ASB Reflections

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Day 1

Well, the car ride was long we drove and drove and drove some more…I’m not sure what to expect from this trip.  We have a great group.  Each person has a very unique perspective.  We arrived at the Highlander Institute at night.  It was pitch black and I went searching for our room.  Once we were all settled in, Bonnie and I searched the facilities.  We discovered the main workshop and center room.  I stood there in all- a circle room with rocking chairs.  The lights were dim and you could feel the reverence of the room.  The circle of the chairs produced energy from the past and I tried to imagine the important people who once sat in these chairs.  I took a seat tried to soak up the atmosphere.  We got the team together for our reflection that took place in the circle room.  Each person sat there and soaked it all in.  It is unbelievable how powerful the environment you are in changes your behavior.  Each person was in the zone and made powerful contributions.  It was empowering and I knew the trip was going to be a success.

-Brent

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“Favre is a pretty chill guy, yea Brett is a cool dude”-Craig

   Alright, so it is day number 3 in Mississippi, day number 4 if you count the traveling and what not on Sunday. It has been a lot of fun. The group is getting along real well, and even though we are all really different, everyon is having a good time and working well together. We are also all learning a lot about the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Katrina, and a lot of other things.

    Today we wroked on our third new project since we have been here. There was a house that got the roof torn off during the storm, and rain completely ruined the inside of the house. We basically tore down a lot of sheetrock and insulation, and cleaned out the entire house because tomorrow we are going to start framing it. The people who own the house have been living in a small trailer for like 5 years, and recently just got a nicer upgraded trailer.

   The one thing that has really surprised me is how nice and friendly everyone is down here. I was thinking that after such a disaster and with all the stressfull times people had to go through that most of them would be on edge or not to friendly. It’s the exact opposite though and everyone has real hopefull spirits and really appreciates how we are trying to help out. Last night, The Men, me, mike, kevin, and dave, got the boot from the females. As we were hangen out, like a wolfpack, we went to Texaco, and met this guy named Craig. This dude was pretty intimidating, but turned out to be the nicest guy. He talked to us about Favre, his cooking, schools in the area, and how Katrina affected everyone. Craig, “the Legend”, is the perfect example of how a bunch of people down here are.

   Overall, the trip has been awesome. I never thought I would actually think a Professor is the man. But Dave, aka Professor Soll, absolute boss. He is just one of the guys. I have to give him this shout out because he is the coolest professor I have ever encountered, no disrespect to my professors. Dave has single handedly set the bar for future teachers I will have, the man is a legend just like Craig.

Thats all. Mississippi is awesome, who woulda thunk it?

Gulf Coast Team- we like tuhtles, Ax about us!!

Rocco

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Gulf Coast Day 3

Hello from Bay St. Louis Mississippi. It is the third day of our trip and it was also the third work site we went to. Today we worked on a house that that has just begun replacing the walls of the house. We started the day by removing existing dry wall and insulation. This was a fun part of the day because everyone was swinging hammers to remove the dry wall and we were all laughing and having fun while removing the wall. We are all starting to come together at this point in the trip and this event was evident of this. Throughout the day we all changed jobs and worked with different people (except Jordi and Caitlin who were troopers today removing nails from wood remains for almost the who work time; TROOPERS) and getting to know the better. The rest of the day we just did odd chores to clean out the damaged parts of the house in order for us to start rebuilding the house tomorrow. Some of us removed unneeded nails while others swept and removed more dry wall/insulation. We worked so well today that we were able to get out early and catch some much needed sleep.

This has been one of the best experiences of my life thus far. I have meet a bunch of kind, generous, and well rounded individuals whose desire to help others rivals none. This trip has opened my eyes to what has not yet happened to many of the people in the Gulf Coast and what still needs to happen. We are having a blast down here and cannot wait to come home and share our stories, observations, and learnings of the trip.

We are working hard to achieve things that should have happened many years ago.

Cya Y’all.

Michael Klemens

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“If you give a man a fish, you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will feed himself for a lifetime.”

Hey everyone!
So we had a very busy day yesterday, and were unable to write up a blog post, so I’ll fill you in on some of the highlights of our day. We started off our morning at a site called Food and Friends, where meals/groceries are delivered to people with medical issues, such as HIV/AIDS. Half of our team worked in the kitchen and prepared meals and the other half delivered the meals. I was a part of the delivery team, which basically meant driving around D.C and going to the person’s house and knocking on their door and handing them their food. The people receiving the food were so appreciative of our services, and always said ‘thank you’ and ‘have a nice day.’ We finished our deliveries about an hour early, so while the other half of the team was still in the kitchen, the volunteer coordinator found another job for us (myself, Monica, Giang, Jason) to do…We made condom kits! That was a party….basically these little boxes that contained the items necessary to facilitate safe sex practices. Food and Friends distributes these kits at different events that they hold. We left Food and Friends around noon, and then it was time for lunch. We decided to eat our lunches outside on the steps of the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception because it was absolutely gorgeous outside! After lunch we headed over to the Fishing School to learn about the program that we would be volunteering with for the rest of the week. The Fishing School, as the website states, is “a nationally recognized youth development program…that provides children and families with academic and parental support through two community based centers in Wards 6 and 7 of D.C. The school got its name through the motto that “if you give a man a fish, you will feed him for a day…teach him how to fish, and he will feed himself for a lifetime.” It is basically an after school program that helps promote further learning and provides a safe environment for kids. It was actually recently featured on Extreme Makeover Home Edition if you want to check it out: www.fishingschool.org. So, after getting oriented at the Fishing School we headed over to an elementary school where the program was actually taking place. We worked with 3rd and 4th grade students, and helped with homework, or any problems that they needed assistance with. After the Fishing School, we were all pretty exhausted…kids are very energetic, as many of you know! So, we then headed over to the Old City Cafe for a delicious Middle Eastern dinner. After that we decided to drive back to the CSM site and have our reflection/dinner, where everyone seemed to have a lot to say in regards to our participation in the after-school program, in regards to social inequities in the education system. Overall, I would say it was a very enlightening/successful day!
-Steph

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Gulf Coast, Kirsten

Today, some of us overcame the fear of heights while painting a two-story home that had been badly damaged during the hurricane. Not only were we climbing the steep roofs of the house, but even had to stand on a ladder on top of the roof. Spending hours on top of the roof with the members of our team, we had the chance to truly bond over everything from how we were possibly going to get down to learning more about each other’s interests and talents. Something I realized standing 30+ feet above the ground was that all of us have to overcome our fears at some point. The situations that put us most outside of our comfort zone are often the most memorable and defintely leave us with a feeling of accomplishment. The victims of the hurricane had to overcome much more than simple fears like heights, but getting to the point of where they can live in a comfortable home again is really the reason we’re here. With our help, they are overcoming what the hardships they’ve faced over the past 5 years.

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Gulf Coast

I really enjoyed the service project that our team did today. We were in charge of painting the outside walls and roof of a family’s home. During our time painting, we learned a lot about the family who lived in the house and about the members of our team. I especially think that this project brought our team closer together in so many ways. We have clicked really well as a group, and accomplishing something as large as painting a house in a day was a huge feat. We really felt like we accomplished something together and everyone did their fair share. There were interesting partner dynamics within the painting crew, my personal favorite being Kevin and Megan, as Megan had to coach “the man” how to get onto the roof! There were people everywhere having paint wars, and by the end of the day Liz had taken a shower in paint. Overall, we bonded a lot through this particular service project and we became a lot closer as a whole. As opposed to yesterday, I personally felt like we accomplished something and did something really helpful. Our labor was important and everyone who was supervising us was so complimentary on our work. I hope for the remainder of our trip that we can have experiences such as these!!

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Reflections

One of my life goals is to constantly try to live in the moment, the now. At Lafayette, it can be a little difficult to maintain that mentality when everyone and everything around me is constantly pushing towards graduation and my future. However, being back in Mississippi centers me again, and allows me to get back to what matters most to me: making a difference.

I’ll admit, a few coats of paint and some sanding might not seem like much to some people, and at first it didn’t to me either. Experience changed my mind. To me, community service is about the relationships you form. Whether it be stopping to say “Hi, how are you today?” to a cashier in Walmart, or finding out what motivates full time volunteers down here, or speaking to the owner of the home you’re working on, there is an opportunity to create a connection everywhere we turn. To truly make a difference, I believe you have to ignite a passion in another person. As a team leader, I hope I can do this with my team; but as a human being, I hope I can do this with everyone I meet. I know that I am only one person, but I believe in the potential for change and I believe I have the ability to enact it.

There I go on the future again, back to the now. In Mississippi, life is on a different pace. We have goals for the day and tasks to complete, but time escapes us, and its an amazing feeling. I can get grounded again in what’s most important to me: forming those relationships and trying to make a difference. Right now, all I have to worry about is how I can make someones world a little better tomorrow and maybe a few coats of paint are all they need, or maybe an ear to listen, or maybe a simple hello. Whatever it is, it starts with me, and it starts now.

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Gulf Coast Beginnings

Dear Blog Readers

The last 48 hours have been a combinatinon of exciting, hectic, eye-opening, and really fun.   Lets recap.

The group met outside of Farinon at 4 am Sunday morning.  Although everyone was tired from a long night of packing…. there was a silent confidence amongst the group that this trip was going to be legendary. After a luxurious flight to Houston texas (still find it funny how everyone says “yall” in Texas) we crammed onto an airplane the size of a bathroom stall on our way to Mississippi.  I remember in 2nd grade being taught how to spell Mississippi with that rthymic letter song. (M.. I-s-s…. I-s-s….I-pp-I)  Never thoguht I’d make it down here though. 

After a quick check-in… as a group we set off on our first road trip to New Orleans…. or as the locals say…. “noorlands”. Shoutout to our group leader Liz who made reservations at a delicious Louisiana-style restaurant and let the rest of us gallavant around New Orelans while she waited in line for our table.  The majority of us decided to take a walk down the infamous Bourbon street.  Even though I had heard the stories and rumors…… nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see.  Despite it being 5:30 pm on a Sunday…. you would have thought it was a saturday night summer night.  Adults partying all over the street, strip clubs at every corner, and people in absurd Mardi Gras costumes willing to take pictures with locals.  Beads wrapped around everyones neck and an alcoholic beverage in every hand. As Rocco said best “you can just smell sin in the air”.  Nonethless it was a great experience.  It definitely was something I wanted to see once in my life with my own eyes.

After a quick tour of the party life in New Orelans… it was time to enjoy the finer side of down south.  The restauraunt was ABSOLUTELY delicious.  I could not have dreamed of a more enjoyable meal as I was able to sample Louisiana style Crawfish, shrimp, seafood, and jumbolaya. with all due respect to Lower Farinon Chicken Fritters…. this food was in a league of its own.  After dinner we toured the city as a group and were able to see historical landmarks and witness beautiful scenery out across the Mississippi River.  Despite our flight being pushed back forcing us to have an extremely hectic day rushing around, I still think the decision to go into New Orleans was beyond well-worth it.  Great great experience.

After a 6:45 wake up call the next day…. it was off to breakfast.  Not going to lie…. the food has certainly EXCEEDED expecatiosn thus far (we will see if I’m still saying the same thign on day 4 or 5).  After heading to the worksite… we encountered our project for the week.  At first, when we were told that the house was 90% completed, I was disapointed and thought that there wasn’t going to be much to do.  However, after taking one walk through the house, I would soon realize how much was still left to be done.  I think it finally “hit me” when the homeowner arrived to greet us and provide supplies that this was actually real life.  This poor man and family lost everything and 5 years later is still in the process of gaining it back.  Hopefully… we can all do our part to contribute and help him/his family get back on track.

blog confession:  The group doesn’t know this yet… but I have the “handy” skills of a 5 year old.  Despite being a 22 year old male… I still am unable to correctly turn on an oven, boil water, or cook anything besides Hot Pockets.  But… we don’t need to share that information with Team Gulf Coast just yet.  As the team builder and one of the only students on this trip with a Y chromosome… I need to breathe confience.  I know my squad looks to me for guidance — specifically when it comes to tools and manual labor. lol. nonethless everyone seemed to work really hard today and we seem to really be clicking as a group.  Need to give another shoutout to Megan… who apparently minors in woodshop at Lafayette. absolutely incredible job today.

Overall… I really couldn’t have asked for a better 48 hour start to this trip.  It seems like we have a great group and I am truly looking foward to forming new friendships and learning more about my peers.  I already have gotten close with people I hardly knew last week…. which is great  I signed up on this trip because I wanted to give back to the less fortunate and I believed that this was going to be such a rewarding experience.  Thus far… mission accomplished.

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The Beginning: Days 1 & 2

After a little confusion with the time change, a few very unhappy TSA workers, and two plane rides, the Gulf Coast team finally arrived in Mississippi last night. After we unloaded our luggage at LESM Mission on the Bay, we jumped right back into our vans and drove straight to New Orleans.

I had never been to New Orleans before, so I had no idea what to expect. It was quite an experience to walk down Bourbon Street and push my way through the raging crowd, at roughly 5 PM on a Sunday evening. In contrast, Jackson Square was quite a different scene. It was quaint, old-fashioned, and more of what I had expected. It was also very interesting to see how little damage there was in the French Quarter. It was hard to believe the area had ever been flooded, which was NOT the case with  the area where we would be working.

After a scenic stroll through the city, the team had dinner at Acme Oyster House, a typical New Orleans restaurant. My team members were a little more adventurous than I was with their orders. They ate crayfish, oysters, jambalaya, and even a deep fried crab! I don’t eat fish, so it took me a little longer to find something on the menu I would like. After dinner we waited in quite a long line for some delicious bagnettes and headed back to our camp site. Bagnettes are a french pastry, kind of like zeppoles but slightly larger. Aside from the mess of powdered sugar we made in the vans on our ride back to LESM, it was a great night. The group got to bed early so we would be well rested for our activities the next day.

I woke up bright and early this morning, ready to work, at 6:20 AM. After breakfast, we drove out to the house we would be working on for the week. At this point, the house is about ninety percent complete, so we mainly had odd jobs to perform. One of my favorite jobs was cutting and placing the trim for the walls because I got to use power tools to get the job done. I was one of the two people who’d used a band saw before, so I cut most of the trim and taught Dave and Kevin how to use the saw as well. It was a hard day’s work, but there’s still much more to be done.

Our construction supervisor, Rey, informed us that almost all of the funding is gone for Katrina relief. Therefore, it is up to the homeowner to provide funding for rebuilding. If the homeowner does not have sufficient funds to purchase the materials needed to keep working, everything stops. This was very frustrating to hear, but at least we are doing something to help out.

On a happier note, our group is awesome and has been getting along wonderfully! We soaked up some sun at the beach today and are planning a bonfire (with smores!) for later in the week. So far this trip has been a ton of fun as well as a real eye-opening experience. I’m looking forward to finishing more work tomorrow and getting the Clark family out of the FEMA trailer they’ve been living in for the past five years. After today, they are one more step closer to moving into their home!

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The Urban Plunge

Today, we found ourselves at a senior center doing the cha cha slide….. yes, the cha cha slide.  The goal was to find a 45 minute activity that would entertain the seniors at Downtown Clusters.  This is a senior center that takes in the elderly population of DC for the day.  We met interesting individuals.  I a woman who suffered from Polio as a child.  During her time in confinement, she taught herself the piano by ear.  It was inspiring and admirable.

After lunch we embarked on an urban plunge in Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan.  We split into 2 separate groups. My group consisted of Chelsea, Caroline, Steph and of course, myself.  We found ourselves navigating the Metro from Star to Dupont.  Given $2 to buy dinner for ourselves and another homeless person, we found ourselves overwhelmed.  Upon walking to the circle, we met a homeless man in a basketball court throwing free throws.  He was calculating the percentage of free throws he had made during the day shot by shot, no calculator.  He had tied plastic bags on the fence to determine when the wind was blowing.  We suspected he had Asperger’s syndrome He was quite the basketball player for someone who seemed to be over his 70s.  He had been a college graduate who had majored in chemistry.  We met several other homeless men and women each with their own story.  They had been more than happy to answer our questions regarding what it is like in being homeless in Washington.

How did we get dinner?  We ended up pooling all of our money (totaling $10).  We found a supermarket, a rarity in the circle, and bought a loaf of bread, slices of bologna and salami.  Under normal conditions we couldn’t afford that.  We had to somewhat haggle the storekeeper.  We made 12 sandwiches.  Instead of eating them, we felt guilt and handed them out to whomever we could find that could use them.