut down, all the children getting their education in trailers, with different teachers every year and not a splash of color or even a welcome sign to let anyone know that this is school. 

Three years after this massive storm ripped through here and still - devastation.  And yet, hope and gratitude and love and inspiration.  Every single person I have met in this town from the kids at school to the guys outside their trashed homes to the homeless guy on the corner to the waiters at the restaurants have shown all of us unimaginable strength and gratitude.  Honest and real gratitude for the help that we try to bring, for at least thinking about them. 

So many wonderful things have happened here, and no joke the most amazing food I have ever experienced; and I say experienced consciously because that is the definition of Jacomo's (I do not know how to spell that) food and service.  And I have met some amazing and abundantly strong people here that give up their own time and money to give something to our society, and more amazing and abundantly strong people who fight hard to keep their community one of joy and hope.  I heard a 14 year old boy give a speech about freedom and unity and remembrance for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream that gave me chills for days and that I will take with me, pretty much, forever. 

This experience is one I cannot define and all this that I have written here is just scratching the surface of the experiences and the people that I have seen here and I am exhausted now. Physically and emotionally and I wouldn't replace it for the world. 

As they all have said to me here.  Be safe.  Thank you. 

Blog Post

Posted by a volunteer who participated in our January volunteer trip in New Orleans.

So, unfortunately, I've been remiss and this is my first blog post. However, it's a great city down here where we're doing lots of good work and there is plenty to do so I've been trying to stay busy while I'm here. Unfortunately most of the projects today were canceled because of the rain. Who knew that paint doesn't dry in the rain anyway? So instead we get to relax a little, which is actually really sad because I want to be out getting work done.

However, it can be frustrating at times because things don't always run well. The door is locked. There aren't enough cars. It rains and there aren't back-up projects. We ran out of primer. We don't know where the hammers are, the project sign up for tomorrow won't be up until later and I'm going out to dinner and on and on. You know, details, sort of easy to get lost in it. However, the people, all of them, are still inspiring. They're here, they're giving up other opportunities because they want to matter. At the end of the day, they've taken a leap into the non-profit world that I haven't yet. I admire that. I admire them.

Its good to be down here though. I know I can't explain it in words but there's something about it. Monday night I wandered down Magazine street and stopped into an empty bar and ended up talking with the owner for an hour or so about the things we're doing, her experiences, the place. She's from here; she left the city for the hurricane. Everyone sort of just expected it to be a long weekend, some repair work, but not so bad. Then it changed, so fast, things were gone. Even the people that left weren't ready because they often had beach clothes and no real clothes. If it was just the hurricane it wouldn't have been so bad. People say thanks. A lot. Even people that don't know what I'm doing are just glad.

The principal of G.W. Carver Elementary was there and gave a really nice appreciation speech after the project on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day on, not a day off, and it was really really powerful even though it was really simple and short. One of the guys we were with took a picture of the hop scotch area because he played it with his sisters as a kid and it was a nice memory for him. Little things, they're the most powerful of all. Another commented that the kids would be playing on it the next day. Its those things, the people that appreciate it. We're all kind of in it together here, because we think its a place that matters. I feel like its very important to go places, to see things, to have experiences that makes the world feel real so I'm very appreciative that I was able to come down here.

So at the end of the day, I'm tired, but everyone means well, some people happen to be better at it than others but its really great that we're here, working on it, helping out, getting away.

- Blake Statham

Initial impressions of New Orleans

Posted by a volunteer who participated in our January volunteer trip in New Orleans.

Ok, I am a bit remiss in blogging, but wanted to add a few thoughts about my perspective of the trip so far:

Day 1 (Sat 1/18):
As we neared the airport, the song "Born on the Bayou" immediately started running through my mind, as I viewed the vast wetlands... and then even more strikingly how so many back yards were waterlogged; we learned later this was from a typical rain shower earlier in the day.  This was my first indication of how signicant the water level is in this city.

After a brief erroneous stop at the Hands on New Orleans headquarters, we finally arrived at the volunteer center (much to the delight of the shuttle driver, who we tipped well for our extra tour of NOLA).  We later went out as a big group and did the typical touristy stuff, hitting bars along Bourbon Street in the French Quarter and dining on the local cuisine, which is amazing!!!  Highlights include drinking Hurricanes at the Absenthe Bar and the jambalaya and pecan pie at the Gumbo Shop.  Apparently we were so entertaining at one bar, dancing around, laughing and having fun, that another patron bought us all a round.  Good times!

Day 2 (Sunday):
This is an "off-day" at the Volunteers of America (VOA) house, so we all discussed things we wanted to do, see and experience.  After adjusting to the co-ed bathroom, and showers (sort of, they rotate each half hour), a group of us headed out around 10 am, focused on getting an excellent breakfast, getting some beignets, and letting Louisiana experience a group of fun-loving Seattlites.  We walked about 4 blocks to the street car station... the street car system is pretty cool, the cars are old-fashioned and historic-looking types (I later saw a sign in a restaurant indicating the line has been in operation since the 1830s).  As we waited, 3 of us (Beth, Erin and I) were drawn to the gospel church on the corner, and the music eminating from within.  We hurried up the stairs as we saw other patrons entering the doors.  I was kind of thinking "ok, I'll go in watch a bit from the back, and just experience this."  However, the usher immediately seated Beth and I decided to follow her into the pew; I later saw Erin sitting at a pew in front of us on the other side of the church.  The service was a mix of emotions for me; very amazing at the obvious passion of the local community, touching in how the spiritual messages were similar to beliefs and values I hold dear, and shocking at what some of the key issues of the church patrons.  I don't ever remember a priest delivering a sermon, in which he said "so you didn't lose weight this year, so you didn't stop doing drugs this year, so your son is in jail, so your electicity is turned off and you are running a power cord to your neighbor's house, God still loves you."  We also witnessed patrons passionately singing, shouting "Amen", and running around in the aisles (to the chorus "I've gotta run").  The service was also incredibly long, we didn't get out until about 2:30, so while part of me was thinking, wow I am so hungry and I really didn't want to stay here this long, it was an amazing experience and one of the highlights of my trip.  The other thing that was really heart-felt, is that though we were 3 of only about 6 or 7 white people in attendance and woefully underdressed, we were welcomed with open arms and hugged or embraced by numerous other church goers.

After church, we were starved!!! We headed to the street car, but wound up having to take a bus as a car never showed up (we later learned from Patrick that the street car had an minor accident, but the line was shut down... we blamed Patrick since he was riding on it at the time).  We went down to the French Corridor and enjoyed some muffuletta and beignets and strolled along Decatur Street and the Mississippi River.  Though it was pretty chilly, we decided to walk all the way back to the VOA house down Magazine Street (a 4 mile or so trek) and went through the Garden District, which has really interesting historical houses and buildings.

In general, I have been blown away by the architecture... I expected it would be amazing, but just the scale of how many interesting houses and buildings there are, block after block, and how unique they are is mind blowing.

Day 3 (Monday)
Most of us went over to a school, G.W. Carver Elementary School, which has been hard by the storm, and about which Patrick has made some pretty shocking observations in previous blogs.  I guess what strikes me so much, is how bleak the temporary "portable" structures the school is currently using, until the permanent building is repaired or rebuilt (which is likely to be 2 or 3 years away).  The compound is fenced by chain link, and everything lacks color:  white buildings, concrete sideway, black rocks... no plants, no signage, nothing.  You wouldn't even know it was a school-related facility, if it wasn't for the bus graveyard (much of which were flooded during Katrina) you pass by while driving into the parking lot.

The goal was simple... add color and character.  Give the students something to be proud about in their temporary home.  We made some benches, trash can boxes, and planters, all in the team colors of orange and green.  We also worked on large murals (4' x 8' plywood sheets), showing various themes (a school girl playing with a hula hoop, a steamboat, an angel) and of course the school mascot, the Rams.  Some of our team created some amazing sidewalk art, such as a hop-scotch grid and a cool arrow with the word "knowledge" pointing towards the classroom.

Day 4 (Rebuilding Together)
Wow, what an experience... this entailed working in the 9th ward (an area hit very by the storm) and helping to directly repair and rebuild people's homes.  Even two years later, it is a sobering experience driving past all of the destruction on the way to the site... some buildings are shifted, or missing windows, others are just piles of debris.

At the site, we helped caulk and primer several houses... apparently an NBA team will be coming in to do the actual painting in the near future.  At one house, we cleared out and knocked down and old shed, and cleaned up a backyard.  As we did this, the resident and his neighbor (who currently live in trailers in the alley), took us into their homes and showed how they had been remodeled and rebuilt, and were finally starting to anticipate their completion.  These guys were amazing, two local old-timers, who both grew up in these houses.  One indicated his home had been in his family for 150 years, since it was built.  They both stayed with their homes during the storm, and had to be evacuated from their attic windows.  The roof eaves are about 10 feet above the ground, and the water nearly reached that height due to the flooding. 

Days 5-6
Much of this week, I've been taxing my limited graphic-design background, to design some of what I hope are quality signage and visual art for G.W. Elementary School.  Our group has been an amazing team, and I've been impressed with the way we've all jumped in to get the projects done and also at people's artistic talent (even if they think they have none).  In addition to the murals created on Day 3, we have made two large street signs to show that there is actually a school back there somewhere and help give it its identity.  Now when students or visitors arrive, they will see "G.W. Carver Elementary School, Home of the Rams" and the school logo as they approach.  They'll also see the murals on the outside walls... smaller placards with different orange and green themes, such as art, music, textbooks, or more abstract patterns.  The Hands on New Orleans coordinator, Matt, has been awesome to work with.  He's had a great attitude and really wants the volunteers to just go for it on projects.  Matt was so amped up seeing things come together, at the end of today, he and a helper hung up some signs on 4 of the buildings, and the visual change is impressive.  I can't wait to get back tomorrow and finish up the last touch ups, getting the remainder of the signs hung, and hopefully the plants placed in their new colorful planters.

Throughout the week, students have popped in to see what we are doing, and a few have helped us (we are not sure if they have official permission or not, but hey, art is an important skill too).  Most of the students are really excited and oooh and aaah a bit.  The syncial side of me wonders if all of this work will be tagged or vandalized within a few days of it being placed.... I hope not.  You can tell some of these students have had a tough life, probably even before Katrina, and many seem much more grown up than they should be as pre-kindergarten through 8th grade students; but in a way that's what makes this project more important to me.  The "harder" some of these kids are, the more I think they need to be exposed to art, or beautification projects, or people volunteering to help make their "compound" an actual school space.  I am hoping enough kids or other volunteers will take pride in the new surroundings, that they will continue to repaint, or repair, or redo any of our work that may get damaged.

Bryan Fiedor

A day in the city

Posted by a volunteer who participated in our January volunteer trip in New Orleans.

Anybody remember the scene in Bull Durham where Kevin Costner's character organizes a rain-out by turning on the sprinklers at the field the night before?  That's what we had today in New Orleans.  We awoke to a pretty steady downpour, which meant many of the projects planned for outside were cancelled.  A little ironic, when you think about the fact that all of them came about because of water in the first place.  Anyway, today became a day off for many of us, so we decided to spend it doing our own things.  Some of us went museum-hopping, while others revisited Bourbon Street and the French Quarter, while a few of our team members ventured deeper into the Lower 9th Ward to take a long, slow look around the most damaged area in the city.

I wrote about the 9th Ward in my blogs for our Biloxi trip last January, so you can check out my thoughts on that (just add the phrase "I can't believe it's been a year since then, and it's still looks like the hurricane went through here last week..."

I took advantage of the day to rest up a little, head downtown and search out some local "dives" in search of sustenance with one of my teammates.  I also thought this would be a good opportunity for me to tell you about some of the lighter moments of our week.  I gave a glimpse of some of them in an earlier message, but here are some other highlights and details.

• Our first full day (Sunday) was an adventure in many ways.  We all split up and headed towards the French Quarter with some renting cars and others hopping on the street car.  After waiting in line at Caffe du Monde for a beignet and latte, me and my breakfast mates decided to just head across the street for some greater sustenance.  I've done the beignet thing before, so it wasn't a big deal to skip it this time.  Anyway, our restaurant of choice was really busy (it was a pretty day, and people were out in force).  Add to that the fact that we all were extremely hungry, tired, in need of caffeine, and hoping to get on with our day, and you'll get the idea that we were in a hurry.  So, of course, life decides to slow us down by having the restaurant run out of eggs.  Seriously, how funny is that?  Does McDonald's ever run out of beef?  Would Starbucks run out of breakfast blend beans?  Anyway, we eventually got our food, and coffee, and felt much better.  And the waitress was so great about the whole thing, we didn't even mind that it took so long.  But if you're ever in New Orleans and want to have breakfast across the street from Caffe du Monde at the restaurant on the corner, be sure to ask how their egg supply looks.  Or order oat meal.
• <this story is for my teammates, to let them know once again that I'M SORRY for leading them astray>  So, we landed in New Orleans on Saturday night, right on time, found our way to baggage claim and even got to the right shuttle location in the airport.  All together, no lost luggage, nothing of dramatic incidence.  I had a slight moment of panic when the woman said she couldn't take us to our destination because it wasn't a hotel, but another sales rep quickly took care of us.  She got us onto a shuttle bus, with all of our luggage, and a driver who was more than happy to give us door-to-door service, instead of dropping us off a few blocks away as the original sales rep had suggested.  I gave our driver the address, walked back to my seat, and promptly drifted off to sleep on the bus.  Twenty-five minutes later, he pulls up to the admin building for Hands On New Orleans.  This would have been perfect...if that was where we were supposed to be.  Turns out we had two addresses in our information.  One was for the admin building (which was on the sheet containing the shuttle info), and the other was for the housing site (which was in our volunteer packet and I hadn't bothered to look at for weeks).  The housing site also just happened to be on the other side of the city.  Ooops.  So, after another twenty-five minutes or so in the shuttle, a somewhat miffed driver, and a huge tip, we arrived at our destination about 90 minutes after landing.  The immediate lessons were that I should pay more attention to details like where the heck are we supposed to go, and that I had a very forgiving group of travel-mates.  :-)
• And finally, today one of my teammates and I got to play travel guide to a group of 10 elderly tourists from Nova Scotia.  They were having a heck of time figuring out the street car routes, and desperately wanted to get to the WWII museum.  So in true volunteer fashion, we walked them over to the proper stop, boarded the car with them, and told them which stop to get off at and which direction to go to reach the museum.  Not bad for having just been in the city for four days.  It could be my next career choice, but I don't think I could stand the humidity down here.

All in all, it's been an interesting trip.  Lots to think about, and lots to see and learn.  I still think I could have done more.  We'll see how tomorrow, our last volunteer project day, goes.  If there's one thing I learned in Biloxi last year, it's that we can't do it all, no matter how hard it is to realize that.  You want every family to back in their homes.  You want every child to be back in their classrooms.  You want every pet to be reunited with their owner.  But we do what we can while we're here, and hope hat there are others to continue.  It is not up to us to finish the work, and yet, we are not allowed to avoid it.

Patrick

Animal Rescue in New Orleans

Posted by a volunteer who participated in our January volunteer trip in New Orleans.

I went to ARNO today (Animal Rescue New Orleans). A NO KILL SHELTER!!!!  There are about 150+ cats and 50 dogs that are homeless and are being housed at this site, as of today. A few puppies fought so much that they needed to be separated. It wasn't fun to watch. There are so many cute kittens that need to be adopted.  The staff is all volunteer's and are amazing!!!!  They clean every cat and dog cage each day and do so much more. One volunteer says she sometimes needs to stay until 10:00 at night to make sure all the animals are taken care of.  When extra volunteers help that allows everyone to actually give the animals some petting and love that they deserve!! I cried many times today and I am going back tomorrow.  They really need the help and I am looking forward to seeing all the animals again! :)

Kristin

School, or Prison?

Posted by a volunteer who participated in our January volunteer trip in New Orleans.

I think I mentioned in my first posting that some people refer to the schools here in New Orleans as 'prisons' instead of schools.  While this past Monday (MLK Day) was more about getting work done at the schools while the kids and teachers were away, today we had an opportunity to go back and finish many of the projects we had started...only this time, students, teachers and security guards were all present.

Now, I realize that these kids are there every day, and the teachers and security guards are there every day, and I simply DO NOT know what the real situation might be for any of these people.  All I know, is what I saw.  Here's what I saw:

I saw a student being pulled out of one of the trailers/classrooms, with his hands zip-tied behind his back, while two security guards screamed profanities at him.  I saw a teacher (I'm guessing she was a teacher because she didn't have a badge) yell across approximately 40 feet of open space at a small group of students to "sit the hell down on the bench!", while grasping a baseball bat.  I saw small groups of students being "let out" of the front gate at certain points for what I'm guessing was lunch or recess, or maybe gym class.  The gate I refer to is part of the 10-foot high chainlink fence that surrounds the campus.  I saw a group of high school girls get stopped by a female security guard with a not-so-friendly 'where do you think you're all going?'  I saw young people being exactly that, young people trying to establish an identity for themselves by being, for lack of a better word, punk-ish...maybe even crude.  Many behaved in ways that I wouldn't necessarily call appropriate, and I am not afraid to admit that I would probably steer clear of them if I came across them on a Seattle street.  But today, I said hello to these kids as they passed within inches of me on the sidewalk.  I got a smile back from a few of them, even a "thanks for making this place a little brighter" from others.  And I saw a young girl stop what she was doing and help one of our team members plant flowers in the potting box we'd built near that stupid gate.  As I saw these things throughout the day today, I started to wonder if the fence was there to keep people out, or to keep the students in.  And that word, "prison", crept back into my mind.  I worry about every single one of those kids I saw today.  The dark side of my brain wonders if they even have a future, if their world (already a turbulent place before the hurricane) depends so much on outsiders to provide a little brightness and color to this environment.  This was a SCHOOL (really take a moment to consider what that word means), but it did really feel like a prison...

Patrick

New Orleans, Day 3

Posted by a volunteer who participated in our January volunteer trip in New Orleans.

Yesterday, most of us spent the day in the Lower 9th working on 3 houses with Rebuilding New Orleans.  Apparently, the NBA will be doing some huge Day of Service when they are here for All-Star weekend in February, and they needed the houses prepped.  That meant priming the exterior--for those who've never done this, consider yourselves lucky--caulking the external cracks of the homes, and removing the shutters from the homes to prep them for a nice coat of paint.  The weather finally warmed up for us (we hit 73 yesterday), which made it nice and not so nice at the same time.  Priming a wall with a Southern exposure in humid warmth is a task.

A few of the funnier moments so far:  several of us have managed to figure out the street car system (when I say "figure out" I mean standing at the stop waiting patiently for the next one to go by, as you watch several go by in the opposite direction); my second time on the street car, we got in an accident; the choice of Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" as the first wake up song of the week by two members of our group (I'll avoid making too much of an editorial comment on that, but COME ON); the 'car miracle' that a few of us heard about at church on Sunday (can I get an AMEN?); and a couple of members of the group getting lost on the waterfront while looking for their rental car...for a few hours...I know, it's not 'funny' ha-ha, but...well, actually, yeah it is. 

Today, we're heading back to Carver High and Elementary schools to finish up the work from Day one.  More later...

Patrick