The last day
Today turned out to be a great day. We slept in for the first time this week which was wonderful. Then we had some time to explore our part of the city in the afternoon. We walked around Tulane University (which had sent students to Wake in ‘05 after Katrina), and it was really beautiful. We also checked out the beautiful park across the street. It was so nice to just be able to sit in the park and reflect and think about everything that’s gone on this week. In the late afternoon we drove around the 9th ward to see what kind of shape it was in because we had heard so much about that area. It was unbelievable how much work there is left to be done. Many of the houses have already been restored to pre-Katrina quality, but the majority of them are boarded up and abandoned or just barely livable. You just expect that after this much time there wouldn’t be whole sections of the city still in such complete disarray, especially when some neighborhoods seem to be so well restored. We also saw it written on one house that a body had been found inside. Things like that really hit home for you and make you realize just how much was lost because of Katrina. We were also taken out to dinner tonight by Becky Currence, yet another Wake alumna who we’ve been able to connect with while in the city. She and her husband were so wonderful to us, taking all eighteen out for dinner. She really pressed the importance of letting Congress know about what’s going on in New Orleans and to tell everyone the New Orleans is open for business. The tourism industry has really taken a hard hit because people think New Orleans still isn’t up and running, but the tourism industry is so important for the economy New Orleans that it’s essential that people really start coming back. During dinner, a woman we didn’t even know just came up and gave us a heartfelt thank you for being here and helping to rebuild. It’s just been amazing to see how much we’re appreciated here, and I hope we can keep making a difference after we get home.