It’s dark and snowing here in Schenectady which is only adding to my anticipation to leave here and arrive in the Big Easy tomorrow afternoon. Over the course of these past few days I have certainly learned a lot from our group discussions about Hurricane Katrina and its impact on society. The readings and discussions have really encouraged me to go and help with the recovery process and I’m sure that witnessing the damaged areas and meeting the victims firsthand will provide me with an even better picture of current conditions. In addition to the discussions, the workshop about using power tools was certainly very helpful. Having no prior experience using utility knives and saws, I feel much more confident now about my ability to go and rebuild houses and other structures. I think our group has really begun to bond and work as a team over the last few days. The most evident example of teamwork can be seen in the daily preparation of dinner because each member contributes to the meal by doing his part. Each night, the groups have all communicated well and divided up the work equally and the dinners have thus been successful. These group skills will certainly be useful next week when we are all working together on construction projects. On a final note, I can’t wait to go down to NOLA and begin helping out! I can already tell that this will be an important and rewarding experience and look forward to doing my part.