Friday, February 21, 2020

Friday, February 21, 2020

Working at the Chahta Ima Elementary School on Thursday and Friday was a very fun experience. It was also very eye opening. The first day we were kindly greeted by the leaders of the school with doughnuts and drinks. They then told us how happy the kids were to have us at the school. Most of us were confused to why the kids wanted to see us so bad, but soon after meeting them we understood. Not only were the kids happy to see us, we were happy to see them. Within the first hour with the kids a connection was made. No matter how well behaved the kids were in class they all for some reason showed us kindness and respect. It was very fun to help the kids read, talk to them at lunch, play on the computer with them, color with them, and do many more fun things. When it was time to leave it was very sad because many of the kids asked when we would be back. It was hard to tell them that we don’t know when we would see them again, especially when they already wanted us to come back before we even left. All we could do at that point is hope that the kids would have a good rest of their time in elementary school and a good rest of their life. In conclusion working at the school was the favorite activity for all of us. 

At the end of the second day at the school, a parade was held with the third graders marching in it and the others catching the prizes being thrown like beads, stuffed animals and “suckers”. The parade created a nostalgic feeling for all of us because we have all had similar experiences at our elementary school. It was fascinating to witness an elementary school at an older age because the new perspective allows us to notice things we may have not noticed as children. The parade was nearly the only thing that took the kids attention away from us because we had all created strong bonds with the children throughout our time at the CIE.

Jackson McLarnon and Gavin O'Hara

Wednesday , February 19, 2020

Wednesday , February 19, 2020

The day started in a very similar fashion with Jack Studley and Gavin O’Hara, who has been getting no credit, making breakfast for everyone. After breakfast, many of us gathered outside to partake in a quick game of basketball before beginning our work. 

At around 8:30, members of the North Shore Unitarian Universalist Church arrived; Krystal came to help, and  Nick came to direct our work. This work mainly consisted of yard work around the church for the day. We split into two groups. One was in charge of taking care of the flowerbeds with Krystal, and the other group was in charge of cutting and clearing branches with Nick. The flowerbed group worked strenuously in order to uproot invasive plants such as weeds and other atrocious, sun-stealing, and destructive plants. Brandon, Bowen, Roy, and Nick worked hard to transport an enormous plant to another location at the church.

Across the yard, the other group worked with with Nick to rid the park of any infiltrating branches that lowered the quality of the yard by blocking the lighting. Jackson and Jack worked with chainsaws to cut down branches on the trees. Peter, Max, and Avery were tasked with the enjoyable job of cleaning up the branches the “chainsawers” cut down from the trees. Mike Deminico worked with shearers to cut down different branches as well. After working for about 4-5 hours, we all came back to the house. There were some of us who were able to get a much needed nap after a hard morning of labor. Others of us played cards or worked on other such things.

Next came the big potluck held inside the North Shore Unitarian Universalist Church. Many devoted members showed up to meet us and made some traditional southern cuisine for the group. When we arrived around 6:30, we began with an introductory circle, stating our names and what we’ve enjoyed doing in New Orleans so far. All of us sat down with members of the church and enjoyed the food and conversed with the devoted members. We were introduced to the philosophy behind the Unitarian Universalist ideals and many of their life stories that led to them becoming members. It was then that we realized that you never truly know someone until you engage in meaningful conversation with them. What these amazing people went through in their lives really made us think of what we take for granted, and inspired us to take a new approach to how we go about our lives.

Peter McGillicuddy and Max Mangum

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Tuesday , February 18, 2020

This morning started similar to previous mornings with the smell of Jack Studley making breakfast, but with the added pleasure of the smell of bacon. Between the addition of bacon and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we had much more energy preparing to go and work with Greenlight New Orleans. Leaving at 10 AM, we drove into New Orleans to meet with Jillian, the volunteer coordinator at Greenlight. We were immediately struck by the number of lightbulbs and the amount of energy that they had saved over the course of just one year, and we were excited to join their effort. 

Our task for the day was to prepare rain barrels to give to people a way to capture water for a vegetable garden or things like that. Jillian told us that the soil it like an old sponge, because of the New Orleans policy of pumping out the water, and subsidence, so the rain barrels saved the water from being pumped away. Some of us were designated to sand the smooth barrels so that they could be primed, then others primed them, and the artists among us were tasked with making the barrels look ornately designed to be sent out to those who needed them. In order for the barrels to be serviceable there was a need for pavers to be placed below them to lift them above the ground, so some of us were tasked with unloading a shipment of over 200 pavers to a place they would be stored.

Immediately following this project at 1 o’clock we went to eat lunch, where we had the option between Thai and Mexican. Some of us chose to eat Thai food, while the intelligent majority chose to eat filling chicken quesadillas and drink multiple glasses of water. 

We then drove around waiting for our meeting with Father Kammer, a member of the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola New Orleans. A long time resident of New Orleans, Father Kammer spoke to us about systemic inequality during Katrina and the decade following. This meeting tacked onto previous meetings where we learned about the difference in aid that the government gave to the diverse races of the Parish of New Orleans, particularly adding onto our learning from the driving tour of the Ninth Ward the day before.

After our meeting with Father Kammer we planned on seeing a jazz show on Bourbon street, but the group determined that enjoying the city and historic Bourbon street would be a better experience, and immediately we were struck with the lights and the energy that the people had throughout the city, enjoying the loud street performers and participating in the audience of more than a few.

Avery Jennings and Nick Brink

Monday, February 17, 2020

Monday, February 17, 2020

We started our day with the wonderful smell of Jack Studley making some delicious egg sandwiches. We took our time getting up this morning and we did not depart until around 9 AM. Once we departed, we began our driving tour of the city and we learned how it was affected by hurricane Katrina. Over the bridge we saw industrial areas next to impoverished neighborhoods which were deeply affected by the flooding during Katrina. In the center city, we took note of the horrible sight of the Hard Rock Café building collapse which has been in the same condition since October and is planned to be imploded in March. Numerous times on the tour, we became lost due to the many detours caused by parades.  While we were stuck at the opening of the drawbridge at the Industrial Canal, a caravan of floats escorted by police motorcycles passed behind us. 

 We traveled through the Lower Ninth Ward which was most affected by Katrina and we saw how many lots still lay empty after the houses were destroyed by the flood waters. The Lower Ninth Ward is a black majority neighborhood and it still is in need of recovery, compared to the white majority neighborhoods of Gentilly and Lakeview which was also devastated by the flood waters but has been able to recover much more. In one of the neighborhoods we viewed, we saw the newly constructed levees that were built after the hurricane.

After the driving tour, we visited a resident of New Orleans, John Taylor, a man who lead us in discussion of the swampland and the state of the ecosystems surrounding the city. John has an incredible knowledge of the land and an amazing fascination with nature and its systems that have been devastated by man-made disruptions. He told us in minute detail how the creation of canals that diverted ocean water during the 20^th century lead to the contamination of freshwater swamps, thus killing hundreds of Cyprus trees and miles of swampland. The swampland provides an important buffer during storms, and it was clear how the destruction of ecosystems as a result of human interference was a direct cause to the extent of the devastation that was brought upon New Orleans in 2005.

Once we found our way back into the French Quarter, we parked the cars and we dispersed into the wonderful epicenter of food and culture. Some of us got crepes, and alligator, and really spicy jambalaya. The assortment of food is truly beyond compare. We also toured Jackson Square and walked around to the street performers and artists to get a taste of the unique New Orleans culture.

This afternoon we attended a meeting of an organization called Justice & Beyond, a community organizing group that rallies other organizations into union and discussion, understanding that their combined efforts are more effective at dismantling widespread oppression than those of their parts. This specific meeting was a panel of potential candidates for various local government positions. The common topics of discussion were about unity, the disenfranchisement of African American communities, the importance of voting, and the importance of protecting our environment. This meeting was evidence of the power of putting ideas into practice in a passionate and motivated community.

Our ride home from the community meeting was quite an adventure. It took us about an hour to get on the highway to head back to the North Shore because we got stuck behind an unmoving train and the highway closed down due to an accident. In the middle of all this we had to drive through a flooded road and we got a little taste of the Katrina experience. Once we finally arrived back at the house, we had some quiet time to reflect on our experiences of the day.

Brandon Thomas and Christopher Recupero