This has been an interesting first week. One of the most important things I have learned while in NOLA working on Sgt. Johnson’s house was that the perspective of the volunteer is recognized by those who are assisted. It felt like this moment of relief to know that our work was appreciated by him and that we were doing what he expected to his house. I was very happy to meet him and I was energized after he came by his house. Volunteering is one thing and service is another. We were doing a service even though we are voluntourist. We need more people who work to tackle one thing at a time instead of mindlessly working towards no tangible goal for anyone but themselves. I have learned that the city of New Orleans is more intricately complicated than I originally believe. With so much historical tension, corruption, poverty, and under development of many sectors there is no way to truly understand the situation in under a lifetime. I am thankful to have the opportunity to come down here with this group of people.

Week 1 has come to a close in New Orleans, it has been an amazing experience getting to meet both the people of New Orleans as well as those who have traveled from elsewhere to offer their help. I don’t think any amount of training or number of movies watched could have prepared me for the reality of the situation here in New Orleans. It was really rewarding to be able to help out someone who truly needs it, and see the progress made as well. Having never worked on a house before it was really awesome to show myself that I could do it and even that I would love it so much! There is still much more work that needs to be done here, and I seriously doubt that it will ever be truly finished, however I think that each small effort amounts to something great. Southern hospitality is apparent here, for almost everyone I have come across here will go above and beyond to make sure that you are as happy and comfortable as possible, even when thy themselves may have nothing. It is a really admirable way of life and one that has been a breath of fresh air to visit. Also all of the strength, hope, and kindness of those here show that New Orleans is definitely worth the efforts to fix the broken society of this area. The way that society has treated these people is a major problem, and one that should be addressed honestly and fixed, but for now we are doing our best and making a small but worthwhile positive change in one persons life, as well as bringing attention and awareness to the crisis here in New Orleans. This week we will begin working in Dulac, restoring the wetlands and I look forward to making a difference here as best I can!

We are half way through our adventure in Louisiana, having moved to Dulac this morning.  Today I am asking the class to blog their thoughts on two questions:

1. What did you learn this week about the situation here in New Orleans that you didn’t expect or hadn’t thought about or were surprised by?
2. What have you learned this week about service? What kind of volunteers do the groups we’ve worked with need?  How is good service distinguished from just ‘volunteering’?

After yesterday’s restful day of bowling and touring Tulane’s gra school it was back to normal work grind. Heading to the work site was anything but usual today because although the roads hadn’t changed we had. We also knew that this was our last day working on something that was more than a project or just a chore. In addition to the change in our perspective we were also changed because we knew that we were gonna meet dem saints. We got to work and had a small debriefing followed by getting down to business which was slightly interrupted by the camera crews asking us for permission to be filmed. It felt like the Real World New Orleans. We had to work as if the camera wasn’t around which was quite difficult because they would get in the way and then ask for us to redo jobs for the video lol. Soon enough it was almost time to leave when all of a sudden this super clean BENZ rolls up with black 22 inch rims and tinted glass. I was more pleased with the car then the subsequent events. So #41 Harper of the New Orleans Saints hops our the car and his “PR” person hops out his SUV. He sign shirts, papers, anything. As a crowd begins to form the next door neighbor comes outside yelling “WHO DAT?” Most of us were so excited about the football player in our midst that we neglected to respond. She then goes “I know ya’ll heard me say WHO DAT?” and one of us responds a saint. I have never seen some one boogie so fast and get dressed. With the cameras flashing and the “celebrity in our presence I could really see how Kanye West must feel lol. All of the lights was definitely the theme o the day which was followed by a jazz show in the french quarters.

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.

I realize I have not blogged since we got here so:

1st day of work:

After we finished breakfast and cleaned up my group of six loaded up into Jan’s van and headed to PNOLA. We were greeted by one of the two permanent employees of PNOLA, Jen, who oriented us and discussed the work that PNOLA tries and accomplishes for those people who continue to need support five years after hurricane Katrina made landfall. She also informed us that their goal was to have 14 houses built in time for Christmas. I was really surprised by the fact that there are only two members of PNOLA; it just seems that, based on all the work they have accomplished they would have more permanent staff members.

When we arrived at PNOLA, we were also greeted by members of Americorps, three of whom would be joining us later at our work site. The fact that these volunteers, from different parts of the country were giving their time and effort to those affect by Katrina makes them heroes in my eyes. I am strongly considering joining Americorps after I graduate. After introductions had been made, we left to go to the work site and we learned that the owner of the house was a victim of contractor fraud and so the circumstances fit the criteria for PNOLA’s assistance.

The first day at the work site was comprised of clearing out the debris inside the house, installing insulation, and in the remaining time, we begun putting up sheet rock. My favorite part of the job was definitely putting up the sheet rock because, although it is a tedious process, you definitely feel a sense of accomplishment once the sheet rock is up, the walls begin to look more like, well, walls. I was thankful for the help of the PNOLA members, Chris, Taylor and Cane, who assisted us during our work especially since I struggled at first with installing the sheet rock. Once I had installed the first piece, I felt much more comfortable. A lot of my sense of nervousness stemmed from wanting to do a great job. This was someone’s home I was working on and if I was going to work on it, I wanted to make sure I did the best job I could.

The speakers we had that night talked about how the BP oil crisis affected the people of New Orleans and many other areas along the coast. It is still very shocking to hear about how unsafe seafood still is to this day and it’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that our government did so little both in response to Katrina relief and the oil crisis. Someone brought up a good point in the discussion that some Americans think that if it’s not immediately affecting their region of the country then they have no responsibility to help when that is clearly not true. The same thing can be said about the government or corporations, if a disaster does not affect them directly often they show a lack of interest because it may not fit in with their agenda.

The other issue is holding government accountable to some degree for a crisis, whether it is at the national, state or local level; it is so easy to simply say that a natural disaster can not be prevented or is simply too big to help victims after the fact. Katrina has definitely exposed the government’s inability to help communities either through lack of interest or a lack of committing the necessary resources. It is quite obvious that more could have been done before and after Katrina made landfall otherwise we would not be helping out five years later.

That’s all for now, next blog coming soon,

~James Cernik

Since I’ve been slackin on the blogging, I will do a quick recap!

Day 1: It was a slow day. About five hours of sitting and traveling with two transfers (well we didn’t get off the plane but we landed twice). I guess the first day is always the “settle in” day. After traveling for the whole morning, I wanted to get out on the town and do a bit of walking. So, a couple of us went grocery shopping while the other half went walking around the church (Carollton United Methodist Church) neighborhood. We saw a couple of shops and cafes, but only had an hour to walk around.  Nothing too crazy the first night.

Day 2: Our first day of work. We were mostly sheet rocking the house this day. A couple of people worked on insulation, but I sheet rocked with “The Dream Team”- Kirsten, Isaiah, Ruth (an AmeriCorps volunteer) and me! We were working with three AmeriCorps volunteers who have been stationed in New Orleans since September. Our construction boss is Will (a young chap who graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans). We are working with an organization called PNOLA (Phoenix of New Orleans) who only has 2 paid employees (!). Their main man-power comes from volunteers through AmeriCorps and other people like us. It truly is amazing what people have done here on their own free will.

Day 3: Today, we met the person that we were building for. It gave our hard work a purpose. All of the windows of the house were covered by ratty old American flags. There were probably 6 of them. At first I thought that they were a symbolic reference to Hurricane Katrina. So far, I’ve noticed that many people in LA hang American flags outside of their houses. Therefore, I assumed that these flags collected must have been flags that this person found  during the disaster and hung it up on their windows to be sarcastic. Now, you might think “What does she mean by sarcastic?” The reality is that the community feels like they did not receive any help from the government. By hanging these flags from a disaster that would just show that the people had faith in America, but America did not help them (which is why they have to put these flags on their windows-to make sure that no one robs or trashes this empty house).

Nonetheless, the reality is that the flags were all souvenirs from the battles of Sergeant Johnson. The flags were from various parts of the world from New Orleans during “the storm” (as the locals call it) to Iran. Sergeant Johnson is a wounded warrior. He is a tall, jolly black man who had a full camo uniform, a bad limp and an ace bandage around his arm. To know that I am working hard to build this house for him is priceless. Without volunteers like us, Sergeant Johnson would not have a home for Christmas five years after the storm. Unbelievable! I just can’t understand how people are not in houses after so much time has passed. Driving through Mid-City, we can still see houses with big “X”s counting the number of dead bodies. New Orleanians have had to live with this disaster for the past 5 years and it has turned their life upside down. Where are the people that we depend on for safety? Where are the people that have been taking hundreds of tax dollars from us? And why do NONE of them have a soul?

Day 4: Last night we went to Bourbon Street. You know, the popular Mardi Gras, crazy college kid scene… I think it’s a bit over rated. Sure, it was cold and the businesses were empty, but I was more appalled at the vulgarity that is open to the public on this street. This street abides by only a few of the laws that the rest of the US does and it just reminds me of what life would be like if we always gave into desire. I haven’t been to Las Vegas, but I assume that it would be much like Bourbon. Nonetheless, it was still a great experience to absorb the culture. Our day today felt accomplishing. We got a good portion of the living room completed by The Dream Team! Overall, the house is starting to look more like a house which means its heading in the right direction! Today we had some interactions with the locals. For lunch, we sit outside of the house that we work at. Today, a nice old fellow told us to go to the church for a free warm meal. And after him, a couple of ladies greeted us and told us the same. First of all, when does anyone say hello to someone else on the street??!? On Long Island, your supposed to look away or just look down and not say hello. The people here continue to open their arms to strangers in the simplest, but loveliest ways. I’m delightfully surprised to find comfort in the neighborhood we work in!!!

The past couple of days a group of nine of us have continued to help rebuild a gutted house from hurricane Katrina. When we first saw the inside of the house there was nothing but the main frame of the house and outlined portions of wood and clutter all around. The nine of us split into smaller groups, which included some Americorps volunteers as well. The first day we had to put fiber glass in the walls of the house for insulation and start measuring the walls for sheet rock. Day 2 and three consisted of all of us sheet rocking the entire house. Today (day 3) we manged to basically finish all of the sheet rock and we started putting special mud to fill in the sheet rock.

During day 2 while we were in the middle of  our lunch break, a man dressed in a army uniform greeted us and told our group that we were rebuilding his home. He told us he was in Iraq when hurricane Katrina flooded his home and has been waiting patiently to live in his home again. Recently, a member of the Saints football team has helped pay for the finances to rebuild his home while we volunteer to fix it up. He was wounded while in combat and he could not thank us enough for taking the time to lend him a hand. It was the first time since we arrived to really meet a local from Louisiana and even though he was not here during the disaster, the hurricane still had a large impact in his life. He was so thankful for what we were doing for him and listening to him helped me appreciate how lucky I am and everything that I have been blessed with.

In the past three days I have learned so much about sheet rocking, power tools, rebuilding home, and the stories people went through during this disaster. After each work day when I have called a family member back at home it is hard for them to image how I am a part of a group that is rebuilding a home for a person affected by hurricane Katrina!

Today we went to a local church that was near our work site and many members of the community just went up to us to thank us for taking the time out of our lives to visit their community and reach out to help them. Hearing their stories and receiving their kind words made me feel so grateful and excited to fix homes in their neighborhood. The people in Louisiana we have met so far have been very kind to us and cannot thank us enough. This continues to make the community service mini term so much more rewarding!

Today we learned the great power of communication, teamwork and reflection. Last night we were able to go out to Bourbon street and walk around the french quarter which is an experience that everyone should have. We are truly a group that functions as a family with all the pros and cons attributed to such a characteristic. In the end all was well and we made it home safe. I’m saving the dirty little secrets of the night fpr myself wahahahaha. As for today, the morning was quite cold but decent considering we are from the northeast where it has already snowed. We went to work to discover a car accident near our house. This was both startling and powerful. Seeing the americorp volunteers that we work with running to aid those in need really showed the power of the human spirit and just common decency. The day progressed as usual the DREAM TEAM was amazing, had lunch but this time the location changed. The local church does free meals on Wednesdays from 12-2 and some of the locals invited us to go with them. The meal consisted of white rice, beans, hamhock, salad and bread. It was really cool to do this. We then headed home and got to talk to a powerful speaker. He addressed many of the issues that we as a campus community generally do not talk about. The ideas of racism and sexism were discussed in a way that made us all really analyze the issues. Although I now feel more uneasy about attending Tulane fro graduate school I know know my opposition. The idea of not being at ease in my own neighborhood and wondering when and where I an going to be stopped by the police due to my skin color has me weary of such a vibrant location for higher education. The idea of power and the rest of the themes I hope to address in my blogs come from the new CD by Kanye West. His song “Power” which addresses responsibility and power in the pop culture can be directly applied to the Police of NOLA. They have been granted this pass to do whatever they please. The question now is how will they handle such a gift or curse. As of now they have not handled it well which leaves me feeling as if the pressures that come along with being a Black Male will never end. I have fought so many battles and I’m still here but how much longer can I fight. When will enough be enough and I will no longer have to think about what area I am walking in, who I fall in love with etc. Once again my class has amazed me in this Dark Fantasy known as New Orleans.

Talk about a powerful day.

Today was an amazing day not only because of the warm southern weather but because of the moments that occurred in the Mid-City neighborhood of NOLA. We had a chance to meet the person that used to live in the house that we were reconstructing. The owner is a military man that has traveled all over the work in the US ARMY. He was full of jokes and laughs. He also showed a real appreciation for the work that we were doing. I am starting to realize that people here only like us “community service tourist.” The day continued to be quite successful for the DREAM TEAM aka TEAM SUPREME that consists of Shabana, Kristin, and myself. We once again were able to be really productive. The night continued to be just as special as the day that proceeded it. We had the pleasure of meeting a Professor from UNO. She had a lot to say about race, class, and society all topics that I am really interested in. She spoke about the dynamics of a city that was in the midst of trouble that no one realized or paid attention to until the storm surge made the story that had been buried was resurfaced. Hearing a middle class Caucasian women discuss topics that are frequently addressed in neighborhood barber shops and in the homes of most minorities was a refreshing experience. Seeing the class reaction to all the things said gives me hope for the future and says that we are far from where we need to be but on our way.