As my extremely creative title expresses, I am really looking forward to heading down to Louisiana on Sunday. Thinking about “what is on my mind as we are about to head south” (something we were supposed to address in our first blog entry) is a bit of a struggle because I can’t really pin down any one topic/idea/feeling that is going on in my mind right now. In other words, it is quite difficult to digest and make sense of the great amount of alarming information we have learned about Katrina over the last term, and especially in the last few days.

If I were to summarize my feelings however, I would have to say that I am perplexed. The general message that we have been learning: that Katrina was not a “natural disaster,” but something that could have been prevented, is really unnerving. I almost feel like the whole situation would be so much easier to deal with if this had just been a natural disaster. But knowing that it could have been prevented, and that response could have been dealt with in a way that didn’t leave so many people in shambles, really makes me question things. I guess it’s hard not to have someone or something concrete to ‘blame’ for such a terrible disaster.

I am really happy to be going at this point (so many years after the event) because I am really curious to learn how such an event would be dealt with. So, in going down to New Orleans, I guess what I will be looking for is answers. What were the main forces that caused this to happen? Five years after the hurricane, which issues are the worst? What strategies have worked best to aid and bring relief to the survivors and to the city as a whole?

On another note, from what I have experienced so far, I think the group we have is awesome, and that we have been working really well together. I am so excited to put in some hard work on reconstruction, and experience the food, history, and culture of New Orleans for the first time with all of you!