NOLA - a full range of emotions !

I had heard about the NOLA event a couple of times in the past, but I never really looked into it. It wasn’t until this past fall that I starting asking questions and decided I wanted to be part of the group that goes and helps to rebuild the community.

It would be a lie to say you don’t go through a full range of emotions when you get there. I was more than surprised when I arrived because I expected for the city to be rebuilt for the most part but I was gravely disappointed. It saddened me to see the before and after photos from what was a very happy and tight knit community. Most of the blocks are still empty or contain houses that are falling apart! I can empathize to some level because I’m from a town near the Gulf of Mexico and we get hit with hurricanes but none to the same magnitude as hurricane Katrina.

Upon my arrival to the house, I was welcomed by Kate and Kelly (who are great btw) and began introductions with whomever was at the house at that time. The next day we all drove to the sites we were working on and got a brief description on the owner of the house and it was motivation for us to do our best work, even if we hadn’t done the task before. I was paired up with great people and we made great progress with the baseboards and tiling. Even if you are relatively new to a task, the site managers are great teachers, as well as the returning OB volunteers.

After a work day, we would go for a refreshment and head back to the house to prepare for dinner which usually involved going out to eat and supporting local businesses. Seeing the local people have a conversation with their neighbors or coming out to ask us about the work we were doing made me happy. They were also glad to have us here and helping them to rebuild their homes, in most cases they would give us their story about where they were and how it happened.

I can definitely say that this experience surpassed my expectations, it makes me want to give back more than ever and I am already planning to make the trip down in October. It is the most fulfillment I’ve ever had from a volunteer event.

Cristal