The week is going by SO fast! During group reflection last night we realized the week is more than half over at we all got a little teary-eyed. We're considering extending our stay through may. I wonder how our professors (and Rob & Dawn's students) would feel about that...
There have been ups and downs over the last few days. Let's start with the ups. The St. Bernard Project has a "Welcome Home" ceremony every time a house is finished and a family gets to move back into their home. We went to one on Tuesday and it was amazing on several levels. First of all, during the ceremony Win-Dixie (a local supermarket chain) donated $60,000. That's enough for The Project to build five more homes! The family shared their story, thanks, and emotions and it was really quite moving to be able to hear directly from a family that was affected, but has been able to start rebuilding their lives. One of the things the family mentioned, which impressed all of us, was that their small children are the FIFTH generation of the Maus family to live in that house. What's even more amazing is that this is very representative of the Parish. Before the storm there was over 75 % home ownership in the area. Two-thirds! That's amazing and highly unusual. Based on what people have been telling us, most of these homes have housed several generations of the same family. This, in a nut shell, is why people can't just find new homes. They are extremely connected to their homes (however damaged) and their community. The other reason the "Welcome Home" ceremony was nice is because we were able to get a sense of how the homes we're working on will look a few weeks after we leave.
On Wednesday, we decided to take a break from the peanut butter and jelly we'd been eating for lunch and try some place in the community. Our AmeriCorps site-leader, Ryan, as well as The Project office, reccomended Today's Ketch, so we went their. In three words: it was AMAZING. Most of us got catfish poboys (sandwhiches) and we all enjoyed them. One person got an oyster sandwhich and as sides people had jambalaya, gumbo, and (according to Cameron) "the best onion rings in the world." It was a truly fantastic meal. And it wasn't the last fantastic meal of the day. Wednesday night, many of the St. Bernard Project volunteers went to a dinner hosted by a local gentleman who was affected by the storm and came up with dinner as a way to say "thank you" to all the volunteers. It was a great meal with a great deal of community. We had pasta with crawfish and king cake and it was a really great time.
On the less positive side of things, one of our team members, Rob G, hurt themselves. He got a sizeable gash down his arm. Luckily, we had a first aide kit and his group leader, Amy, was able to keep her head and pull out the first aide kit and help him get to a clinic. It turned out, because he wasn't badly hurt, to be a great teachable moment to remind people to be careful, even when doing things that aren't all that dangerous.
The time is flying by. Just two more days.
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