It is Saturday afternoon and we are getting ready to go out to dinner with a Wake alum who runs a non-profit dedicated to the reconstruction of New Orleans. We are finished working for the week and today has been a free, which has given me the opportunity to reflect upon the work that we have done and the things that we have seen since last Sunday. Although I had heard many stories about the destruction of New Orleans, this trip has been a very eye-opening experience. By living in New Orleans and listening to the people’s stories, I have gained a new appreciation for the physical destruction of the city and the emotional devastation of its people. Everyone who has lived through Katrina has a story to tell. It has been both heartbreaking and extremely moving to hear first-hand how the storm tore apart families, destroyed homes, and caused immeasurable psychological and emotional damage. But even though the trip has had its sad moments, it has also had inspirational ones. It’s very encouraging to see residents moving back into the neighborhoods that they grew up in and to see volunteers come in droves to help to rebuild to city and to provide support to the communities. Obviously, there is a lot more work to be done, but I am very grateful that our group has been given the opportunity to volunteer our time and to meet the brave people who have lived through the storm. My one hope is that the work that we have done for the people of New Orleans will be as enduring as the immeasurable impact that this trip has had on me and my life. Being exposed to the struggles that the people down here have faced and the destruction that the storm has caused has been an extremely powerful experience and is something that I will take with me back to Wake Forest and carry with me for the rest of my life.

Today was the first day we finally went down to the Ninth Ward to see the damage there, since it’s received a lot of attention as having been damaged especially thoroughly. Truthfully the damage there was not too much worse than what we’d seen nearby in Saint Bernard’s Parish, which you are much less likely to have heard of. There were however some homes where the front was missing in parts. You could see into the home which was of course empty except for some garbage. But alongside many of such homes were some that had been completely renovated. Rebuilding in New Orleans seems slow and inconsistent, but there is evidence of it.

To a volunteer, an outsider, it feels like more should have been done since it is almost three years after the storm, but the fact remains that it is a slow process, especially for a city that is struggling economically. (Many business are boarded up). Today was our last day here and tomorrow is the big drive home. I feel as though I’ll be better able to reflect on the experience as a whole when I’m back at home (or at least Winston). We had a great last night in New Orleans, with a fantastic dinner provided by alumni Mrs. Currence. Interestingly while we were out driving today we saw yet another motorcade of several police cars and motorcycles. One of the cars contained several intimidating body guards, and in the other was President Bill Clinton, who spoke tonight at Emory. It was exciting and bizarre, and seemed to be another unexpected element of the trip. I’m exhausted even though we didn’t work today, so hope everyone had a great day and I’ll post more soon.

The hospitality that has been extended to our group while on this trip has been unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced. The volunteers who donate their time and energies to repairing this city are treated like royalty! I would like to personally thank the Vogel, Schneider, and Currence families for opening their homes to us and sharing their very touching stories about life post-Katrina and offering us their thoughts on the ongoing recovery efforts. The stories of these families and those of the other individuals we’ve encountered this week have made this trip memorable. I have been inspired this week to encourage classmates, friends, and family members to take ownership of New Orleans and vest their free time and energy in efforts that will help restore this unique city to its original glory. I would also implore our government to take a more active role in this capacity. With such a great amount of need remaining I realize that a full recovery for New Orleans and the surrounding areas will take several years, but I can see that the job of recovery has been made unduly difficult by our largely unresponsive federal government. How a government could be so absent from an area so completely devastated by natural disaster completely boggles my mind. Contemplating our departure tomorrow has also made me realize how great an impact can be made in such a short period of time. I can say with a great deal of certainty that there are individuals that our group has met this week that will live in our minds forever. My only regret is that I did not have more time to share with these folks. I can’t wait to see how much has improved when I return.

It seems the trip has come to a close. Five days of volunteering has spurred the best in all of us, and each story or memory brought back to campus will only benefit the rest of the community. What began as a shakily organized trip, with no fault put on our trip coordinators whatsoever, developed into a fulfilling and edifying experience. With our original itinerary thrown out the window, the Wake crew firmly turned their midweek slump in a new direction towards what we had originally intended on finding during our time in New Orleans.

After splitting the group into two on Monday, it seemed as if the group who spent their time with those at the St. Bernard Community Center took more out of their experience than did the weeders at the Botanical Gardens. Not to discredit the integrity or necessity of the work needed to be done in the City Park, but the group was looking to serve its time and effort better in purposes of greater impact.

With this in mind, the group returned as a whole to the Community Center on Tuesday to do, essentially, whatever we could. For the Botanical Garden workers, the first impression of the Center was undoubtedly strong. The bare interior covered in sections of spare clothing and food drew a powerful image both startling and hopeful. One can express this simple program through its volunteers. To name a few, there was Jason, the young, ambitious graduate of Swarthmore who decided to move to Louisiana to do what he can. Also, we had Steve Gonzalez, the master chef who had a story unrivaled in its impact on the trip and what it meant to us as volunteers. Steve had lost everything in the storm, including his wife of many years and every picture of her. When telling his story, he had difficulty reaching the end, but always managed to find some way through, for he knew his listeners would never forget what he was saying. Later in the day we had the opportunity to see and repair first hand an affected home. To say the least, there really wasn’t much a willing volunteer could do, the problems were too great.

Wednesday brought us another day at the Community Center, which grew from a productive day into an adventure through the city aquarium, a relaxing yet informative experience, which seemed to characterize each day. We quickly learned that no matter where we went or what we did with our time here, the most important thing we will take away from our trip will be the testimonies of those here. Those we’ve spoke with have showed us the New Orleans we’ve looked for down here, which we wouldn’t be able to find on our own. Not to mention, for our dinner the Vogel family, whose daughter is a current senior at Wake, cooked us a delicious dinner, which we greatly appreciated.

Thursday wrapped up our time at the St. Bernard Community Center, where the volunteers helped the local citizens gather a variety of clothing and food while preparing a delicious vegetable mix for all to indulge in. Later in the day, some members of our group decided to return to the home we visited on Tuesday to help with what they started, which consisted of a series of sheet rock mountings, while the rest of the group went to another volunteer center called Camp Hope, where different Habitat for Humanity volunteers were staying. We concluded our time with Steve the Chef there, taking away his all-work/all-play attitude and a new love for alligator sausage.

Friday brought what some will say was their favorite day. We decided to work through another organization called Beacon of Hope, which was another (what seems to be the trend down here) grassroots organization which goes door-to-door to affected homes to help with the rebuilding process. We got to the main office in Lakeview and immediately were sent off to an elderly woman’s home whose property hadn’t been cared for since before the storm. There was plenty for us to do. The yard was the main focus, with weeds (more weeds!) and leaves overtaking the property, as well as overgrown plant life and drift objects from the flood. By the end of the day, we had close to one-hundred trash bags lining the streets, an appropriate manifestation of the week’s accomplishments.

What does one take from a week filled with so much? As I mentioned before, I believe the most important aspect of this trip to be the people living in this area. I wish I could compile one major theme from what we heard throughout the week, but the perspectives and concentrations vary in their messages. From who’s to blame to spreading a positive outlook on the future of the city, so much can be taken from their words.

What I will take is what I’ve thought seeing and being around this area, and what others have confirmed: this place does not look like it was hit two and a half years ago. I could not tell you what the actual time frame does look like, but the overall importance of such an observation remains in the fact that New Orleans has not received the attention or aid it deserves. Two and a half years later, there is still so much to do. Too many homes are still wrecked and abandoned, while inhabitants struggle to get their lives back to the pre-Katrina days. Many expressed their beliefs that the hundreds of thousands of volunteers were the ones actually rebuilding the city, while any superior aid was utterly absent these days. The one point communicated to our group by everyone we met was the gratitude they wished to express to us for our being there. Our efforts, along with everyone else who has given or is currently giving their time to help rebuild this great city is what gives the citizens of New Orleans hope for the complete restoration of their city. Although we only had a week, I like to think that we did our best to make the most of our time here and that we’ve spread some degree of awareness about what is actually occurring, or not occurring down in this important part of our country.

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.

I can’t believe the week is already half over. I feel like my eyes have been opened to so much in the past few days and I know there is still so much more I need to learn. I’ve been working at the St. Bernard Community Center and enjoying it mainly because there are so many opportunities to listen and talk to the people there. We get to fold clothes and clean, but we also get to listen to the stories of so many people.

One of the women I was lucky enough to listen and talk to for a few hours was an older woman named Mary. Her story more than broke my heart. She not only lost everything in Katrina, but suffered through a nasty divorce, lawsuits regarding flood insurance with her sons and many other things that no person should ever have to go through. All she needed was someone to talk to and it barely took us any effort to sit there and listen to her, but it made all the difference to her.  At the end of the day when she was leaving, she was in tears while thanking us for helping her and told us that we had truly touched her heart and helped her through one more day.

There was also a woman who was in a wheelchair who rode over 14 blocks to pick up groceries and needed help bringing them back to her trailer. Half way through the walk back the battery in her chair died, and three of us had to push her in her chair along with a full grocery cart of food another 7 blocks. As we were slowly but surely on our way, a man in a Jaguar honked at us to get out of his way. My jaw dropped. The stark contrast between the two situations shocked all of us. As we kept walking, I couldn’t help but think about the underlying question that keeps presenting itself over and over again—how can some people have so much and others so little? As we drive through neighborhoods that alternate between falling apart and run down houses from the storm and rebuilt mansions, I can’t help but wonder if the gap will ever close and what we can do it close it. It’s a great feeling to know that we’re making small but significant differences in these people’s lives and I’m excited for the rest of the week!

As a sophomore, I’ve been around the university long enough to hear about the amazing Wake Forest connection. It’s spoken about by the alumni, by the faculty and by the older students as a revered creed to the Wake Forest body. It’s that case where you meet a stranger, only to find out that he or she graduated from the university two years before you, and you wind up joining him or her for dinner the next night. Or you happen to jokingly ask for enough money to get a plane ticket to go to the Orange Bowl since you’re studying abroad, and fellow Deacs raise enough money not only for the plane ticket, but for the ticket to the game as well. It’s this special connection that you make with fellow alumni that make Wake such a special experience both as a student and after you leave campus to head into the dreaded “Real World.” While I’ve heard about this connection, it’s not necessarily something that I had experienced first-hand until this evening.

As Amy briefly mentioned, we ate dinner at Mrs. Kathy Vogel’s house this evening. She’s the mother of a current senior at Wake Forest, but she and her husband did not attend the university themselves. That being said, her connection to Wake Forest, not even a first-hand experience, motivated her enough to not only generously pay for our entrance into the New Orleans aquarium and spend the whole afternoon with us there, but also lovingly open her house to us for dinner. With about 5 hours of notice, Mr. and Mrs. Vogel prepared an amazing dinner for us and entertained us for the majority of the night. I just can’t express enough how excellent it was for this couple to willingly open up their house to us with such little notice. We came to find out that while some of the group knew of her daughter, none seemed to express that they knew her well, and yet here we were sitting in their house chatting for hours about the history of New Orleans and, of course, about our beloved university. I just haven’t heard of many incidents like this at other universities that my friends attend. Clearly we’ve got something very unique and extraordinary at Wake that most universities cannot match. So thank you Vogel family, not only for the afternoon and dinner, but also for giving me my first quintessential example of the power and beauty of the Wake Forest link. You were perfects hosts.

I guess we are about half way through the trip now and I have really fallen in love with the city of New Orleans. Today was sort of a different day, we went to the St. Bernard Community Center for about 2 hours in the morning but then at lunch we met with an amazing lady Kathy Vogel , who is a parent of a Wake Forest student. She is awesome, she paid for us to go the aquarium and see the IMAX hurricane of the Bayou, a film about the hurricane before and after in relation the erosion of the wetlands. The film itself was really well done, I felt, and the stories of what people lost in the hurricane were extremely touching. So much of what went on was never covered on the news and being here and hearing stories of people who are still just trying to come or move back into their house is shocking. The amount of emotional distress that these people went through is devastating and something that is very overlooked I feel. Most people really just need to talk and express their stories. And that is not something that has an easy solution or fix. It just needs people willing to listen and show that someone cares. I can not imagine losing everything like so many people did. Even though its just material possessions, it is people’s homes and memories.

We went to dinner at Kathy’s house and she cooked us an AMAZING dinner, I learned how to eat an artichoke. We also went to the aquarium which was so fun. We saw penguins, sea otters, jelly fish. We all basically acted like 5 year olds it was great. Even though we didn’t do much volunteering today I feel like it was a really great experience to just enjoy this city. Learning about the culture has been an awesome part of this trip. I really love the atmosphere of this city with all the live music and the attitude its just very laid back. I can’t wait to see more of the city!

This is what we heard after working in the Community Center of St. Bernard Parish for seven hours today. After working in the county which was destroyed the most by Hurricane Katrina it has become clear that this area is one of the districts most in need, and yet it was hard to come across volunteer opportunities. From the moment we arrived to this Community Center, it was truly eye-opening. It took us a few hours to find the location, and in the process we came across more than a handful of boarded-up houses and streets which had been completely shut down, yet this didn’t compare to what we saw once we reached the St. Barnard’s Parish; nearly all of the houses were still in poor shape and most of the families were still very much in need.

I spent a lot of the day working with the family members of this traumatized area. When we first arrived, I had two young children run up to me and immediately started to play hide-and-go-seek and goofing around. Seven year old Heather and six year old Hayden were home-schooled by their mother, but we were soon to find out that they spent most of their time in the center, playing with the volunteers who come in and out of the doors every day in the place which they call home. For the first few hours of the day we colored Lilo-and-Stich color books and played outside on the swing set, and later, they were more than excited to be able to help me bring canned food into the distribution area, where any family from the district could come in to pick up food for themselves and their family. Once they returned home with their mother, I began speaking with some of the older visitors to the center. This was the first account I had with anyone who had truly experienced the storm. One of the ladies, Mary, spoke to me about how she had nothing left after the storm hit and hated to be so greedy by taking the food from the center, but explained, “what else can you do when you had to sit outside on your roof for a few days, hoping that someone would come and rescue you.”

As much as Rosemary’s story resonated with me, I felt the most emotional connection with Stephen. Stephen is one of the directors of the Community Center and had spoken to me on-and-off throughout the day. He recounted to me his experiences from the story, and was very happy to explain the lies that the media portrayed… they had measured the height of the waves incorrectly, they were really much higher than the measurements which the media had reported. Later on in the afternoon, he shared to the group his experiences via DVD, which had been put together from his own pictures, as well as other photographers who had witnessed the storm first-hand. This was truly the most eye-opening experience for me. I had seen many pictures over the course of the past two years, but these made the devastation come alive. I had never had someone account the stories behind the pictures while they flashed in front of my eyes. Stephen began to tell me the story of his escape and how he lost not only all of pets (who were replaced by volunteers throughout the months), but also how he lost his wife, who he no longer had any pictures to remember her by, because his house was completed submerged underwater after the storm. In conjunction with these stories which had already touched me, on the drive home, I witnessed so many more neighborhoods which had been hit extremely hard by the storm. Nearly all of these areas had been shutdown, and very few businesses have opened up nearly three years later. This day was truly moving and I look forward to speaking more with the residents of these devastated communities.

Many of the locations that we’ve visited have visible water marks that reach as high as 15 feet. A local man told us that these marks were formed only after the flood waters had settled several weeks after the storm had passed. All of the folks that we’ve spoken with have stressed that these marks do not even begin to reflect how high the flood waters reached at their highest levels. On our drive to the St. Bernard Parrish community resource center, I noticed that the vast majority of houses have been marked with a large “X”. We were told that these marks signified that the house had been checked after the storm. We also learned that that number found just below the “X” represents the number of people that clean-up crews found dead in each house. Our drive home after our work for the day was complete took on a much different tenor than our morning departure. I found myself paying more attention to the large, spray-painted numbers and water marks on the houses we passed than to the road and heavy New Orleans traffic in front of me. Many of the houses we passed had numbers other than zero on their fronts. I found strange irony in the fact that many of these very visible X’s were painted in blood red. I cannot understand how a city can be expected to heal after such a great tragedy when such visible and macabre reminders of the day that permanently altered the lives of so many remain present on nearly every street corner two and a half years later. The people of New Orleans seem like a VERY resilient group but I think that even they would admit that seeing these marks on their morning drives to work, on the way to the grocery store, and in nearly every other public space conjures up memories and images that by now they’d rather forget. With each day and with every new encounter, I am reminded of how truly blessed and fortunate I am.