A week or so later.....
It's been just over a week since I returned home from New Orleans. It took me a few days to feel somewhat normal after an emotionally and physically draining week in "da Parish". It took me over a week to gather my thoughts on what I had seen and experienced.
The last day we worked, we worked alongside the owner of the house we were gutting. He had cleaned out the house - we were left with the apartment in the back (which had not been touched) and finishing out the house - removing sheetrock, cabinets, etc. As with the owner we met on Tuesday, he was so appreciative of our help - and unwilling to sit idle for a moment while we were working. We could tell that he was not one to ask for help under normal conditions - and these were anything but normal. His neighbor brought over a case of water - to thank us for helping his neighborhood come back. That was especially touching as we knew he didn't really have anything to give - he was still living in his car 7 months after the storm.
Driving back into Birmingham, I couldn't believe how clean the city looks, the grass is so green, the trees are not damaged and flowers are blooming everywhere. No five-foot high trash piles, no streets filled with storm-battered and abandoned houses, buildings, and shopping malls. No lots filled with flood-damaged cars. The monotony of army green and white I lived in for a week must have also numbed my senses, as I was very pleasantly taken aback by the "Rosemary blooms" colored walls in my bedroom & bathroom.
The reactions I've received from people since I got back are similar to those I received when I told people where I was going and why in the weeks leading up to my trip. Some people looked at me like I was crazy, some praised my dedication to this cause and some people just changed the subject. This last reaction is one that I was surprised at before I left - and even more so after I returned. In talking to some of my team-mates, I have found that it's not unusual. I knew there are people out there who are completely disinterested in things that matter - or things that should matter, I just didn't think I knew quite so many. That saddens me.
I've told everyone who has asked about my week in New Orleans, that working for Habitat-NOLA was the best thing I've ever done. It was exhausting, rewarding, heart-breaking and uplifting. We saw the worst that nature can do to a community, the inefficiency of government, but we also saw the best in people. The people who came from all over the country to re-build a great American city, and the people who make that city great.
If you wonder if you should go to New Orleans - I say go. Spend your money there - support the city. Go to the quarter and eat at Cafe Maspero and K-Pauls. Have beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde, drink lots of Abita beer. But also go and see that the city and the people still need our help - and they will for a long time.
The one thing I want to hold on to from this experience is the knowledge that what we think matters doesn't. What matters is the people you care about, the pet that always makes you smile and the realization that no matter how bad you think you have it - someone out there is suffering a lot more.
Thanks to Team Gold 12 - you guys rocked! I can't imagine having a better group of people to work with. You helped make this experience one I will always cherish.
The last day we worked, we worked alongside the owner of the house we were gutting. He had cleaned out the house - we were left with the apartment in the back (which had not been touched) and finishing out the house - removing sheetrock, cabinets, etc. As with the owner we met on Tuesday, he was so appreciative of our help - and unwilling to sit idle for a moment while we were working. We could tell that he was not one to ask for help under normal conditions - and these were anything but normal. His neighbor brought over a case of water - to thank us for helping his neighborhood come back. That was especially touching as we knew he didn't really have anything to give - he was still living in his car 7 months after the storm.
Driving back into Birmingham, I couldn't believe how clean the city looks, the grass is so green, the trees are not damaged and flowers are blooming everywhere. No five-foot high trash piles, no streets filled with storm-battered and abandoned houses, buildings, and shopping malls. No lots filled with flood-damaged cars. The monotony of army green and white I lived in for a week must have also numbed my senses, as I was very pleasantly taken aback by the "Rosemary blooms" colored walls in my bedroom & bathroom.
The reactions I've received from people since I got back are similar to those I received when I told people where I was going and why in the weeks leading up to my trip. Some people looked at me like I was crazy, some praised my dedication to this cause and some people just changed the subject. This last reaction is one that I was surprised at before I left - and even more so after I returned. In talking to some of my team-mates, I have found that it's not unusual. I knew there are people out there who are completely disinterested in things that matter - or things that should matter, I just didn't think I knew quite so many. That saddens me.
I've told everyone who has asked about my week in New Orleans, that working for Habitat-NOLA was the best thing I've ever done. It was exhausting, rewarding, heart-breaking and uplifting. We saw the worst that nature can do to a community, the inefficiency of government, but we also saw the best in people. The people who came from all over the country to re-build a great American city, and the people who make that city great.
If you wonder if you should go to New Orleans - I say go. Spend your money there - support the city. Go to the quarter and eat at Cafe Maspero and K-Pauls. Have beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde, drink lots of Abita beer. But also go and see that the city and the people still need our help - and they will for a long time.
The one thing I want to hold on to from this experience is the knowledge that what we think matters doesn't. What matters is the people you care about, the pet that always makes you smile and the realization that no matter how bad you think you have it - someone out there is suffering a lot more.
Thanks to Team Gold 12 - you guys rocked! I can't imagine having a better group of people to work with. You helped make this experience one I will always cherish.
posted by Gulf Coast Girl at 7:30 PM
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