Today was by far the most stressful day of our trip. We ran into a lot of problems at our work site that we were not at all prepared for. Going in, we knew that the house may have not been cared for properly, and that unsanitary conditions might exist. However, based on the failure of our action plan, it became clear that none of us were expecting the condition of the house to be as bad as it was. We realized that trying to fix different parts of the house that were clearly in bad shape, like a few boards on the wheelchair ramp, insulation under the house, and a floor tile would be like trying to cure the symptoms of a disease without trying to cure the disease itself. What we found was vermin infestation, mold, and bad jobs that would have to have been completely redone. In all honesty, however, I feel like the way that we confronted the problems was worse than the actual problems themselves. From the get-go there should have been communication about the possibility that houses might be in such severe conditions, and what we might do if we encountered such conditions.

I couldn’t help but thinking, at least in this case, we were committing some pretty blatant “voluntourism,” in which we came to “help” people we knew were in need, but did not prepare ourselves or do enough research to actually be able to have any impact. I began to wonder: wouldn’t it have been better for us to use all the money we spent on air fare for 17 of us on fixing up this persons house? Part of me still thinks that that would have been more effective. The only thing that I can tell myself to justify the way we did it is that maybe, after learning all we have on this trip, we will each go out in the world thinking more about how our actions, and the careers we choose, effect other people and society in general.

In the end, we had to face our situation and simply finish the small jobs that we had started; we just didn’t have the resources to completely tear apart and rebuild the entire floor. I can only hope that the Dulac Community Center will one day have the resources and volunteers to do so.

One thing I learned today is the importance of swallowing our pride and admitting the fact that we really have no idea what we are doing, and being honest with ourselves about the conditions of things and what we can really accomplish. Like at the house today, nothing can get done if we had not assessed the severity of the situation. However, it was just as important for us to remain positive in the face of the impossible, and do what we could with all that we had.

The few days we have spent here in Dulac, LA have been so incredibly different than those that we spent in New Orleans. The most obvious difference is the landscape; it is as though you can see for miles across the fields and wetlands, dotted by houses sitting on stilts, infrastructure of the oil industry, and multitudes of boats (some of which appear to have been abandoned in the water decades ago). We learned more about Dulac when we met the coordinator at the Dulac community center, where we are staying. She told us about the struggles of the people here, and the efforts of the community center and thousands of volunteers who come here yearly to help ease their blight. The man that we helped that day was disabled and basically abandoned by his family. Though he lived with a partner, it was clear that they struggled to provide for themselves and take care of their home. Seeing the conditions they lived in, and talking to them about the difficulties they faced was by far the most difficult experience I have had so far on this trip. It was just so hard to see two people, who so clearly needed help from others, be left on their own to struggle with poverty, abandonment, and depression. Their hopes of leaving Dulac further emphasized the feelings that they (and many others) seem to have towards this struggling community. However, with the efforts of the Dulac Community Center, it certainly seems that there are people working to change it for the better.

Today was by far my favorite day of this Miniterm. We woke up early and piled into the van to make a two hour trip to Port Fourchon. When we arrived, we were greeted by members of BTNEP, a non-profit group working to restore the Barataria-Terrebonne wetlands. We boated to a sand bar, where we spent the day planting various types of native trees, such as Live Oak and Black Mangrove. Working in the wetlands was such a wonderful experience because of the beautiful scenery and wildlife that surrounded us. After we planted the 1,000 trees, we boated for a while around the area. It was amazing to see that scenes of pristine wildlife, such as a flock of hundreds of pelicans flying through the air, was just a short boat ride away from a refueling site for large oil vessels. It reminded me of a lot that we have seen in Louisiana; two things that so obviously contradict one another existing side by side, with no one saying or doing much about it.

Today was our last day working on a house with Pheonix of New Orleans. On Monday, we walked into a house that had been gutted because flood water had caused it’s insides to mold after Katrina. Today, we left a house that had all new drywall. It was really starting to look like a place someone would call home. Actually, that someone would be Sergent Johnson, who we met earlier this week. He seemed extremely happy with what we had done for him, and had a lot of wisdom to offer about positive thinking and having faith. Coincidentally, the lessons that he had for us rang true with much of what we have learned about this week; despite their circumstances, the people of New Orleans are some of the most hopeful and positive people I have ever met. After each person told us their story, be it waiting out the hurricane because their husband couldn’t leave work, post-Katrina issues of domestic violence, not seeing any meaningful change in the corrupt governing forces, or other issues such as wetland devastation and the oil spill, they would always, without fail, go back to something like “but I would never leave New Orleans because…” In other words, no matter how many forces working against New Orleans exist, people always seem to think that staying would outweigh leaving. They all seem to be saying and living the idea that New Orleans just isn’t like anywhere else. I could only hope to feel so passionate about my community! I think it is wonderful that people here are so open with one another and really value togetherness and just having a good time. I think the people of New Orleans, maybe because they have had to face so many hardships, are really a people that we can learn a lot from.

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!