After returning from Louisiana I can only look back at the experience in a positive light. I must say that beyond meeting a lot of great new people, learning about the culture and history of New Orleans, and contribute to rehabing devastated houses, we, more importantly, all have returned feeling very appreciative of the lives that we have here.
I think the hardest part of returning from the trip has been talking to other people. I feel like I haven’t been able to really explain to family and friends the complete experience I had and how much it affected our group. I can’t help but feel like the entire trip was meant to help us keep in mind more than just our isolated, priveleged lives, but to live with the realities we learned in Louisiana that exist in the world, even in the United States.
I hope that after everything we experienced and learned through the program will stay with me beyond my years at Union. Even if that doesn’t bring me back to New Orleans to provide community service, I want to be able to use what I’ve learned in whatever I do in my life.