To Be In That Number

I have just returned from a week in New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. I cannot adequately describe what I saw there: the sheer devestation of so many communities, the volume of work yet to be done to even clear out the debris left from the storm, the hard work put in by so many volunteers, and the hospitality of the people of Louisiana.

I will try in a series of posts to let you know what I saw and learned. First, a few words about the people I worked with:

A New Jersey firefighter who spent his two week vacation building houses because he has experience.

The medical student who spent his entire summer break in the heat.

The English kids visiting the area who wanted to help out for a day because they saw so much of the devestation on the telly.

The Americorps volunteers who give up a year to work in the sun and the muck.

The 70 year old with the artificial hip, which didn't keep him from putting siding on a house.

And the people of New Ahlins (not really N'Awlins as most people think): Hardy and holding up despite all they've lost. Smiles and hellos abound, as does conversation. Before the Storm and After the Storm, the new way of counting time. Lives lived in the past tense when the future is unknown.

You can still hear street musicians playing When the Saints Go Marching In for tips, though and eat great food and drink drinks invented during prohibition to get rid of the excess rum ( I believe I got that story straight, but had already had half a Hurricane and am a little fuzzy on the details).

Most of all, you can still get the warmth of the people. People actually talk to each other there, or maybe just to foreigners like me. Where are you from, why are you here, and most often, Thank you.

Thank you, New Orleans and St. Bernard. Thank you for letting me feel like I helped just a little, when there is so much work to do.

Thank you for giving me the chance to meet so many great people and have fun and experience a great city. Thank you for letting me be in your number.