Since it seems this space is primarily used to write about large meals or various travels we (or sometimes just I) take, and because I am procrastinating (research papers need grading...), I thought I would write a bit about my most recent trip to New Orleans.
I joined the school Habitat for Humanity group as a chaperone to New Orleans for February vacation. Forty of us were traveling for the week. To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect when we got there. I knew the actual work/house-building part would be labor intensive, but I wasn't prepared for the massive amount of destruction and decay that is ever present outside the downtown part of the city. It has been five and a half years since Katrina and some parts still look like the hurricane was just last month.
On Day 1 of the trip, I had to regrettably break three separate vows I had made to myself. While still in college, I vowed to never again fly Continental Airlines or deal with Newark Airport in any way due to an unfortunate experience there. I have also made it a point of never, ever shopping in a Walmart. But let it be known that on Monday, February 21 I did all three. I don't really count Walmart though since I didn't spend any of my own money there...
The flight was uneventful, though how I came to be the one (of seven) chaperones who got to sit with the students is beyond me. I was just a row behind the others, though, so all was good. Nevertheless, the flightpath took us across Lake Pontchartrain, following the long causeway into New Orleans. The Superdome was easy to spot and such a central part to the city. We loaded into our rental vans and were off to Walmart for breakfast & lunch foods, toiletries, etc. The vans had no luggage space, so we were packed pretty tightly after our shopping considering we still had our luggage with us.
Days 2-5 were spent at the worksite - actually five separate lots along a single street directly across from the railyard. All lots were in various early stages of construction (or lack thereof). We divided into 2 groups that first day and got to work. I'm not entirely sure how the Habitat folks determine which groups does what work each day - one group (the one I was not in) stayed on the same lot all 4 days (Lot A). My group worked doing various jobs on all 4 of the other lots over the next 4 days. Here is a diagram of where we worked and a day-by-day account of what my group did each day:
Tuesday (at Lot C all day)
- Removed form boards from recently poured foundation
- Attached termite shields to cement pillars the houses were built on
- Measured and sorted wood
- Crowned 6x6 beams and moved into place (holy crap, those were heavy - I still have the bruises...)
- Began attaching floor joists
Wednesday (at Lots D & E all day)
- Digging ditches for the foundation to be eventually poured
- Digging more ditches through solid clay
- More digging (catch a pattern here)
Thursday (at Lot B all day)
- Building all the wall/door/window frames for the house
- Being in charge of the power saw!!
Friday (at Lot B then Lot E)
- Finished building the frames
- Back to digging after lunch
- Accidentally digging up someone's buried and long decomposed pet dog
There are dog remains in there, I promise.
At the two lots that did not involve digging (B & C), there was another service group from Canada that was also working. They were the ones to actually frame the houses using the frames we built. So there went from being only cement pillars on Tuesday to a fully framed house when we left on Friday. They were starting to put up the plywood on the walls as we were leaving. The other lot that had the other half of our group got about the same amount done during that week, though their frames were pre-built.
I will fully admit that after Wednesday, I was left feeling very dejected. That day of digging was extremely hard work and there was very little to show for it. Logically, I know that it was very important work, but seeing all the other groups actually building things and seeing visible progress, our group wasn't experiencing that. Motivation that day was hard. It was very fortunate that we followed it up with a very rewarding Thursday. Our kids worked their asses off that day.
Traveling with 33 teenagers presents all sorts of interesting obstacles. For the most part, they were fine. There was a lost license at the airport, constant complaining over breakfast and lunch choices (we were on a budget), and whining about how unfair it was we wouldn't let them wander Bourbon Street by themselves or at night (so mean of us, I know). There was also much talk about how everyone really wanted to try authentic New Orleans food but when given the chance one night between a local BBQ place and the Hard Rock Cafe, only 8 of the 33 chose BBQ. But hey, I got to join the BBQ group that night, so I won't complain too loudly. Still not sure how I managed that... There was also a bit of an entitlement complex, especially among the people who went on the trip last year. They felt that they shouldn't be forced to do things they had already done. They lost that argument.
I ate plenty - beignets, BBQ, pasta jambalaya, a crazy large breakfast for dinner with really good hashbrowns, and more fried chicken than I have ever eaten in one sitting. That's what you get for betting me I can't eat the whole serving, Mario... During our last night, we got to watch a Mardi Gras parade. It was ok, apparently the further into Mardi Gras you get, the better the parades get - we were there at the very beginning. No, I did not catch any beads.
This is definitely a trip I will do again next year. I am not a particularly handy person when it comes to home construction, but it was very worthwhile - there is still so much to be done there and the rebuilding, though constant, still has a very, very long way to go.
Our Worksite Before
Tuesday, February 22
And Our Worksite After
Friday, February 25
Lots more pictures can be seen
here. Videos are
here.
(And as an aside, I have now added Louisiana to my states visited list - I'm up to 35...)
