Hey everyone,
We're sitting in a coffeeshop right now in uptown New Orleans, and both Jodi and Rach are journaling. We're all exhausted but I wanted to take this wireless opportunity to talk about being here.
This trip has been so incredible (and a little bit surreal) so far, and I've just felt really free. We've met so many amazing people, from our travelling drummer friends on the Gulf Coast to our lovely international friends at the hostel to all the young, free spirits working at the Made With Love Cafe. It's been awesome talking to so many people, mostly just because their lives are so different from mine. For example, the guys that taught us how to play the african drums do not have normal lives by any means: they travel the world and had been to tons of exotic places, from Thailand to Turkey, just exploring and assimilating and finding what essentially makes them happy. Some of the people working at the Made With Love Cafe are just volunteering for the summer while still in college, some have graduated and just decided they needed to take a break to help others before continuing their studies, and for some of the others, working at the cafe is their entire life: they find satisfaction with the rafter-clad roof over their heads and the rewarding job of cooking for those hit hard by the hurricane. It's been so crazy to hear everyone's different stories and perspectives.
The other day we were driving through the 9th ward, just to take a look around. I remember saying 'this is unreal' and Rach replied that no, it WAS real, and that's what made it so horrifying. I won't try to explain the damage because I think pictures can do a better job. On our way out, we saw a man mowing his lawn and we pulled over and heard his story. He was one of those hit the hardest by the hurricane and also by the government's indifference. He told us that his sister, who has a brain tumor and diabetes, was stuck in the attic for a week during the flood, while he was stranded on a bridge, pulling people out of the water with ropes. FEMA didn't give him a trailer, he had no money, no car, and he was trying to get himself a plane ticket to Milwaukee to stay at a shelter he had stayed at for a while earlier in the year, but he couldn't afford it. We gave him a few rations that Sam brought in the car and a water bottle; he was gracious even though this was no luxury.
It's shocking to see what kind of damage still exists down here, almost a year after the hurricane. I still can't tell what's worse: the splintered wrecks of what used to be New Orleans homes with cars wedged upside-down between the house and the ground, or the completely levelled homes of Biloxi, with only a foundation left and a few tiles of an old kitchen or bathroom. All I know is that what we are doing here is such a great help, even if it's only for a few days with a few people. Every bit counts, and after observing and working at the Made With Love Cafe, I'm really seeing how by working together all of these caring people manage to make such a difference and feed those in need.
Uh oh, we're out of battery... but it's 12:05 am on June 14, which means I'm 19!! wooohoooo!
We're sitting in a coffeeshop right now in uptown New Orleans, and both Jodi and Rach are journaling. We're all exhausted but I wanted to take this wireless opportunity to talk about being here.
This trip has been so incredible (and a little bit surreal) so far, and I've just felt really free. We've met so many amazing people, from our travelling drummer friends on the Gulf Coast to our lovely international friends at the hostel to all the young, free spirits working at the Made With Love Cafe. It's been awesome talking to so many people, mostly just because their lives are so different from mine. For example, the guys that taught us how to play the african drums do not have normal lives by any means: they travel the world and had been to tons of exotic places, from Thailand to Turkey, just exploring and assimilating and finding what essentially makes them happy. Some of the people working at the Made With Love Cafe are just volunteering for the summer while still in college, some have graduated and just decided they needed to take a break to help others before continuing their studies, and for some of the others, working at the cafe is their entire life: they find satisfaction with the rafter-clad roof over their heads and the rewarding job of cooking for those hit hard by the hurricane. It's been so crazy to hear everyone's different stories and perspectives.
The other day we were driving through the 9th ward, just to take a look around. I remember saying 'this is unreal' and Rach replied that no, it WAS real, and that's what made it so horrifying. I won't try to explain the damage because I think pictures can do a better job. On our way out, we saw a man mowing his lawn and we pulled over and heard his story. He was one of those hit the hardest by the hurricane and also by the government's indifference. He told us that his sister, who has a brain tumor and diabetes, was stuck in the attic for a week during the flood, while he was stranded on a bridge, pulling people out of the water with ropes. FEMA didn't give him a trailer, he had no money, no car, and he was trying to get himself a plane ticket to Milwaukee to stay at a shelter he had stayed at for a while earlier in the year, but he couldn't afford it. We gave him a few rations that Sam brought in the car and a water bottle; he was gracious even though this was no luxury.
It's shocking to see what kind of damage still exists down here, almost a year after the hurricane. I still can't tell what's worse: the splintered wrecks of what used to be New Orleans homes with cars wedged upside-down between the house and the ground, or the completely levelled homes of Biloxi, with only a foundation left and a few tiles of an old kitchen or bathroom. All I know is that what we are doing here is such a great help, even if it's only for a few days with a few people. Every bit counts, and after observing and working at the Made With Love Cafe, I'm really seeing how by working together all of these caring people manage to make such a difference and feed those in need.
Uh oh, we're out of battery... but it's 12:05 am on June 14, which means I'm 19!! wooohoooo!
posted by Judy Bankman | 9:43 PM
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