We’ve had an interesting week so far in Dulac/Houma.

For one, it has rained more than I’ve ever thought was possible. There was even one day that we didn’t go in to work on the houses until the afternoon due to flooding.

 We arrived at the Dulac Community Center on Friday night after a rainy drive from New Orleans. We got settled in and in the morning we went over to the warehouse in Houma to meet Jim, our supervisor. We were divided into two groups and my group went to a house nearby which still needed a lot of work done. I worked on insulation with a few others, while the rest of the group started to hang dry wall on the ceiling. We were glad to have the opportunity, right from the first day, to meet the couple who would be moving back into the house. They are both part of the Houma tribe, and it was nice to finally meet a couple of Houma’s, since we had read about them. They were a very nice couple, and we felt their need to move in before Christmas, and I think that motivated us to work as efficiently as possible.

On our second day working on the house, we found out that all of the insulation that we had done so far (which covered most of the house) was done incorrectly, although it had already been approved. We were worried that the improper insulation would cause problems in terms of heating/cooling but Jim claimed that it would be fine.

Today we got a lot of work done and only have a few more rooms to cover with dry wall so we are hoping to get as much done tomorrow (our last day in the house) as possible. Friday we will be heading back to New Orleans for a few more days before heading home.

 This past Sunday, we took a break from working on houses, and drove two hours to Port Fourchon, where we worked with BTNEP. As we got closer to our destination, we were struck by the landscape around us. There was so much water, fog, and grayness on both sides of the road we were driving on, and as we drove over bridges we saw roads once in use that simple ended in the middle of no where. It seemed like something you would see in a fantasy movie, and even the pictures that we took don’t capture what is there in its entirety.

After signing a waiver, learning a little more about coastal erosion, and covering our selves with bug spray, we all jumped on the boats and headed out to the mile long piece of land on which we spent the day planting. While it was exhausting and tedious, it made us think about how much work it requires to save land like that. What strikes me most is that in that area, a football field of land is lost every 38 minutes. Also, as exhausted as we were at the end of that day, I had to remind my self that the guys we were working with have dedicated themselves to this cause and they go out and plant like that quite often. It was interesting to meet people who are directly affected by the land loss. Inspite of all of the bug bites, it was worth going out there and seeing an area VERY different from anything I have ever seen, and learning more about coastal erosion and land loss in this area.

This evening we met Jamie, the director of the Dulac Community Center, and she talked to us about the Houma tribe and a little bit about her life. Her baby was adorable and her talk was interesting as well. It was painful to see that she was so dedicated to giving to her community, and yet it was so hard to get funding and to make sure that everyone was getting what they need. We were all frustrated by the fact that we were not working directly in Dulac but rather in Houma and in Golden Meadow (an hour and a half away).

In our time here, we have learned a lot about some of the frustrations and obstacles a volunteer might encounter. Back in New Orleans, one morning before going to work we were informed that someone had broken into the PNOLA warehouse and stolen a lot of the tools and resources. This set us back as well but we eventually went into work, later on in the day. Here in Dulac, we had the issues with the insulation, as well as a delay due to flooding. We’ve been doing our best to continue keeping a positive attitude as a group and reinforcing eachother in order to make sure that we can keep giving our all while we are here volunteering.

I hope our last day and a half in Dulac will be fun and rain-free! I’m also looking forward to going back to New Orleans for our last project and enjoying our last few days together!