Yesterday we went to Grand Isle and it was a nice change of scenery for us. We worked hard getting rid of invasive plant species in the nature preserve. The nature preserve was not huge but it plays a vital role for migratory birds: it is their pit stop on their way to South America and back during their mating season. Now we can say we helped rebuild some of the wetlands and it is a rewarding experience.

Swimming in the Gulf of Mexico was tons of fun too! The water was so cold but it felt refreshing after working under the hot sun. At the beach we could see the oil rigs about 5 miles off the coast and it was an interesting sight. It makes you think about oil production in a new way, especially since Exxon’s main command center was across the road from where we went swimming.

Grand Isle is a gorgeous place that is the vacation home to many and business home to many northern fisherman. I would love to go back.

As we travel around Dulac there seems to be substantially more damage and less recovery work than in New Orleans. I am currently working in Barbara’s house in Dulac. She has a great personality and is very friendly and kind to all of us working in her home. We first replaced her toilet and part of her bathroom floor. We also put up siding and trim throughout her living room. After having several conversations with Barbara, I am reminded of several class readings depicting southern Louisiana residents. She has a positive outlook on life and is so grateful for our help. When she spoke of previous hurricanes and the impact they had on her life, she used her stories as an educational tool to stress what she considers the important part of life. This was very refreshing because she did not dwell on what she had lost, but instead looked forward to what she still have to experience in life, such as watching her grandchildren grow up. She constantly spoke about her family and I can tell they mean a lot to her. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to meet two of her grandsons. The grandsons came over to help their grandmother and keep her company during the day. They seemed to have a special bond with her and the ease of conversation that flowed throughout the day exemplified their strong sense of family structure. I am looking forward to getting to know Barbara even better as we continue to work on her home.

After spending several days working in Dulac, I have noticed distinct differences between our work here and the recovery work we did in New Orleans.  Driving through Dulac for the first time, the biggest shock I experienced was how visible the damage from Hurricanes Gustauv and Ike are.  Traveling through the French Quarter in New Orleans, it is easy to forget that the disaster of Katrina ever occured because the city has made extensive efforts to rebuild the area.  However, in Dulac,  houses in the entire area have evidence of flood and wind damage and shrimper boats are scattered in people’s front lawns. 

The physical appearance of Dulac has been diffuicult for me to process because it has forced me to examine how priveledged I am.  For the past two days, my group has worked on replacing the walls in Mr. Bernard’s trailer.  Nine family members are packed into the Bernard’s modest four bedroom trailer.  Although the trailer did not suffer any damage from the two hurricanes this past fall, the Bernards do not have the financial means to repair the damage in their home.  Being exposed to that level of poverty in America has made me question how a country that is seemingly so powerful could neglect to assist people in need.  After working on Mr. Bernard’s trailer, I have an overwhelming feeling of guilt because I have been given oppertunities in my life that his children will never have.  Despite my heavy emotional response to our recovery work in Dulac, I have gained a lot from the experience.  The other members of my work group are Carl, Dave, Greg and Jamie; who are all much taller and physically stronger than I am.  Even though they welcomed me into their group, in the beginning I felt nervous that I would not be able to make an equal contribution to the recovery efforts.  However, I now feel  comfortable working with them and have confidence in my ability to successfully accomplish the task at hand.  I have never thought of myself as the type of person who could handle powertools, but this experience has pushed me outside my comfort zone and showed me how compentent I actually am.

So far I have worked on two different homes in Dulac and both of them have had a strong impact on me but I think my experience at the second home, Bernard’s trailer, will turn out to be more influential. After two stinging blisters, multiple cuts on my hands from handling splintered wood, and sore knees from kneeling and plucking nails from the old woodwork I was able to take a break while waiting for a ride back to the community center. Like they say, no pain no gain. I was sitting with the group on Bernard’s steps when all of a sudden I see a little, white, and fluffy mound rise from inside the rusted and filthy rowboat in the driveway. I went over to the adorable puppy and played with him while he wagged his tail in utter delight.  It was Snowball, the family’s dog, however. I say that with reluctance because Snowball wasn’t really the family’s dog. They fed him and let him live outside their home. Snowball, most likely mixed-bred, had no collar and I am sure there was he was not registered by Bernard’s family, something we would make sure we do back at home. The concept of pets are different here and I think that is because of the different perspective on life, which I am slowly becoming familar with. I feel people down here simply accept their way of life and don’t struggle or strive to achieve a lavish style of life. As long as there is love in the family, a strong communtiy and a roof over their heads, the people of Dulac seem more than content. I think this “accepting” lifestyle is something that will stick with me and it will help me truly appreciate the things that matter most to me in life like family and culture, and make me more grateful. All of us on this trip may think we have such a wonderful life compared to the people down here but I think the people of Dulac feel they have a wonderful life too; we just have two very different standards of living. Snowball’s uplifting presence was a nice remedy to seeing all of the destruction from the hurricanes.

Dulac truly is a whole other world. I really cannot get over how widespread the devastation is here. It’s not just the houses. Debris is piled everywhere. Huge trees have been uprooted. Boats are demolished or beached and overgrown. The first day here I saw someone’s trampoline up in a tree.

The sights are just overwhelming and seems completely unreal. I’ve never seen anything like this before. the pictures and articles and video of hurricane damage does not even compare to how overwhelming and frustrating actually witnessing this is. I really don’t know how to describe it and get my point across. It’s just completely unreal.

 On a more positive note, last night we went to the Jolly Inn for dinner. I would like to start off by saying that we were there for three hours. It was just so much fun. The first hour was spent eating and getting to know some of the locals. The second hour was spent socializing and eating some of Allie “Gator”‘s birthday cake (he also made all of us honorary Cajuns which was pretty awesome). The last hour we learned several Cajun dances like the Cajun stomp and the Darrel and danced to the live music. It was great to be immersed in part of the culture and really get to know some of the people who live here and continuously thank us for our efforts.

Working in Dulac I feel has been more rewarding to me than in New Orleaans. It’s kind of funny that I’m pretty much doing the same type of thing here as in NO but the environment and the people I’ve encountered have made all the difference. At Mr. Ashley’s house in NO I worked on installing the baseboard and trim in all the rooms in his house. Here in Ms. Barbara’s house, I’m doing the same. There are several differences I’ve noted. First off, I feel more like I know what I’m doing. I don’t always feel as if I have to check in with Paul to make sure I’m making the right cut. And I sound like I know what I’m talking about.
Secondly, actually knowing what we’re doing has moved things along quickly. Not having to stand around waiting for instruction or having to move stuff around or trying desperately get organized in a disorganized situation has allowed us to get a good amount of work done. So I really feel like we’re making a difference.
Thirdly, having Ms. Barbara around all the time really makes a difference. Although we got to meet Mr. Ashley, he was never really around for long. Ms. Barbara stays all day and talks to us, slips us snacks, and lets us watch The Price is Right with her when we take a break. She has told us so much about her children and grandchildren and today we got to meet a few of them. The impact her presence provides is irreplacable. Today we finished her living room. We 100% finished it and I heard Ms. Barbara say “it’s really starting to look like a house again” and it became very clear how much she appreciates our hard work (and trust me, we work hard). I really hope that we can finish her kitchen and make a dent in finishing other parts of the house before we leave.

Holly Grove, New Orleans, LA: With less than a week left in the Community Service mini-term, I’m finally writing my first blog.  We’ve been through a lot.  We did some rebuilding work in New Orleans.  I worked at Ms. Frank and her son’s houses in the Holly Grove area.  Our team got to meet Ms. Frank, who expressed her gratitude for our work.  She’s a wonderful lady, and knowing I was helping her kept me going.  I also got to meet her son, and he showed us a photo of one of his daughters.  I wish we could have finished the house and seen them move in, but I’m glad we helped at all.  I feel really lucky to have been placed at that site because it was a cool block.  We quickly got to know people that we saw regularly and we built a rapport with the people at the corner store we frequented.  There were definitely people

French Quarter, New Orleans, LA: We visited Bourbon Street and had way too much fun.  We went to a bar, Famous Door, where a band played classic rock.  I requested “Midnight Rider” by Allman Brothers and was invited on stage.  I sang along and danced on stage.  We had so much fun we went back to the French Quarter for another night out.  This time, though, I went to Frenchmen Street.  We went to a bar called D.B.A (at least that’s what Kenny thinks it’s called).   There was a band there playing calypso.  The lead singer looked like a crooner or something – his light blond hair was slicked back; he wore a suit and shiny shoes; he had a metal guitar.  The whole scene was really cool.  I loved to see a trumpet and saxophone in a band.  Me and Nozomi danced (as usual) and it was great.

 New Orleans, LA: The director of PNOLA (the program through which we volunteered), Jim, is really cool.  I liked everyone else I met from PNOLA (Pheonix of New Orleans) was cool, especially Gabe, who mostly lead our site, and Rachel, who was friendly.  We stayed at Carrollton Methodist Church.  We had bunkbeds, which was fortunate because last year’s team did not.   We went to Rock’n’Bowl and there was a Zydeco band playing.  I danced.  We also went to the Audobon Aquarium.  It was all really fun!!

Houma, LA: We stayed in a United Methodist Church in Houma.  It was a very nice facility and I kept practicing my basketball shot on the indoor hoop.  I’m not very good.  We went to the movies and saw “Role Models” for $4.25 (!!!!!!!!)!!  It was an adult ticket at night!  We traveled every day to Dulac and on the rides to and from I napped, so I didn’t really look at Dulac houses on the way over.  I worked at the Dulac Community Center by helping them prepare for a Christmas party.  We moved clothes from one room into another.  It was then that I realized that the children’s center in the facility was completely flooded out.  I almost cried when I saw it and thought about the children who couldn’t go to the programs held in those facilities.  I thought about the community center I’ve been a part of for over a decade and imagined what I was looking at as the remains of my community center.  People have lost their homes, which is much more devastating, of course, but to some people, a community center feels even more like home than a house does.  I’m glad we got to help Ms. Frank get her house back, and I’m glad we’re helping the Dulac community center get back to business.

Jolly Inn, Houma, LA: We went to a bar/restaurant called the Jolly Inn and ate some Cajun food.  I enjoyed my fried catfish and the Louisiana brand hot sauce I put on some of my meal.  The best part of our trip there, though, was the Cajun/Zydeco band and learning the line dancing!  We learned the freeze (which is like the electric slide – but it’s line dancing), the the Cajun stomp, and the Darrel.  The woman who taught us the line dances has a free tutorial on her website: http://dancingdogs.triparish.net.  I played a little bit on some washboards.  It was a blast. 

One man, who wore an NFL championship ring and played on the Baltimore Colts in the ’60s (he later came into the bar dressed as Santa Claus and gave out candy canes, and even later was given a birthday cake that was shared with our entire group), thanked us for exposing ourselves to Cajun culture.  I thank him.   

Dulac, LA: We’ve moved into the dorms at the Dulac.  We painted a house and looked around to see rebuilding progress.  The woman whose house we were painted wanted her house to be dark blue.  It’s royal.  I hope she likes it anyway.  Our team was all girls and we had a bunch of fun.  I really love this group.  This experience has been much too impactful for me to articulate efficiently at all – let alone on a public forum.  I’ll keep writing.  🙂 

We arrived in Dulac this morning for the final leg of our trip- a 4 night stay in this “end of the earth” Louisiana town. Inhabited mostly by Houma Indians (around 80 percent), this small town was devastated by  Hurricane  Ike this past August. Most people live in trailer homes and physical damage is evident on most. I’m working in a group off five on a trailer about five minutes from the community center, where we stay. The trailer sits on risers about eight feet off the ground and was not very affected by the hurricane, but is nonetheless in dire need of help from volunteers. Nine people live in the home, crammed into bunk beds. Bernard, the husband, works on an oil rig, but judging from poor upkeep and other obvious observations it’s quite apparent the family struggles financially. Over the past two days my group has torn down old paneling and replaced it with new ones. A plumber has also been working to install a new sink, which looks very nice.

One of the major problems facing the Houma is their inability to obtain Federal recognition. Lobbying by oil companies has prevented all efforts, for should the Houma achieve proper representation these companies will be forced to pay royalties on their oil to these families. This is a fine example of the corrupting influence of money in politics. I’m glad to be able to give my time to this community, but on a grander scale there is still so much work needed.

So this is the second day of working in the same house in Dulac for me and a few others. I’ve never seen anywhere so impoverished. There are thirteen people living in the trailor where were working, its amazing. But the people are incredibly kind, and you can talk to them about anything for hours. The plumber was great! It’ll be nice when we finsih repanelling this trailor, it looks better already.

On our first day in Dulac, a group of us gutted the inside of a house. We had to rip out the drywall layers and insulation and throw away the ruined furniture and toys. The first room we did was a little girl’s room and it was hard for all of us to throw away the toys, dolls and clothing. Most of the toys seemed salvagable to me and it felt like we were throwing away the memories of this little girl’s childhood. The homeowner Terri was very kind while he helped us but I couldn’t help but wonder how he could possibly be feeling about throwing away all the furniture and toys that he had worked hard to purchase for his family. The way he spoke was positive and it seemed as though his family would be able to rebuild and eventually get back into their home but it was still devastating to have to destroy the house. This day was definitely the hardest I’ve faced so far. Before we had been fixing things and making the home better but this job was the complete opposite.

The past two days I have painted and last night we went to the Jolly Inn for some cajun dancing and edible food! We all got really into the dancing and learned the darryl and the Cajun Stomp. Kenny was the best dancer out of any of us. Tomorrow we are going down further south to work in the wetlands. It takes about 3 hours to get there and we are going to be witnessing many of the images that we saw and read about in our pre-trip assignments.  We aren’t exactly sure what we are doing but we know that we are helping in the preservation of the wetlands and it will be a far different experience from everything we’ve done so far. I can’t believe we only have 3 days left. I am not ready to go home!

Dulac’s condition is worse than I expected. I thought New Orleans was bad and then I realized New Orleans is nothing compared to here. Every where we drive we see a home completely ruined, debree everywhere, stray animals wondering, boats in streets, and many other terrible sights. I think it has affected all of us in enormous ways. Our way of life at Union College is way different from theirs. It is really hard to imagine living the way they do. On top of regular work, they have a community to rebuild. The work we do is minimal in the whole scheme of things but seeing these things and talking with the people is very important as well. I think the experience is more significant than the work we do.  I think we all have gained a lot of respect for the Houma tribe and Dulac’s community as a whole. It is very sad to know that the repairs that have been done will likely be destroyed again in a future storm. I really admire them for not giving up and moving forward each day. They truly have a sense of community and pride that can’t be damaged by a storm.