Thursday, May 29, 2008

Guest Entry From Earth 3

AmeriCorps NCCC has given me many opportunities to help improve communities in the US, and my visit to New Orleans this weekend was no different. Well, it was a little different. Instead of working with elementary students in Denver or helping to renovate homes in Lake Charles, we worked on improving the local economy using tourism. But don't be fooled – we were no ordinary tourists. We were AmeriCorps tourists.

My name is Keegan and I'm a member of the team Earth 3. My team is living in Lake Charles, Louisiana and working with the Cameron Parish Council on Aging. After the damage of Hurricane Rita, many residents were forced to leave. We help elderly residents of southwestern Louisiana return to the area by renovating homes and doing other projects. This week my team is building a wheelchair ramp, painting houses and helping out with a charity banquet. Back to the trip. New Orleans is one of the most popular destinations for Corps Members because so many teams are working there to help the area recover from Hurricane Katrina. But we didn't feel like typical visitors. Being a part of AmeriCorps NCCC meant that we had a whole list of friends to visit, and it also meant that we had the chance to see the city from a different perspective than most visitors. We got to see our friends from some other teams in the area, check out their housing, and learn about their projects (teams like the Earth Oneders). My group also took a tour through the 9th Ward, guided by a Team Leader who worked there last year. Seeing all of the sights was great, but maybe the most striking thing about our visit was the welcome we felt from the community.

It seemed that everyone we talked to during our trip knew about AmeriCorps NCCC and what we do, from our restaurant servers to shopkeepers, cab drivers, and even the nice lady at the hotel check-in desk. The NCCC has a very good reputation among New Orleans residents and it made me proud to feel the respect and gratitude of many of the people we met. The trip gave my team members and me the chance to check out New Orleans (and gave Earth 1 the chance to ask someone else to write for their blog). I have a better understanding of how far the city has come, and how far it has yet to go. And after this weekend I'm really excited at the possibility of having a project in New Orleans for a future round.

~Keegan

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Crawfish Boil

On Tuesday night our team was invited to a crawfish boil at the home of one of our sponsors. The Project Homecoming staff usually get together to socialize with one another on Tuesdays after work. We arrived fashionabley late which was only because we got lost for about 45 minutes. One of our many adventures in the van. However, the timing worked out perfectly because when we arrived Mark was just pulling out the first batch of crawfish. We ate outside on their pouch, with a fan blowing overhead and the smell of seafood in the air. On the menu for the evening was crawfish along with corn, baby potatoes, garlic, onion, and sausage boiled in a spicy cajun mix. We also enjoyed bread to help cut some of the spiciness. The tables were covered with newspaper which is where the food was spread for all of us to enjoy. We received a quick lesson on how to eat the crawfish, which look like mini lobsters. Dinner was delicious and we enjoyed getting to know our sponsors better in a setting outside of the worksite.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Nonstop Week

A Wild Week -

I miss my free time. It seems like in AmeriCorps there isn't much of it. Our days are packed. We work all day. When we get home we either have to do physical training or our weekly progress report. I'm always either helping with dinner or helping clean up. By the time I eat and shower and call my girlfriend the day is over and before I have time to breathe I'm doing it again. This week was no exception. We pulled the walls of the house together. We're jacking up the ceiling to replace some of the termite damaged wood. We're building closets and new walls. In addition to working on building the house I went to two recruiting events, a debrief with our sponsor and a 3 hour focus group. Even our weekends are full of independent service projects.

Not that I'm done complaining, I believe that wisdom comes from experience. I don't think there is any better way than AmeriCorps NCCC to accumulate new experiences. In the past two months I've lived in at least 3 places. I've had at least 3 different jobs. I've learned a ton about construction by building homes. I leaned about the environment by building trails. I've learned how to talk to kids by working at a children's museum. Even helping cook dinner has been educational. I can make make a meal for 11! I'm also growing in more abstruse ways. I've gained leadership experience, communication skills and a new appreciation for how much of a difference a person can make. The lack of free time is an easy price to pay for such a life changing experience.

~Sam

Sunday, May 18, 2008

The First Week on the Job

Monday was the first day actually working on the house that we are going to be rebuilding for the next six weeks. This week we took the first steps of rebuilding by removing linoleum from the floor, taking out damaged studs and sections of the floor and repairing them, and putting in new doors. To me, houses have always been somewhat of a mystery. I look at them and get overwhelmed by thinking of all of the work and effort that must go into making them. Now, I feel like I have seen the secret to the magic trick of building a house, and once you look at it part by part it is surprisingly less complicated then I had anticipated. Our supervisors have placed a lot of confidence in us even in these first few days, telling us what needs to be done and then just letting us do it on our own for the most part. I NEVER thought that I would be able to build a house, and even just after the first week I feel like I have taken a huge step towards getting there.


However, the best part of the week was hands down meeting the homeowners of the house that we are working on. We got to meet them on Tuesday and they brought us breakfast. They were so nice and charismatic and so appreciative of us being there to help them. They told us their story of the hurricane, how they had left with only the clothes on their back thinking that they were going to be back in a few days. A few days later their houses was occupied by nothing but 6 feet of the water; they had lost everything and have not been able to return home for going on three years now. A number of us said goodbye to them with tears in our eyes, sad for their losses, but happy to be able to feel like we were doing something about it.

Being here in New Orleans it feels like we are living in a history book. We walk down the street and see every other house still with the spray-painted X, still branded, telling a little bit of it’s story, when it was searched, by whom, and what was found inside: cats, dogs, people, and weather they were dead or alive. The damage and pain that this city endured is still very evident. It feels like it is stuck in the past, but it is just because the help to move it forward is not here. Seeing the devastation everywhere is very discouraging, but feeling like we can actually do something to help just one family is more empowering then I could have ever imagined. New Orleans has made me more proud to be a member of AmeriCorps then ever before.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

From Denver to New Orleans

This week I joined the Earth Oneders and so far so good. I am really excited to be on the team because I’ve never done construction work before and this round we'll be working on a house destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. On Monday, we departed Denver and traveled through Texas, stopping in Amarillo on the first night and in Tyler the second night. The third day we finally arrived in New Orleans to a beautiful two story blue house. The first night we were here we had dinner in downtown New Orleans. This is my first time in New Orleans and I'm really excited to be spending the next two months here. I am very excited to learn about the culture in New Orleans and to visit some awesome museums.


On Thursday, our first work day, we had orientation and then we took a drive around the city. It is very emotional to see all the destruction that Katrina caused and the work that still needs to be done to repair it. Today we were trained to use all the tools that we will need on the job site. Our sponsor taught us how to use both hand tools and power tools. He knows a lot about rebuilding homes so he will be a good teacher for me and all the other members on my team. Our sponsor also showed us the house we will be working on for the next 6 weeks. Only the framing was salvageable, so we'll have to replace the wood eaten by termites, replace the flooring, add the walls, and all the other things that make a house. We will hopefully get most of the house completed before we leave.

~ Maria B.

Friday, May 2, 2008

First Transition Week

They tell us that transition week is not supposed to be vacation. We're on the job during transition week and we need to put in the hours. Unfortunately, I think it's been longer than anyone expected. There's been a lot of drama and bad news this week. We were all hoping to have a nice relaxing week. We wanted to recharge our batteries. Instead, many of us are feeling emotionally drained. The AmeriCorps rumor mill has been fast and furious. I don't pretend to be in the loop but I've heard about breakups, hookups, and dropouts. Not to mention all of the normal workshops, lectures, and training that goes on during transition week. We did our debrief (formal reporting out on our last project) and brief (reporting our preparations for our next project). Both require a lot of preparation and paperwork. I'm a bit stressed out because we're leaving on Monday and I still haven't begun to pack, clean, or do laundry. I think we are all eager to be on the road again and leave this week behind us.

Nonetheless we are staying positive. The week hasn't been all bad. Monday the team got together at a park near campus. We sat in the sun and grass and talked. We played on the playground and did team-building activities. We even invented some games of our own. Awesome ball! We've also started a game of assassins. It's a fun game of paranoia and deception. (See rules below) Katie and I jointly picked up the position of assistant team leader. I'm looking forward to giving Maria C. a hand. She's got a tough job. Some of us did independent service at the Children's Museum. That was really fun. The kids were adorable. There is also a lot to look forward to. We are excited to live in New Orleans. We are looking forward to celebrating Amanda's birthday tomorrow. We can't wait to get to know our new teammate, Maria B. Yay!

Assassins:

You will get a piece of paper with a name on it. This is your mark. If you shoot them with your water gun they are out and they give you the name of their mark. All water gun assassinations must take place outside. Also, if you put hot sauce in your target's food they are 'poisoned' and are out. The last person standing is the winner. This game requires stealth, wit, and persistence; but beware, because there is always someone trying to assassinate you.


~Sam

 
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