I can’t believe we’ve already been here for a week! This trip has been more amazing than I could have ever imagined it to be. Starting with my work on Miss Frank’s house; we worked here for 3 1/2 days and laid down almost 4 layers of flooring for the entire house. Our group worked so well together and had so much fun it didn’t even seem like work. The experience was much more meaningful for me when we got to meet Miss Frank and hear her story and experiences with the storm. She was so appreciative and excited to finally have her son and her grandchildren living with her again that it made our hard work so worthwhile. The playground build was definitely the best thing we have done. We transformed an empty school yard into a huge playground that is going to impact the lives of children for years to come. Just seeing the excitement on the children’s faces proved what an amazing thing we were doing. The tour Jim gave of us of the Lower Ninth Ward was unexplainable. It was hard for me to describe the scene to my friends and family who I talked to afterwards. The area is so desolete and eerie and you can’t even describe the feelings you experience when you witness the area in person. No pictures or descriptions could ever do justice to the devastation that this area still faces. It’s almost impossible to even try to explain it. The tour of the evacuation route at Union Station was informative and interesting to see the steps that the city is taking to avoid the devastating affects that it faced during Katrina. Although the plan worked during Gustav, our tour guide said he was worried that it may not be as effective during the next storm and that is a scary thing. Although we have been working very hard, our group has also found time to have fun and enjoy the city. Bourbon street and Rock N’ Bowl were fun nights that we got to bond and take in what the city has to offer. I can’t believe we have already been here a week and I am not ready to leave! I finally understand why natives of this city don’t move away! This trip has been hard work but also enjoyable and an amazing learning experience. I look forward to doing more work in Dulac and Houma and spending more time with this great group of people!