tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75966753967379154192024-03-13T19:27:21.914-07:00GannNOLAJoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-54827459679148366172013-03-19T07:14:00.001-07:002013-03-19T07:14:09.021-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sunday reflection</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />By Sunday evening we'd had a shabbat at Anshe Sfard, a synagogue next door to our hostel, explored the Garden District and Central City neighborhoods (Colliseum Square, Magazine Street, Fauburg Delassize), listened to a representative of the Jewish Farm School talk about korban (sacrifice) and service, caught cabbages and bead necklaces thrown from St Patrick's Day Channel Parade floats on St. Charles Ave, heard Rabbi Polsky speak at Seudah Shlishit about the history of Anshe Sfard and the local Jewish community, seen a Mahavishnu Orchestra tribute by a talented (and loud) quintet at Tulane, volunteered with a local community gardening project, and wandered around the French Quarter. <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After a Kosher Cajun catered dinner, with our hardest work ahead of us, we met for a reflection on what we'd experienced so far. Each member of the group answered the following question: <br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What images, or what elements of the soundscape, have struck you so far?<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here are some of the responses:<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the Superdome next to Highway 10, intact, emblazoned with a luxury car logo<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dave, a friendly, softspoken volunteer at the community garden -- a recovering alcoholic who has struggled to find housing<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">strangers smiling and offering St Patrick's Day hats to other strangers<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">children giving out flowers<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">a chicken wandering among the chairs and tables of an indoor cafe in the Marigny district<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">passersby in the French Quarter giving high fives to strangers<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">elaborate Mardi Gras masks on display in French Quarter boutiques<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">firsthand evidence of the racial and socioeconomic divides that characterize the city<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">an old woman in the French Quarter who said "Merry Christmas" and gave strangers Mardi Gras beads<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">our neighbors in Central City sitting out on porches and stoops<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">a young woman on Bourbon Street singing and twirling a sign for a strip club<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">public nudity<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">wrought-iron balconies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">-------------</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After our conversation, we talked about the transition from the first and more relaxed phase of the trip to the four days of work we'd be doing with St Bernard Project, and we read and discussed an article about tourism to the Lower Ninth Ward.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We'll revisit our first impressions of New Orleans once we have two days of spackling, drilling, and sanding behind us. </span></div>
k r chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163767182509477248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-65994928978605758842012-03-30T12:13:00.000-07:002012-03-30T12:13:03.612-07:00What we learned and what we are taking away, March 30th<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">March 30, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our closing ritual was a perfect ending for the trip. One of
our site supervisors, Nicole came with her boyfriend Trevor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The evening included performances, reflection
and gift giving. The performances were Laila doing one magic trick, our 4 Shenanigans singing 2 songs in perfect and beautiful harmonies, and Trevor playing Amazing Grace on the hand whistle. (hard to explain but pretty amazing.) Gifts included several funny poems, cards for everyone in the
group, a house of cards with its own house of cards blog and St. Bernard’s t-shirts
for everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was much laughter
and appreciation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For our reflection
everyone wrote things they learned and a takeaway from the trip on an index
card.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We leave you with those lists:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Things we learned:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to
apologize without continuing to place blame on the other person<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
Mississippi River moves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to dry
wall and mud and the importance of each step of construction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That some
people believe that the levies were purposely blown up in order to divert water
from the French Quarter in the lower 9<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> ward<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to mud<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A lot of
interesting stories about people who lived through the hurricane<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The amount
of devastation from Katrina<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to sand,
skim and prime dry wall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Alligator
tastes great<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to mud
and sand and how important it is<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to draw
Massachusetts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About the
culture in rural Louisiana<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rookies can
learn mudding pretty quickly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to
mud/sand/float/skim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What a house
looks like beneath the paint<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some new
Taylor Swift songs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">People
really do wrestle Alligators<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What YOLO
means<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to build
a house<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to put
aside past problems with people<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Southern culture<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">History of hurricane
Katrina<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to mud
with Nicole, it was great and I’m really appreciative<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am a lot
more capable with a 6 inch knife than I thought<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Southern manners
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
importance of showing you care<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to mud<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Conspiracy theories
about levies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About bayous
and alligators<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to love<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That Jews
have lived in NO for many generations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">From Laila
that to love someone is to tserve them and to serve someone is to love them<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also
learned that acceptance is an important part of love<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About Jean
and James’ story and past<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How much
goes in to creating a home…something I will no longer take for granted<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to do
things that I never knew I could do<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Building a
house is harder than it looks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Things we are taking away from the
experience:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That giving
my time and doing community service make not only a physical impact, but also a
mental impact on the people who are being helped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many
memories, some good, some bad but overall a great experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hardwork –even
if something is deemed annoying or painful, can make normal activities seem
sweeter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To always
cherish my house and family<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To always
share love and acceptance whether appreciated or not<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That people’s
connections to their homes can run deep and beyond the rational<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope to
always take pride in my physical place ant that of others<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Every moment
is a YOLO moment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To consider
being an Americacorps volunteer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To think
about people like Theresa<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a
way to balance doing what is right and what is helpful with what is fun to do<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After
hearing real stories, I am now convinced that this project is worthwhile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed to meet real victims in order to
feel really close to the project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I will build
houses with my dad now because he does that for fun<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are
more important things than my own immediate gratification because in the long
run, the fact that I am helping someone is most important<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Houses are
hard to build<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">People are
really grateful for what we did here<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The need is
great, the flesh is weak, attitude makes the difference<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Helping
means a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just giving money but
the fact that we are willing to give up time to come down and help out shows
people that other people care about them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
importance of physical service as opposed to monetory contribution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t mean to reach the same end. They
may be related but actually serve totally different purposes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Southern culture
is awesome and I have a new appreciation for the South<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everyone
needs a home<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Every little
bit of work helps and a lot of help is needed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everybody
deals with tragedy in different ways and that sometimes it is hard for others
to understand<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We need to
help the victims of Katrina and victims of hurricanes no matter how long it
takes and no matter who is to blame<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How many
complex questions, community service raises.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes
the most meaningful things in life are those that we already know a lot about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Lailahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472590271001741531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-89234093998860180092012-03-30T12:10:00.001-07:002012-03-30T12:10:43.045-07:00Pictures from crew at Pamela's house<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mGPEQlUZ1Cs/T3YE1iaopNI/AAAAAAAAAEg/Q_qOGFBoIsU/s1600/rachelwandellie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mGPEQlUZ1Cs/T3YE1iaopNI/AAAAAAAAAEg/Q_qOGFBoIsU/s1600/rachelwandellie.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EbktNDKHpEw/T3YE2-YaWdI/AAAAAAAAAEo/P8isIL2oTMc/s1600/sanding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EbktNDKHpEw/T3YE2-YaWdI/AAAAAAAAAEo/P8isIL2oTMc/s1600/sanding.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iAt9-3_quM0/T3YE4c10eEI/AAAAAAAAAEw/QtQsB0urvT0/s1600/sarahand+josh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iAt9-3_quM0/T3YE4c10eEI/AAAAAAAAAEw/QtQsB0urvT0/s1600/sarahand+josh.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fj11EABkkAg/T3YE6vMgTHI/AAAAAAAAAE4/_gD8NlhAFtg/s1600/rachelandhaley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fj11EABkkAg/T3YE6vMgTHI/AAAAAAAAAE4/_gD8NlhAFtg/s1600/rachelandhaley.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MKe4YP9TIFY/T3YFB0VmBeI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0dTlUw1vHXA/s1600/laurenandhaley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MKe4YP9TIFY/T3YFB0VmBeI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0dTlUw1vHXA/s1600/laurenandhaley.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rQlfcQ0-IkQ/T3YFFLyN__I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/fFQZE3DZync/s1600/mayasanding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rQlfcQ0-IkQ/T3YFFLyN__I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/fFQZE3DZync/s1600/mayasanding.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ep_mUjRpeCQ/T3YFJS9_kUI/AAAAAAAAAFY/Ex3o8wOeNT8/s1600/rachelandaaron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ep_mUjRpeCQ/T3YFJS9_kUI/AAAAAAAAAFY/Ex3o8wOeNT8/s1600/rachelandaaron.jpg" /></a></div>Lailahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472590271001741531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-53257072590000197652012-03-29T20:14:00.002-07:002012-03-29T20:14:32.811-07:00March 29, 2012, last day of work<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">March 29, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sadly,
we embarked upon our final work day, packing our lunches and putting on our
already mud-stained work clothes for the last time. After a long day of
sanding, skimming, priming, and painting, we said a sad farewell to Andy and
Nicole, our superb site-supervisors. We then caravanned to the Levy tours,
where we heard Elise, one of the Americorps volunteers, give us all the
information we were lacking about the events that took place at the Levies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
much-needed showers, we traveled to the French Quarter for the last time
visiting boutiques and eating our second round of Beignets. When we returned
for a hearty meal of spaghetti and meat-balls, we were pleased to welcome
Nicole, a site supervisor, and her boyfriend Trevor to our final banquet. The thought-provoking
conversations that took place after led into our gift giving ceremony where we
continued to reflect on our journey. In pairs, we created meaningful gifts for
the group to take home as a reminder of what we have learned over this past
week. The gifts ranged from poems and awards to pictures and “thank-you’s.” We
felt that most importantly, these gifts reflected the personal connections we
have formed with one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our
knowledge of hurricane Katrina has surpassed mere facts. This experience has
enabled us to begin to understand the emotional and intangible effects of the
hurricane. All the people we have met went through the same disaster, yet
somehow have entirely different perspectives. We met one home-owner who
fervently argued a conspiracy theory, in which she believed that every 40 years
people blew up the Levies as an act of terrorism. Some, on the other hand, strove
to focus on the positive impacts after the disaster. Even though this specific
experience has been once in a lifetime, we will definitely continue our
community outreach and bring what we learned home to our Gann family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All our
love, from the NOLA12 familia,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maya Warburg, Itamar Lewin-Arundale, and Hannah Hausman<o:p></o:p></span></div>Lailahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472590271001741531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-57027842934299139862012-03-28T19:31:00.001-07:002012-03-28T19:31:20.618-07:00Building Process Pics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gi9an_nptWk/T3PJKGsQWCI/AAAAAAAAADw/ctDog5tvy3k/s1600/benmudding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gi9an_nptWk/T3PJKGsQWCI/AAAAAAAAADw/ctDog5tvy3k/s1600/benmudding.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RAbzg9cWi0c/T3PJMPigRMI/AAAAAAAAAD4/zloYb4Gk9ag/s1600/ben,david,jeremyatwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RAbzg9cWi0c/T3PJMPigRMI/AAAAAAAAAD4/zloYb4Gk9ag/s320/ben,david,jeremyatwork.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UJAPfzLM7as/T3PJN2K0RVI/AAAAAAAAAEA/bLtgrNqBuWI/s1600/davecarryingwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UJAPfzLM7as/T3PJN2K0RVI/AAAAAAAAAEA/bLtgrNqBuWI/s1600/davecarryingwater.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngJVTvfBx_U/T3PJQH5oLAI/AAAAAAAAAEI/f5_-pmLeays/s1600/hannahandcarlintheirbathroomwithnicole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngJVTvfBx_U/T3PJQH5oLAI/AAAAAAAAAEI/f5_-pmLeays/s1600/hannahandcarlintheirbathroomwithnicole.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YgJOv0YbwUw/T3PJTDSUaAI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/K1C3ryGlwdc/s1600/jacobatwork2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YgJOv0YbwUw/T3PJTDSUaAI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/K1C3ryGlwdc/s1600/jacobatwork2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bP-IC8TTR-w/T3PJYr0aQNI/AAAAAAAAAEY/0y-D7No3Vu0/s1600/movingkitchencabs1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bP-IC8TTR-w/T3PJYr0aQNI/AAAAAAAAAEY/0y-D7No3Vu0/s1600/movingkitchencabs1.jpg" /></a></div>Lailahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472590271001741531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-61923444192930969102012-03-28T19:29:00.000-07:002012-03-28T19:29:07.825-07:00In French Quarter on Tuesday, March 27th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vje6oP_vGMg/T3PIqz6Lp3I/AAAAAAAAADY/D7xKNOi9h7s/s1600/groupinfrenchquarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vje6oP_vGMg/T3PIqz6Lp3I/AAAAAAAAADY/D7xKNOi9h7s/s1600/groupinfrenchquarter.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zgSkhIvoEPE/T3PIvpcp9iI/AAAAAAAAADg/5Nimv380GY8/s1600/girlsinfr.qu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zgSkhIvoEPE/T3PIvpcp9iI/AAAAAAAAADg/5Nimv380GY8/s1600/girlsinfr.qu.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F3K5F5xkraw/T3PI4VpAgAI/AAAAAAAAADo/mAU6pdFDl0s/s1600/groupbyriver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F3K5F5xkraw/T3PI4VpAgAI/AAAAAAAAADo/mAU6pdFDl0s/s1600/groupbyriver.jpg" /></a></div>Lailahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472590271001741531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-67270726238162811152012-03-28T19:27:00.001-07:002012-03-28T19:27:27.846-07:00Pictures of pairs making gifts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gJo4LBO7EhQ/T3PICEehv2I/AAAAAAAAACo/lYH2Z1XNejY/s1600/mayaandjacob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gJo4LBO7EhQ/T3PICEehv2I/AAAAAAAAACo/lYH2Z1XNejY/s320/mayaandjacob.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9LyAUv0kJFc/T3PIDuNlHqI/AAAAAAAAACw/ZtyF-JCcnVU/s1600/wyattandcarl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9LyAUv0kJFc/T3PIDuNlHqI/AAAAAAAAACw/ZtyF-JCcnVU/s1600/wyattandcarl.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yqF3Q1H1kS0/T3PIIMd5qTI/AAAAAAAAAC4/LVJKWMURAho/s1600/benandellie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yqF3Q1H1kS0/T3PIIMd5qTI/AAAAAAAAAC4/LVJKWMURAho/s1600/benandellie2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M6D-rezCoyg/T3PIL9Es8nI/AAAAAAAAADA/Li98xnA8xLk/s1600/haleyandgabe2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M6D-rezCoyg/T3PIL9Es8nI/AAAAAAAAADA/Li98xnA8xLk/s1600/haleyandgabe2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zIDBmIHb2DU/T3PIPJvxjVI/AAAAAAAAADI/CrEqCAvk5nw/s1600/daveandsarah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zIDBmIHb2DU/T3PIPJvxjVI/AAAAAAAAADI/CrEqCAvk5nw/s1600/daveandsarah.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NIWji4sxwRg/T3PIUm8tEvI/AAAAAAAAADQ/2IUorpQjA2o/s1600/benandellie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NIWji4sxwRg/T3PIUm8tEvI/AAAAAAAAADQ/2IUorpQjA2o/s320/benandellie.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>Lailahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472590271001741531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-72164118944026867272012-03-28T19:24:00.001-07:002012-03-28T19:24:42.977-07:00March 28, 2012-What does service mean?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">March 28, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today
we did more of the same; working on mudding, priming, and drilling the houses
to which we have grown so accustomed. They’re coming along great; we have made
so much progress since we first started! After work we traveled back to the
Saint Bernard Project’s headquarters and met with the young Americorps
representatives. They talked to us about their journeys and about all that they
had learned over the course of their experience in New Orleans and abroad. They
each have their own story and we were surprised by the diversity that existed
in just one organization. They reminded all of us that community service does
not end when the trip does and that there are opportunities to do good all
around us, and all around the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Upon
returning to the hostel, we all took much needed and well deserved showers
before we gathered together for a special surprise in the courtyard. We were
divided into pairs and were given instructions to come up with a creative “gift”
that we felt would express our appreciation for the rest of our group and for
the experience here. We will present our “gifts” to our NOLA 2012 family
tomorrow after dinner in a closing ceremony. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tonight,
after dinner, we came together to discuss our feelings about the experience that
we have had thus far and to answer some difficult and thought provoking
questions. Rachel, one of our three chaperones, asked us if it is more
meaningful to send money to the Saint Bernard Project, or to send yourself to
do hands on work. We did not all agree on the answer to this question; however,
we did all agree that the conversation was an important one to have. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It is
conversations such as these that make us think about all that we have at home
and about all of the people who are not as fortunate. We are looking forward to
our last day on the job and to spending another wonderful and worthwhile
afternoon in the French Quarter and to experiencing all that the city of New
Orleans has to offer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thank
you for reading!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Love,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Lauren
Gluck, Sarah Levine, and Ben Aronovitz<o:p></o:p></span></div>Lailahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472590271001741531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-50979933118921098062012-03-27T19:23:00.001-07:002012-03-27T19:23:11.323-07:00Conspiracy Theories 12/27/2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bwzV7qFPh_k/T3J1jZsO6ZI/AAAAAAAAACA/L6x4kpTPzB8/s1600/jeremy,josh,dave,benat+bourbon+st..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bwzV7qFPh_k/T3J1jZsO6ZI/AAAAAAAAACA/L6x4kpTPzB8/s1600/jeremy,josh,dave,benat+bourbon+st..jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MJ9-XKvCfTk/T3J1lhYjIeI/AAAAAAAAACI/N3zMJSIFErY/s1600/larenincostumefrenchquarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MJ9-XKvCfTk/T3J1lhYjIeI/AAAAAAAAACI/N3zMJSIFErY/s1600/larenincostumefrenchquarter.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k4mDEIczaKk/T3J1nHGZvgI/AAAAAAAAACQ/9coBu21O1NA/s1600/lauren,haley,sarahatcafedumonde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k4mDEIczaKk/T3J1nHGZvgI/AAAAAAAAACQ/9coBu21O1NA/s1600/lauren,haley,sarahatcafedumonde.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XTuRmqK_aQw/T3J1qpfw9iI/AAAAAAAAACY/cfmnw1pmEnw/s1600/carlhannahsweethearts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XTuRmqK_aQw/T3J1qpfw9iI/AAAAAAAAACY/cfmnw1pmEnw/s1600/carlhannahsweethearts.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xjCRp8k87NY/T3J1v3tIMJI/AAAAAAAAACg/nTxbERmIaig/s1600/groupatkoshercajun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xjCRp8k87NY/T3J1v3tIMJI/AAAAAAAAACg/nTxbERmIaig/s320/groupatkoshercajun.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">March 27, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
started early again today, waking up at 5:50 am so we could eat breakfast,
brush our teeth, pack our lunches, and be out of the Marquette House by
6:30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We returned to our two separate sites
and continue to sand and skim the walls, which aimed to make the walls as flat
and smooth as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both groups met
the owners of the homes that we have been working on, and they were extremely
appreciative of our hard and dedicated work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the owners spoke to the
whole group after our day of work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her
name was Theresa, and she is an African American woman who has lived in New
Orleans for her entire life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her house
had only one floor before the hurricane, and we could see just how high the
water had been by looking at the marks on the neighboring church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Theresa and her two kids left New Orleans
before the hurricane with her two children (one is a high school senior),
expecting to be back home after a couple days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After Hurricane Katrina destroyed her home and all of her belongings,
she stayed with friends who lived nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She hired a contractor, who committed fraud and stole all of her
money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following this catastrophe, the
electric wiring was stolen from her home twice, forcing Theresa to actually
move into a trailer on her property to protect her home from future theft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Theresa explained that she was so blessed to
receive the amazing help from us and the St. Bernard Project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our
group then had the opportunity to ask Theresa some questions about her
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were very surprised to
hear that Theresa believed that the levies did not just collapse due to the
pressure from the Mississippi River, but that the levies were purposely “blown
up” by the people who were in charge of them, as they are every 40 years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our group had a difficult time comprehending
her theory, which she devoutly believed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We also asked her about her faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She explained that her faith in “the good Lord” remains strong, but that
her faith in mankind has deteriorated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
preferred not to answer further questions about her relationship with God and
religion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
this captivating interaction with Theresa, we all returned to the hostel and
showered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we made our way to the
French Quarter, where we split up into groups and explored the famous Bourbon
Street and the neighboring area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
some shopping and exploring, we met up and made our way to Kosher Cajun, a New
York style deli, where we had a festive dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After the meal, we returned to the French Quarter to go to Café Du
Monde, where we enjoyed its famous beignets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two of the three vans then returned to the hostel where we made our
sandwiches for the next day and got ready for bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We are
looking forward to another 2 great days of working in New Orleans!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meeting the women who are going to live in
the homes we are building only gives us more motivation to push through the hot
climate and work our hardest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Rachel Wolfman, Wyatt Mufson, & Jeremy Jick <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>Lailahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472590271001741531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-15444553459783476122012-03-26T19:33:00.001-07:002012-03-26T19:33:41.719-07:00march 26, 2012<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">March 26<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today was our first day getting out
there and doing some manual labor. We got up bright and early (5:45 AM) and
drove to a group orientation. We joined about 5 other groups and learned about
how the St. Bernard project got started from curly-haired Simon. He told us a
story about a man named Frank who, after the storm, sat on his roof for a long
time, with a white flag, waiting to be saved. When he was finally saved, he was
taken higher ground (a bank’s roof, the highest point in the area), where
waited six days for rescue. He was finally saved by a Canadian Mounties, and he
was disappointed that his country had not looked out for him. This story
inspired the founding of the St. Bernard project. Simon told us that the St.
Bernard project has seen great success, rebuilding 437 houses in the past 5
years, but that the work they do is never enough. Until recently, they had a
135-person waiting list that they had to shut down because they did not want to
promise houses to people for whom they couldn’t build. Even 7 years later,
there are still many people in New Orleans who need our help more than ever. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
then split up and drove to our specific work-sites. Most of us did the tedious
work of sanding drywall and skimming--applying a thin coat of drywall mud..
Although this was really tough and not so fun, we had to keep in mind that we
were still helping people out, and even the toughest jobs need to get done
somehow. On one site, we met the owner of the home, named Theresa, which was a
very meaningful experience. The house on the other site was the only house on
the street that was left to be rebuilt, as every other house had been
completed, so we were motivated to get it done. After lots of satisfying work,
we broke for lunch, and wiped seemingly tons of dirt and drywall off of our
clothes and heads. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After working, we paid a visit to
the Annunciation Church, which served as a recovery center during the storm,
which is run by two individuals who not only lived through, but prospered
through the storm. Jean and James were both able to view the positive side of
the situation. Jean talked about how she needed to take a step down to take
many steps up, and James said that the days he spent sheltered in the
Convention Center (where racial, economic, and governmental distinctions were
irrelevant) were “the best 5 days of [his] life.” Nevertheless, the two spoke
emotionally about their experiences in the storm, and were extremely grateful
to see us down in New Orleans. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jean said
that our service was an integral part of her mental recovery process. They
emphasized that the damage was great, but that our reactions to the storm is
what is more important. It’s hard to sum up how moving it is to hear such a
“survivor” speak about his or her life-changing experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tomorrow, we will return to our job
sites ready to work, and continue our experience in NOLA. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Haley Cashman, Carl Haber, Jacob
Slater</span></div>
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<br /></div>Lailahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472590271001741531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-19829368428427472372012-03-25T18:55:00.001-07:002012-03-25T18:55:49.754-07:00Sunday, March 25, 2012<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today began around 7:30 AM when our lovely chaperones did
wake-up rounds. After dressing, eating breakfast, and packing our brownbag lunches,
we piled into our signature tourist vans and set off on the hour-long drive to
Zam’s Swamp Tours, a wonderful place in rural Southern Louisiana-Thibodeax. We
began the tour at Zam’s by witnessing a gigantic caravan of bikers making their
way to the gift shop of the site. The woman who first showed us around, Diana,
brought out three different snakes: a baby one, a middle-sized one, and a
huge-beyond-huge yellow snake that wrapped its body around us all. While some
in the group were a bit nervous to interact with the reptiles at first, by the
end we were all handling them like pros.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
next section of our tour consisted of getting onto a barge-like wooden and
metal boat and taking a tour of the Bayou, led by a 15-year-old giant named
Zee. Never in my entire life have I seen a boy so big. He had long blond hair
tucked into his camouflage hat and rolled-up jean shorts with a super tight red
t-shirt. He sported rubber boots that came up to his knees. Along with his two
tour guide companions, Zee gave us a brief history of the Bayou, a history
which we strained to understand, as Zee had a thick Cajun accent. If you have
ever seen the show Swamp People, then you can imagine what Zee was like. It had
been barely five minutes in the water when, all of a sudden, Barry (Laila’s
husband) spotted something moving in the water. “A gator,” he exclaimed. Our
boat drove slowly over to the alligator as we all ran to the back of the boat
to see the reptile. Zee casually opened the rear of the boat and lay down on
his stomach. “He’s stuck to the branch,” Zee explained to us. Zee reached into
the water with his bare hands and wrestled the four-foot-long alligator onto
the boat. He swiftly brought it up on the boat and it was clear that a trap
line had wrapped around the belly of the gator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bob, the older gentleman leading the tour, used his large pocket knife
to cut the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zee then brought the
gator to the front of the boat and began to wrap a washcloth and rope around
the gator’s mouth so it would not bite anyone. He tied it up to the front of
the boat and it sat there for the next hour and a half. Zee’s plan was to bring
the alligator back to Zam’s to nurse it back to health; the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fishing line had cut into the flesh and it
injured its nose on a branch. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I must
be honest for a second: seeing the alligator writhing at the front of the boat
while we leisurely continued our Bayou tour was one of the saddest things I
have ever seen. While we recognized that Zee and his crew were trying to help
the alligator, it was blatantly obvious that the alligator would have preferred
to be back in the water. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> After
saving the alligator, we continued on through the swamps and saw a Confederate
flag and more alligators, this time babies. Zee took another stroll into the
water and picked up a baby, about eight inches long. He brought it onto the
boat and we took turns holding it. Its bites were like little nibbles on our
fingers. Zee was going to keep the alligator to measure its health, his
organization has a permit for this otherwise illegal activity.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span> </span>When we
finished our boat tour, we took a second tour, this time of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zam’s farm. We passed by adorable baby goats
and bunnies, which we all held and bottle-fed, as well as caged raccoons and
chickens. We saw a 13-foot alligator that weighed about 800 pounds. It hissed
and snapped at us, trying to defend its personal territory. It was true nature
at its best. We then met an 110-120 year old gigantic snapping turtle. We
learned that while snapping turtles don’t have teeth, the pressure their jaws
exert when they snap closed is enough to cleanly slice off someone’s arm.
Yikes. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Next we ate lunch at the picnic tables and enjoyed listening to some fine Cajun accents. Finally,
we bid farewell to our new friends at Zam’s and drove away with our next tour
guide, Gary, to a sugarcane plantation that was in use in the mid-1800s. The
houses belonging to the slaves were still intact. It was surreal to see
buildings that had housed slaves only 150 years ago. Gary then took us to the
campus of Nicholls College (at which he is a marine biology professor). He gave
us a quick lesson about the geography of Louisiana, as well as the geography of
Massachusetts (sadly, not one of us drew our home state correctly). During our
lesson, we learned that the water at the edge of Southern Louisiana is moving
inland at a rate of one acre per 45 minutes, if you can imagine that speed. We
also learned that the Mississippi River changes courses every few thousand
years. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our
last stop of the day was to a swampy area of the plantation. We drove in the
bed of Gary’s white pickup, literally sitting on barrels of hay. We arrived at
the swamp and took a walk in which we found many meaty spiders and tiny little
ants. We saw bald eagles flying overhead and heard frogs singing from the swamp.
Gary took us to a small shack on the edge of the swamp in which an owl lived.
Gary, Barry, and Josh collected the owl’s pellets (NOT POOP, DON’T WORRY) and
the skulls of dead mice. We looked at both outside. Finally, we drove to our
vans and continued back to the now-familiar Marquette House in what now seems
like bustling New Orleans.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span> </span>I think
that the two biggest takeaways from today were learned at Zam’s. For the first
time, I really appreciated the education to which we have access in Boston.
While the people with whom we talked weren’t uneducated, they certainly lived a
life filled with a different type of education (namely, how to catch an
alligator). They were very knowledgeable in their fields, and while I admired
this knowledge, I felt very fortunate to be learning my eight subjects at Gann.
The second thing I took away from today was that there really are people who
live their lives doing the things that they love and that make them genuinely
satisfied. So often we go through life trying to fulfill some impossible or
trivial goal instead of fighting for the things that make us happy. Zee, our
15-year-old tour guide, moved out of his parents’ house at age 12 to live on
his own boathouse (a house that floats in the middle of the water). While his
parents weren’t thrilled with this decision, he left home to pursue his love of
alligators and the Bayous. This type of courage and pursuit of happiness is a
kind that we can only hope to achieve in our own lives.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I
cannot wait to see what the rest of NOLA 2012 has to offer us.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Ellie Deresiewicz, Aaron Benjamin, and Alana Windmueller<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tNzfZJOfBpo/T2_MjpM_xqI/AAAAAAAAABg/f5hZlPp9aHI/s1600/babygoatsmayaandrachel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tNzfZJOfBpo/T2_MjpM_xqI/AAAAAAAAABg/f5hZlPp9aHI/s320/babygoatsmayaandrachel.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Lailahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472590271001741531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-77935034356617386332012-03-25T05:06:00.002-07:002012-03-25T18:57:04.536-07:00Shabbat March 23, 24thWelcome to Nola Blog 2012: <br />
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Let's begin with visual evidence of how hard we are working: (at eating ice cream Motzi Shabbos)<br />
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Actually from the beginning: <br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Gann Academy’s Rebuilding New Orleans trip left at an
ungodly hour on Friday morning from Logan Airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trip began with great group spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all played Hacky Sack and bonded in the
airport while we waited for Laila and Barry (Laila’s husband), who were the
last two to arrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plane rides were
very enjoyable. We made a really convenient stop in Houston (don’t mess with
Texas), but we eventually made it to the beautiful city of New Orleans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were all shvitzing in the 80 degree weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First stop we made was at Walmart, where we both stocked up
with food and necessities for a whole week and brought up Walmart’s quarter
profits by 20%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After collaboratively
dividing the groceries among our three minivans, we headed toward the Marquette
House, where we will be staying for the entire week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After dropping our milk off in the fridge, we
went on a long driving tour of New Orleans, paying special attention to the
damaged homes and the newly high levies that surrounded the lower 9<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
ward, the section of New Orleans that was hit worst by Hurricane Katrina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would say that Laila, Barry, and Rachel
knew where we were going perfectly and that we never got lost, but I was told
these blog posts were supposed to be honest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
our tour, we returned to the house, where we settled into our rooms and
prepared for Shabbat. With the beautiful weather and surroundings, there was an
enormous amount of Shabbat spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
sang as we walked over to the neighboring synagogue, where we davened kabalat
Shabbat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The synagogue was not quite the
most lively or well-attended, but the Rabbi (who might as well have had his bar
mitzvah last weekend) was very welcoming and we brought a lot of spirit to the Sephardic
sanctuary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After services, we ate dinner
at the synagogue, and then we had some free time before we said our laila tovs
and went to sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next morning, we woke up, had our delicious breakfasts,
and went back to the synagogue for morning services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then after lunch, we went back to the house
for some free time where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful
weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of us talked outside and
played hacky sack, while others worked on their tans for Prom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Toward the end of the free time, a few of us
went on a run around downtown New Orleans, which was a great way to explore the
city. Next, the whole group went on a walk through an interesting neighborhood
which had beautiful homes and gardens, and also contained a unique
cemetery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
returned to the synagogue for Minchah services, and then we walked over to the
Rabbi’s home where we enjoyed a delicious se’udat Shlishit with joyful
zmirot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a spirited havdalah
(Debbie Friedman style), we walked back to the house, changed into our post-shabbat
clothing, and went out for ice cream and desserts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall, we had a great, relaxing Shabbat in
New Orleans and a great start to our trip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Jeremy Jick<o:p></o:p></span></div>Lailahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07472590271001741531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-57435049761065113752011-03-31T21:47:00.000-07:002011-03-31T21:49:21.511-07:00Katrina Voices Retold<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">There exists no word that single-handedly describes the sights we have seen, the stories we have heard and most of all the people we have met. Hurricane Katrina was a devastation that claimed the lives and houses of many of the citizens in the Ninth Ward. The trip started off with cleaning up previously owned and presently destroyed property in the Ninth Ward. Although once the location of a house, this land presently looks like a deserted and trashed field. Our first discovery was a dog skeleton covered by dirt and weeds. Next, we found a picture of a young girl that was ripped and hidden under a tree. Even almost 6 years later, the land was still covered in shells from the flooding and looked as though it had not been touched. As we walked further, we uncovered scattered dolls, teddy bears, baby’s shoes, bandanas, cooking spray, food, and shattered plates. These discoveries triggered the reality of the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Throughout the week, we worked on a home for Elaine Butler, elderly woman with health problems. Elaine’s life before the storm was beautiful and pleasant, yet Hurricane Katrina ripped this apart when her beloved home was ravaged by more than twenty feet of water taking with it her brothers, her home, and all of her belongings. Elaine evacuated to Atlanta when Katrina hit but her two brothers decided to wait out the storm and were unable to survive. Her younger brother drowned and was found down a block from her house. Her older brother went to the Convention Center and supposedly drowned there, yet this seems conspicuous to Elaine because the Convention Center had no water. Elaine lived in her residence with her brothers which brought them closer. She could not bring herself to return to New Orleans for almost three years. Eventually, Elaine followed her family back to St. Bernard because it holds the roots, history and memories of her family. Unfortunately, Elaine’s journey back to New Orleans didn’t go smoothly. When she applied for the Road Home Program to receive money to rebuild, she was turned down after someone else claimed the address of the house that she legally owned. For years Elaine has been forced to wander around ever since her return to New Orleans. She has lived in a trailer in a parking lot and then was quickly forced out. She was then placed in an apartment that is difficult for her to get upstairs to bed or to shower due to her numerous health problems. She suffers from arthritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and two knees which have both been operated on causing her to not be able to walk upstairs. These health problems prevent Elaine from working and Social Security and Disability income don’t provide her with enough money to create a livable home. She credits us, the volunteers, for saving her life. <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The most amazing part of the trip was hearing the personal stories, the people that make up this amazing city. We had the pleasure of hearing James’ story, a worker at the Annunciation Church. Listening first hand to someone who had lived through the horror of the hurricane and now still lives in New Orleans with a smile on his face everyday was truly incredible. He lost five of his seven best friends from thirteen feet of flooding in his house. He went out to rescue survivors and tried to save babies floating in the water. The stories that he told sounded more like horror movies than reality, but this was his living reality. He explained that we, the volunteers, keep him going and alive. Everyday, he comes to work with a smile on his face because of us. He waits up for volunteer groups to come home because he knows that we bring not only physical help to New Orleans, but we represent hope. His words brought tears to our eyes and he really brought us to understand the meaning of this trip. We are here to do more than just build houses, we are here to rebuild lives. This experience has been unforgettable and we hope to return here in the future to continue rebuilding lives. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">--Sarah and Aliza</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Today was the most memorable experience of my life.<span style=""> </span>Although we only met a simple and down to earth woman, she changed my outlook on life drastically.<span style=""> </span>While Elizabeth wasn’t directly affected by Hurricane Katrina she was in fact affected by the crime and poverty that came due to the harsh flooding.<span style=""> </span>Elizabeth openly shared her tragic life story with us.<span style=""> </span>Just a few years ago, her 18 year old daughter was shot and murdered and she was shot in the face.<span style=""> </span>Worst of all, her husband was the murderer.<span style=""> </span>She came to Saint Bernard Project for mental help.<span style=""> </span>Even though she was in this horrible slump in her life, she described that “they held her hand until she was back on her feet and in a stable position.”<span style=""> </span>Volunteers were sent to help her physically rebuild her home but they also had an effect on her mental well being. Not only was she so open about her experiences, but she was the most welcoming, cheery, and outgoing woman I have ever met. She brought southern hospitality to another level.<span style=""> </span>She invited us into her home and showed us pictures and memories of her beloved daughter.<span style=""> </span>She spoke of the volunteers she’d met so highly, as if they were truly her closest family.<span style=""> </span>She told us a short story about how this one volunteer worked for two straight days repairing the bullet whole in the wall.<span style=""> </span>This volunteer has and will stay in her heart for the rest of her life because every morning she walks by and touches the place where the bullet pierced the wall.<span style=""> </span>This just showed me how amazing and important our actions are.<span style=""> </span>We bring hope and life to these people.<span style=""> </span>We brighten their souls and keep them living.<span style=""> </span>The most amazing thing about Elizabeth was her personality.<span style=""> </span>Despite this horrific experience, she was able to bounce back and be the most joyful person. She appreciates everything in life and couldn’t stop exclaiming her love for us.<span style=""> </span>I will never forget her story and her inspiring words.<span style=""> </span>She is my hero.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">--Maddie</p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-45748481047249521672011-03-31T05:30:00.000-07:002011-03-31T05:32:41.377-07:00How a Katrina Victim Gives Back<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Today while we were working on installing a window frame at Mary Lang’s house, we were called into the main entrance for a short meeting. We soon met a man named Thomas. Thomas was there to thank us for the volunteer work we have been doing. He is a resident of New Orleans and his house was the 60<sup>th</sup> house to be rebuilt under the St. Bernard Project. This showed us what an impact the St. Bernard Project has on people’s lives considering they are now on over their 350<sup>th</sup> house and this man was still going around thanking people for their work. He told us that even though New Orleans has changed, he is still able to call it his home and it is because of the work that volunteers like us do. This really made us think about how we are not simply just building a house and trying to make it look nice for the person that is going to move in. We are creating a home and a neighborhood where families can be reunited and feel comfortable under one roof even after having such destruction and disaster in their lives. These houses are also here to rebuild generations of families to come in the future.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Hannah and Danielle </p>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-90626187092627876702011-03-29T20:58:00.000-07:002011-03-29T20:59:27.625-07:00A Day of Stories<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>“Y’all are the ones that keep me going. Without volunteers like you, I don’t know what would have happened to me. Thank you for saving my life.”</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>-James, from the Annunciation Mission</i><br /></p> <div style="border-style: none none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color windowtext; border-width: medium medium 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;">Tuesday was a day filled with intense stories and hard work. Over the next couple of days you will hear about some of the stories: a stranger offering to buy snacks for the group as a thank you; two high school seniors talk about why they decided to do their senior internship in New Orleans; personal accounts of people who both evacuated and remained during Katrina. Feel free to leave a comment.</p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal">When I woke up, I was skeptical about going back to work. I wasn’t physically ready nor did I mentally prepare myself for a full-day’s work. After a forty-five minute car ride to our site, I was more awake only until I had to spackle again- I would do anything to try to avoid putting mud on the ceiling (although the main reason was because of my height). Finally it was lunch! I couldn’t wait to get to the store to buy my (kosher) mac and cheese. After our lunch and our daily trip to Winn Dixie, I was excited to get back to work. I decided that the only way to get myself to work was to enter my own little world and jam out to music on my iPod. I ended up working in the bathroom for three hours by myself. I sanded all of the walls and I spackled the closet and the windowsill. Before I realized it, it was almost time to clean up for the day. Now that I look back at the day, I am very proud of all the work that was completed. Even though preparing the walls for paint is not very exciting, we’ve come to realize the work that all of us have been doing down here with the St. Bernard Project is highly rewarding and necessary. This is work that needs to get done and will bring the homeowner one step closer to coming home. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Later that night, everything became more real for me. As I was hanging out with the other people on the trip, multiple people were coming upstairs to tell us that one of the guys who works at the church, James, was sharing his personal experience about living through Hurricane Katrina. When I went downstairs, I was surprised to see 40 people sitting in a circle and listening to his story silently. I was so moved by his story. He told us all of the details ranging from: when the storm first hit he used air mattresses as a raft to rescue people to the terrors he witnessed in the Superdome to his experiences living in Alabama to his eventual reconnection with his daughter(3 months later) and his mother(1 year later) to the daily mental battles inside his head and to the heart warming generosity of strangers- so generous that when he returned to New Orleans with a sign on his car, people stopped him to give him money. He then ended his story with a “thank you”. After listening to his story, I now know that we are not only just rebuilding New Orleans. We are rebuilding people’s lives. Every little thing counts. I am glad to be a part of this incredible trip.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Briana</p>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-71648071904769192262011-03-28T20:51:00.000-07:002011-03-29T20:58:25.968-07:00The Quality of Work<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>“Don’t do the work as if it is for you or your parents. When we do work for ourselves we are more likely to cut corners or live without perfection. Instead, work as if it is your grandparents’ house. You would want your grandparents’ house to be done perfectly.”</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>-Dan, Co-Founder St. Bernard Project</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Today we began our first full day of volunteer work, rebuilding homes in St. Bernard’s Parish.<span style=""> </span>St. Bernard’s Parish was severely affected by the breached levee, resulting in many displaced families and 100% of the homes were uninhabitable after the flooding- some areas were under as much as 22ft of water.<span style=""> </span>Our group of six Gann students worked on the home of a family who recently lost one son, and the father and second son are bedridden with illness. This leaves the mother as the primary caregiver and breadwinner of the family.<span style=""> </span>Clearly there is a problem and we are doing our best to help this family out by giving the women a healthy place to rehabilitate her family.<span style=""> </span>Our task was to “mud” the walls, which in the Northeast is known as spackling.<span style=""> </span>We put plaster over the cracks in the drywall in order to have the walls appear smooth and seamless.<span style=""> </span>In order to make the house look professionally done, we needed to pay attention to all the small details and make sure we gave it our all when doing construction.<span style=""> </span>We realized that every small detail counts, and that it is extremely important to make the house look professional. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Next door to the house we were working on was an abandoned one story house. Complete with boarded windows and obvious water damage, the house made a couple members of our team realize how much work really needed to be done, and how many houses still hadn’t been touched 5 ½ years later. The neighborhood of the house we were working on was comprised of approximately half abandoned and damaged homes, while the other half were inhabited.<span style=""> </span>Throughout the work day, there was a scarce amount of people.<span style=""> </span>However, as we began cleaning up, the neighborhood began to fill up with people as kids got off their school buses and residents came back from work.<span style=""> </span>At one point, a few of us were sitting outside and suddenly heard a trumpet.<span style=""> </span>However, we were unsure of where it was coming from.<span style=""> </span>Shortly after hearing the music, we looked up to see a group of teenagers walking down the street with one of them playing the trumpet like a young Louis Armstrong.<span style=""> </span>It was a striking image because it was so out of the ordinary and the boy seemed so comfortable playing it through the streets.<span style=""> </span>It gave the neighborhood a homey feel and really showed that the people living in that area were optimistic and clearly are enjoying themselves despite being in such a trauma stricken place.<span style=""> </span>This day was very powerful, and we truly got a chance to help out and make a difference. We also got a firsthand view of the types of houses that were affected. We look forward to finishing our “mudding” and hopefully beginning to prime and paint the walls! </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">-Sloane & Matt<br /></p>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-21993980146277317042011-03-27T21:14:00.000-07:002011-03-27T21:17:27.597-07:00Day 3<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""></span>Today marked the first day of physical labor. Starting at 12, we worked with a volunteer group, lowernine.org to clean up an area in the Lower Ninth Ward, a place that was especially hurt by Hurricane Katrina. Nothing but the concrete foundations were left in many of the houses in this area. We got to see first hand what people had lost. Although many of the objects we picked up were just trash, we also came across many meaningful items such as dolls, pictures, and baby shoes. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""></span>It only took a few minutes after our arrival at the worksite for a man from the neighborhood to pull up and talk to us. He thanked us and told us how important and meaningful our help was to him. After reflecting about his kind words I noticed the impact of our work. Aside from trash we were also told to pick up any rocks that we saw so that they could be used to decorate the garden we were cleaning around. After 4 hours of hard work a massive pile of rocks had been formed next to the garden. At that moment I couldn’t imagine how the volunteer group would ever be able to use all of what we collected to decorate the small garden. Later on though, I noticed that it didn’t really matter whether or not the rocks would be used. What mattered most was that our effort showed the community that people still cared about them and are there to support them, even 6 years after their devastation.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">--Ori</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=""></span>Seeing as this was the first physical work that we would be doing, we were all eager to get started. We found out that this particular day we would only be working in a garden and not actually doing any building, at first, some of our enthusiasm was drained because, to many, this didn’t seem like it would be something as fulfilling and helpful as building a home for someone. However, after we learned a little from one of the LowerNine volunteers about the impact that a community garden would have on this neighborhood and actually saw with our own eyes the physical state that the community was in, our perspectives began to change. We started to understand how deeply a part of their society the concept of a local community was to the people, and once the hurricane hit, it created a lot of strain and struggle to keep these communities intact. Because the flooding left these people with little, creating (or even beginning to create) a communal aesthetic area for the people to enjoy began to seem almost as meaningful as building an actual home, especially since it would be aiding an entire neighborhood as apposed to just a family. <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Another thing we learned was how much local produce and eating fresh means to the people of New Orleans. As I was hosing freshly planted dirt mounds of corn, the man who was working with us explained to me that in about two months, these mounds would become a harvestable crop. As he told me this, I realized that besides the aesthetic value that this garden would contain, it too would be a fresh source of food for the community to enjoy. Though I knew I was just doing a small piece of a much larger project, I really had a deep, yet unexpected sense of fulfillment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">--Ben </p>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-53938427753775054742011-03-25T15:00:00.001-07:002011-03-25T15:10:12.747-07:002011-Year 5<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->We’re back! A year has passed and Gann is once again in New Orleans on a service trip. This year we are once again teaming up with <a href="http://lowernine.org">lowernine.org</a> and <a href="http://stbernardproject.org">St. Bernard Project</a>. After meeting at the airport bright and early today, we had an easy travel experience with JetBlue and Enterprise. And what do you know, Danny Ainge, of the Boston Celtics, was there “waiting to greet us”. Ainge was nice enough to take a group picture!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XuF8IDazjlU/TY0REWnK4PI/AAAAAAAAAHY/OFU8v0U70DE/s1600/Group%2Bwith%2BDanny%2BAinge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XuF8IDazjlU/TY0REWnK4PI/AAAAAAAAAHY/OFU8v0U70DE/s320/Group%2Bwith%2BDanny%2BAinge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588141479123673330" border="0" /></a>We loaded up the vans and headed out to learn a little more about the city. The group took a short driving tour of the area and was able to see the how the storm affected different areas. We ended in the lower ninth ward where we were able to see just how devastating the flooding was in this area. It is hard to envision though. Where there once was a house is now an empty lot of grass with a rectangular concrete base. <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ewTGWA7fPWE/TY0Rgy27XvI/AAAAAAAAAHg/dKJmRCYPqdI/s1600/9th%2BWard%2BSlab2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ewTGWA7fPWE/TY0Rgy27XvI/AAAAAAAAAHg/dKJmRCYPqdI/s320/9th%2BWard%2BSlab2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588141967742295794" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">What once was neighborhoods filled with houses now looks like a housing development just getting started- a housing development though that does not build at anywhere near the pace that we are used to seeing in the New England suburbs.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We also got to spend some time at the levees of the industrial canal that burst open destroying the area. We will have an opportunity to learn more about the levees later in the week. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now it is time to transition into Shabbat. We are excited to spend the weekend with Shir Chadash. They are a beautiful community and have opened their doors to volunteers. While we won’t stay at their synagogue the entire week, the work that they are doing has made it easier for Jewish organizations to volunteer in the area.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Shabbat Shalom</p>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-18960082676652477322011-03-24T12:00:00.000-07:002011-03-24T12:00:08.091-07:00WelcomeIt's Wednesday night; we are leaving on Friday for New Orleans. Today we had our last meeting at school, where we talked about what to pack, what to wear, where we're staying, where we're going, and even what we're eating. And then we got yet another form to fill out...for this one we even need witnesses!<br /><br />I am amazed and thrilled at how our fundraising efforts turned out; as a group of 21 people we set out to raise $2000 to donate to <a href="http://stbernardproject.org">St. Bernard Project</a> -- and with money still trickling in we've raised nearly double that amount ($3,900 and counting) for the organization we'll be spending most of our time helping people get back in their homes. It was hard to "get going" on the fundraising piece, but once things kicked into gear we had students going door-to-door, writing letters, sending emails, calling friends and family, and donating items to our online auction. We also had a very successful Dress Down Day, which gave the entire Gann community a chance to help out. Like many people, I've been watching the news a lot recently, following what's happening in the aftermath of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. So many people from around the world are sending money and other forms of support to Japan right now -- and I can't stop thinking about New Orleans. I feel like a lot of people have "moved on" from Hurricane Katrina, while residents of the City of New Orleans certainly have not. They can not. And while I've participated in a variety of community service projects and fundraising drives to help humankind around the world, I am so glad to be a part of this particular trip that will help my fellow Americans. <br /><br />Last night, I had a conversation with my friend's 13-year-old daughter. I told her that I didn't know if I had a lot of ability to help build a house. She said, "Well, don't you know how to use a hammer?!" I laughed and realized that she had (excuse the pun) hit the nail on the head: We are traveling as a group of people with various abilities, strengths, and talents -- but together we'll use the tools we have to help repair one little corner of the world. NOLA, here we come!<br /><br />Ms. GellerJoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-1838273884828252011-02-16T10:29:00.000-08:002011-03-11T13:53:11.611-08:00Support St. Bernard Project<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Help us Help Them:<br />Student Run Auction to Support the St. Bernard Project</span><br /><br />Check out our 4 great auction items:<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Auctions end at 1pm on March 17th </span><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />Auction extended due to new item</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NEW ITEM FOR BID!!!!! Red Sox-Yankees Tickets!!</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://gannnola.blogspot.com/p/red-sox-yankees-tickets-auction.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></a><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://gannnola.blogspot.com/p/red-sox-yankees-tickets-auction.html"><span style="font-size:130%;">Click here to bid on the Red Sox-Yankees Tickets</span></a></li><li><a href="http://gannnola.blogspot.com/p/boston-celtics-vs-philadelphia-76ers.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Click here to bid on the Celtics Tickets</span></span></a></li><li><a href="http://gannnola.blogspot.com/p/kaplan-sat-or-act-prep-course.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Click here to bid on the Kaplan Course</span></span></a></li><li><a href="http://gannnola.blogspot.com/p/new-england-patriots-celebrity.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Click here to bid on the Patriots Basketball Team tickets</span></span></a></li></ul></div>or<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://gannnola.blogspot.com/p/support-st-bernard-project.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Click here to make a donation</span></span></a><br /><br />Thank you for supporting the St. Bernard Project. A group of Gann Academy students and faculty members are traveling to New Orleans in late March to build and re-build homes of families who are still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina. We're hosting an online auction to raise money for the organization we'll be working with, the St. Bernard Project, which as already built 352 homes with 31,000 volunteers.<br /><br />2011 marks the fifth service trip Gann has taken to New Orleans. With thousands of residents still displaced, our group is dedicate to raising money to help bring these residents closer to returning home. Please bid on the items below, and/or consider pledging a donation to support the St. Bernard Project's efforts. Please note that all the money raised will go directly to this <a href="http://www.stbernardproject.org/">organization</a>.<br /><br />Thank YouJoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-79148794430901106532011-02-14T08:14:00.000-08:002011-02-17T08:17:43.003-08:00St. Bernard Project Costs to RebuildThis is how donations can help:<br /><br />$40 Funds a session at CWMH<br />$100 Buys 2 cordless drills<br />$250 buys a bathtub<br />$500 buys flooring for 2 rooms<br />$1000 buys a week's worth of sessions at CWMH<br />$5000 buys a used pickup truck to transport materials<br />$15000 building materials for one house<br /><br /><a href="http://gannnola.blogspot.com/2011/02/support-st-bernard-project.html">Make a pledge or participate in our online auction!</a>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-31768313575376512622011-02-11T06:24:00.000-08:002011-02-17T06:25:01.485-08:00NOLA 2011Gann Academy students are once again heading down to New Orleans in March. For the fifth year, students and faculty will volunteer in the New Orleans community to help rebuild homes and learn about the continuing problems faced by residents affected by Hurricane Katrina.<br /><br />This year's group will once again work with the St. Bernard Project during their trip. Right now the group is working on fundraising ideas. Stay tuned for ways you can help bring residents closer to returning to their homes!Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-7523772415999247802010-03-26T20:14:00.000-07:002011-02-16T20:16:13.500-08:00Final Thoughts<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> <o:pixelsperinch>72</o:PixelsPerInch> <o:targetscreensize>1024x768</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">As I sat in the car driving home from Logan Airport, I began to process all the powerful experiences that I had been part of. First, I asked myself how it would feel to come to the place where I live and not have a home. When you walk down a street near the convent in which we worked, you see massive devastation. You see total emptiness, an empty school, an empty playground, and empty homes. However, when you look more carefully, you notice the beauty of the neighborhood. As the day goes on more and more people are walking in and out of the church, more and more people are sitting on their porches, and in the middle of all of it, you hear hammering and music. There is absolutely no way you can describe the emotions that I was feeling. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yesterday, our group worked on finishing the demolition of the convent. A few of us finished removing the tile from the first floor while others helped in various demolition work. As a whole, you could see the teamwork and determination throughout the workday.<span style=""> </span>A new group joined us as our numbers increased to over fifty volunteers. During some parts of the day, some people felt overwhelmed. Nonetheless, at lunch, Bridget, our site coordinator, requested that we played a name game. Every single Gann volunteer wanted to continue working. <span style=""> </span>The hardworking mentality really helped us concentrate and focus on our work and we were able to accomplish all goals that we set on ourselves.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At reflecting time, something hit me. It was the last night I would spend in NOLA and I did not want to leave. I think that I can speak for everybody when I say that nobody wanted to leave. We all wanted to stay and do all we could to help fix the devastation. When Mr. Neudel asked the group what was one thing that everybody learned, I thought extremely hard. After hearing the various answers to this, something came to mind. Ms. Reimer mentioned during lunch earlier in the day that by building this community we were building a whole society. Therefore, I thought to myself that what we did this past week was not rebuilding. Rebuilding only applies to tangible items. However, through this community center we were not only rebuilding the actual structure, but also recharging the society and sense of community that was lost with the storm.</p><p class="MsoNormal">-Zach S.<br /></p>Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-64227835305004944002010-03-23T21:52:00.002-07:002010-03-23T21:53:00.032-07:00Reflecting on Our TripI have always looked forward to Exploration week because I knew I would go on a trip that included flying somewhere. It first started with the Civil Rights Journey/Rock and Roll trip. Then I was a junior and I knew I wanted to go to New Orleans to help rebuild. The first flight of the New Orleans trip was to Chicago. I couldn’t wait for the second flight to New Orleans (it was longer). After my week of hard work, I was dreading the flight home. For me, that was an odd feeling because I did not want to leave. Now it is senior year and once again I was accepted to New Orleans. This year was different. I couldn’t wait for the trip, not because of the flying, but because I wanted to help as soon as I possibly could. As I sit here on Tuesday, having one more day of working left, once again I am dreading the flight home. This time, being here is more special than last year was. I was more willing to do anything that the organizations needed me to do. <br />We arrived in New Orleans Thursday evening. Wake up the next morning was at 6:15 and I can tell you now that everyone cringed as Mr. Neudel said that. The group was going to start to work for the Lowerninth.org project. The Lower Ninth Ward was one of the worst places hit by Katrina. To shorten the intro to the meaningful story I have is, we worked for a half day on Friday, then had Shabbos at my former Ramah Assistant Director’s Temple. Chatted it up there then came back to hostile. On Sunday, Yael, Molly, and I were assigned to paint part of a house. As we were painting, a little boy about five year’s old, name Dwayne was riding a bike. Before he came, I took off my hat so it would be easier for me to paint. As Dwayne comes along, he notices my hat. I turn my back for a second and I notice that it wasn’t where I put it down, that’s because Dwayne had taken it (he liked the colors). I asked him if he had a hat like that, his response to it was, “I don’t have a hat.” If you know me, you know that I love hats, more than anyone. Hearing that just broke me down inside. A little boy like him deserves a hat. After a moment of thinking, I decided to ask Dwayne if he wanted my hat. He couldn’t believe it! I gave him the hat and watched him ride off to the birthday party he was going to. A boy like Dwayne doesn’t even have his own hat, something that most little boys have. He needed that hat. As the end of the trip is here and as my life goes on, I know that Dwayne will always have that hat, and I will remember him for the rest of my life. I promised myself that I would come down to New Orleans again, but with some gifts to give out: some hats and also some bikes. Dwayne was riding a bike that was not his. Dwayne will be my motivation to do all that I can to help the city of New Orleans. <br /><br />-Mike H.<br /><br />Before I came down to New Orleans I don’t think I fully realized the extent of the damage Hurricane Katrina caused here. Sure, you see the pictures, but until you really put the faces to the place, it doesn’t seem real. You see the water above people’s roofs, but you think “oh, it will go down and everything will go back to normal.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. It is five years later, and you still drive past plots upon plots of empty land, on some of which you can still see the concrete slabs where houses, and more importantly people, used to reside. We have been working for the past couple of days on cleaning out a convent in order to turn it into a community center, and while doing so we have been doing everything from bagging clothes and books to ripping up tile to using sledge hammers to knock down walls. On the first morning, Monday, I was working in the dumpster with a couple of other kids trying to pack everything in as tightly as possible. While we were doing this, we came across bags of old clothes and files with students’ names on them. It really set in on me then that these were people’s lives we were throwing away. Imagine not having your favorite childhood blanket or stuffed animal or even something as simple as a book that you used to read all the time. We might just look at it as just another step in the demolition process, but the people who had used this building we were working on before the storm viewed it as a place they could feel safe; a place to call a home away from home. We were throwing away people’s lives. Now the building is way emptier than it was when we got there Monday morning, which I guess is a good thing because it means we are one day closer to rebuilding and giving the people of this neighborhood a place to create new memories, but it is also one more step away from the lives they used to have here. This is a city which is still much in need of our help, not somewhere to be forgotten because it is not the most recent disaster. Every time someone drives by and either waves or honks you can see that they really appreciate that people are here to help, but it’s not even about that. I didn’t come down here to be thanked; I came to try to help those who aren’t necessarily as fortunate as myself and to let them know that people still care.<br /><br />-Hillary D.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7596675396737915419.post-70210261460878614582010-03-22T22:03:00.000-07:002010-03-22T22:09:20.759-07:00Working with St Bernard ProjectToday we began our work with the St. Bernard Project. The 21 (18 kids, 3 teachers) of us split into 2 groups: one had Mr. Neudel and 7 kids who sanded and spackled the interior of the home (Site A) while the other group, featuring Brian Infante and Ziva Reimer with 11 members of the Gann Workforce, went to a home to clear debris left from the flood (Site B). <br /><br />Site A<br /><br />Our site supervisor, Julia, was a woman who is on her second tour with St Bernard Project, this time for nearly 10 months. Julia gave very detailed demonstrations for us to learn the skills necessary to fulfill the appropriate tasks. As she taught us what to do, she expressed her need for perfection in everything we do. It was truly shocking how deeply this woman wanted perfection even though she will be disconnected from the end result. She really wanted us to build this home as if it were our own. After all, why should the hurricane Katrina victims get anything less?<br />Right next to the home we worked in was a concrete slab that was once the foundation of a home standing before the effects of Hurricane Katrina. During our lunch break, the entire group sat on this slab to eat our food. We talked, we laughed, and we ate on the only remains of the home. There was something odd about us having such a great time on foundation that a family lived in just 5 years ago. <br />In the middle of our working on site, a representative of the homeowners stopped by. In the 10 minutes that he was on site, we learned his story and how he managed to survive the flooding. But what really meant a lot to me was his gratitude. He continuously thanked us from the minute he walked through the door. His expression of thanks was so powerful. It really showed that the work that we are doing is really needed and any work that is done is greatly appreciated.<br /><br />Ben K. and the Flooring Team<br /><br />Site B<br /><br /> The rest of the Gann volunteers travelled across the Industrial Canal to the Upper Ninth Ward to work on the demolition of what was once a convent and a community center, behind (and run by) the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and the St. Mary of the Angels Church. This was the first day that anyone worked on the building, and the group arrived to what seemed like the impossible task of clearing the entire building of all debris, trash, old toys, and other destroyed objects that at one time enriched the lives of the youth of Orleans Parish. In conjunction with a group from Middlebury College of Vermont, the site supervisors, and a community member named Agila, the Gann students cleared the entire building of the vast majority of trash and other obstructions in close to two hours. The students were instructed to set aside all copper and aluminum waste so that Agila could sell it to pay for the dumpster. <br /> After clearing the trash from the first floor, some students got to work on the demolition part of the job. While Brian I. and some students got some exercise carrying computers and whatnot downstairs to the dumpster, Jon S. quickly discovered his affinity for smashing doorframes and other structural framework with an ax (until he broke that and switched to a sledge hammer). Aaron G. spent much time on a ladder taking out electrical wiring and metal framing from above. Hilary, Sivan, and Abby spent time talking to Father Joe, the man who runs the church and initiated contact with the St. Bernard Project. Father Joe took good care of the volunteers during the day, bringing candy and energy bars for the workers right when they needed energy the most.<br /> After lunch, Zach, Yael, and Miriam began the task of removing the tile from the first floor. The threesome removed nearly half of the first room’s tile in record time, leaving the rest of the job for day 2.<br /> The crew wrapped up the day with a short reflection with the site supervisors and acknowledging those who had done exceedingly good work during the day, which was nearly the entire Gann group. The kids in the demolition group greatly enjoyed their first day of work and eagerly anticipate a second day of demolishing the former convent.<br /><br />Jon S. and the Demolition crew.Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17891386188323852212noreply@blogger.com0