I am not sure why I thought there would be only one song that was perfectly matched to an entire experience.
Of course, New Orleans had more than one song. It was a little Retour a Vega, a little Paradise by the Dashboard Light, part Bridge Over Troubled Waters, a little bit of that old classic, American Pie. And inexplicably, but at the same time, not inexplicable at all, All You Need is Love.
We may not have sistered all of the floor joists perfectly. Some of our window headers were a little bit crooked. We cursed half the nails we drove, but in the end, those houses were built with love. Those houses will have such a legacy before their new owners even move in. To have been shareholders in that legacy, to have signed our names to the partitions and beam pockets we’d built ourselves, to have come together to create the structure, the strength base, for two entire houses…
words fail me again.
This morning, I took a twenty-minute shower in incredibly hot water, ate breakfast after the sun came up, walked around my house without an ID badge on, and used the Internet for almost an hour without waiting in line. My workboots are back in the closet. My winter jacket is waiting by the door. My watch is reset to Windsor time.
We are “home”, as of quarter of eight this morning, but this doesn’t feel like home to me anymore.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Grand Finale
Today is Friday and the last post was actually from Thursday. My posts might appear one day late.
A fantastic and successful end to a very productive week.
Today we finished all of the exterior framing and completed a fair amount of the inside wall frames.
At the beginning of the week, the two groups (UWindsor and the Netherlands high school students) were each working within their own areas on individual homes. By the end of the week, there was lots of crossover between the two groups and before we knew it, we were all working alongside each other and the Americorp team.
The build ended with a great wrapup team meeting where the students shared their feelings about the week. Some very profound experiences were revealed. That my friends is experiential learnign at its best!
As we said our goodbyes, and snapped our final photos of our new friends and the build site, we were inspired by what we started with on Tuesday morning and how far we came in helping two New Orleans families to realize their new dreams.
One of the many highlights of this trip has been our incredible bus drivers Mike and Casey. Mike is our Windsor to Tennessee and Tennessee back to Windsor guy. Casey, our Tennessee to New Orleans driver has been with us all week and has been as much a part of this trip as the rest of us.
Casey is like everyone's grandpa (well maybe father in my case). He's the kind of guy that would give you the shirt off his back. He picks us up every day at 7:00 am and drives us the 30 minutes to the site. He offers to run errands during the day and just shows up midday on the site just to show his support. He also takes us out at night to the parades and downtown.
Today Casey had a special surprise for us when he picked us up. He went back to Musician's Village to talk to David Fountan and Smoky Johnson. David gave him special Zulu beads and Mardi Gras cups for all of us and a coconut painted black -a traditional Zulu prize.
But Casey didn't stop at that! He then drove us back to Musician's Village and we were all able to experience Mr. Fountain's musical shrine. The blaring jazz music filled the street and set the tone for a great visit with David and several other locals who were anxious to share their very moving stories about how Hurrican Katrina affected them (and still affects them). David then presented Sandy with another black coconut AND THE most prized of all the coconuts, a gold one! We also got to chat with some local school children.
We're all back on the bus now and looking forward to a hot (with any hope) shower, some Camp Hope grub and some much needed rest before the long bus ride back to Windsor tomorrow at noon. But, some will go bowling tonight - an interesting activity given how sore we all are.
One of the really neat things about being back here for a second time is that we have met many of the same people we got to know on the first trip. John Wilkes Booth, a local from St. Bernard's parish, continues to have his dinners here every night and still shares his stories. Pete, who was a Habitat builder on trip one, dropped over yesterday to help us build and stayed all day today too. He's a fantastic supervisor and very knowledgable. And David Fountain. How good it was to hear his giddly laugh again.
Enjoy the roof over your head tonight! I know I will.
Beth
A fantastic and successful end to a very productive week.
Today we finished all of the exterior framing and completed a fair amount of the inside wall frames.
At the beginning of the week, the two groups (UWindsor and the Netherlands high school students) were each working within their own areas on individual homes. By the end of the week, there was lots of crossover between the two groups and before we knew it, we were all working alongside each other and the Americorp team.
The build ended with a great wrapup team meeting where the students shared their feelings about the week. Some very profound experiences were revealed. That my friends is experiential learnign at its best!
As we said our goodbyes, and snapped our final photos of our new friends and the build site, we were inspired by what we started with on Tuesday morning and how far we came in helping two New Orleans families to realize their new dreams.
One of the many highlights of this trip has been our incredible bus drivers Mike and Casey. Mike is our Windsor to Tennessee and Tennessee back to Windsor guy. Casey, our Tennessee to New Orleans driver has been with us all week and has been as much a part of this trip as the rest of us.
Casey is like everyone's grandpa (well maybe father in my case). He's the kind of guy that would give you the shirt off his back. He picks us up every day at 7:00 am and drives us the 30 minutes to the site. He offers to run errands during the day and just shows up midday on the site just to show his support. He also takes us out at night to the parades and downtown.
Today Casey had a special surprise for us when he picked us up. He went back to Musician's Village to talk to David Fountan and Smoky Johnson. David gave him special Zulu beads and Mardi Gras cups for all of us and a coconut painted black -a traditional Zulu prize.
But Casey didn't stop at that! He then drove us back to Musician's Village and we were all able to experience Mr. Fountain's musical shrine. The blaring jazz music filled the street and set the tone for a great visit with David and several other locals who were anxious to share their very moving stories about how Hurrican Katrina affected them (and still affects them). David then presented Sandy with another black coconut AND THE most prized of all the coconuts, a gold one! We also got to chat with some local school children.
We're all back on the bus now and looking forward to a hot (with any hope) shower, some Camp Hope grub and some much needed rest before the long bus ride back to Windsor tomorrow at noon. But, some will go bowling tonight - an interesting activity given how sore we all are.
One of the really neat things about being back here for a second time is that we have met many of the same people we got to know on the first trip. John Wilkes Booth, a local from St. Bernard's parish, continues to have his dinners here every night and still shares his stories. Pete, who was a Habitat builder on trip one, dropped over yesterday to help us build and stayed all day today too. He's a fantastic supervisor and very knowledgable. And David Fountain. How good it was to hear his giddly laugh again.
Enjoy the roof over your head tonight! I know I will.
Beth
Well. We've made it through day three on the build site. I must say this build experience has been so very different from the build 2 years ago. 2 years ago we did siding, soffit, facia, porches, stairs, insulation etc. This time, the work is much more physical and involves so much nailing.
So, the building has been very well described below so let's move on to the Camp Hope experience.
This lovely little community has so many special little nuances.
The showers outside in the portable trailers are my most recent discovery. They have hot water unlike the ones in the school and the smell of mold and mildew is very pungent.
Today as I sat eating my breakfast, I was dreaming about what I would do to get my hands on a real glass of OJ or any juice for that matter rather than the coloured water they've been serving all week. To my delight, the Tropicana was revealed 5 minutes later! I think I now know how soldiers must feel.
The preserved packaged meals that can be heated up with a salt water solution are quite interesting for those brave enough to try one. Reminds me of what the astronauts eat in space. I'm not sure of the science behind it, but it's very interesting.
The pizza lunchables as a lunch option for packing was interesting, but I passed in lieu of a sandwich.
And yet this funny little place has some strange appeal in its sense of community.
So tonight we got to go downtown (or uptown as they say) and see a Mardi Gras parade. The streets were packed and the floats were very nice. We met some very friendly people in the crowd and enjoyed catching beads, coins and cups. Sandy caught a great hat.
Well, it's time to rest my tired arms and sleep off my fatigued muscles. Nighty night!
So, the building has been very well described below so let's move on to the Camp Hope experience.
This lovely little community has so many special little nuances.
The showers outside in the portable trailers are my most recent discovery. They have hot water unlike the ones in the school and the smell of mold and mildew is very pungent.
Today as I sat eating my breakfast, I was dreaming about what I would do to get my hands on a real glass of OJ or any juice for that matter rather than the coloured water they've been serving all week. To my delight, the Tropicana was revealed 5 minutes later! I think I now know how soldiers must feel.
The preserved packaged meals that can be heated up with a salt water solution are quite interesting for those brave enough to try one. Reminds me of what the astronauts eat in space. I'm not sure of the science behind it, but it's very interesting.
The pizza lunchables as a lunch option for packing was interesting, but I passed in lieu of a sandwich.
And yet this funny little place has some strange appeal in its sense of community.
So tonight we got to go downtown (or uptown as they say) and see a Mardi Gras parade. The streets were packed and the floats were very nice. We met some very friendly people in the crowd and enjoyed catching beads, coins and cups. Sandy caught a great hat.
Well, it's time to rest my tired arms and sleep off my fatigued muscles. Nighty night!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
There is a common misconception that hell contains fire and brimstone.
This is untrue. Hell is actually an endless series of joists that need to be sistered.
...Today was actually fantastic. After a slow and slightly frustrating start sistering the aforementioned floor joists, we were able to move on to building window headers and king jacks--with easier nails!
It is SO exciting to watch this house go up in leaps and bounds.
This is untrue. Hell is actually an endless series of joists that need to be sistered.
...Today was actually fantastic. After a slow and slightly frustrating start sistering the aforementioned floor joists, we were able to move on to building window headers and king jacks--with easier nails!
It is SO exciting to watch this house go up in leaps and bounds.
Helloooo everyone!
Sorry I haven't been writing any blogs, the days have been very busy!
We started building a house structure yesterday in the east end of New Orleans. We have made SO much progress in 2 days. We put in some floor boards today, along with preparing "King Jacks" which are basically the window and door frames. Tomorrow we will be putting in the walls! Everyone is getting nice tans (or burns) and very sore muscles, but we keep up the energy the entire day. The biggest challenge is hammering in the nails. The nails are very soft, and if you hit them too many times they bend, and then you need to remove them. It is very frustrating, but i've been getting better!
Alright my times up here! I will have plenty of stories and photos of my night on Bourbon Street!
Ya'll take care now!
Love Xenaaaa <3
Sorry I haven't been writing any blogs, the days have been very busy!
We started building a house structure yesterday in the east end of New Orleans. We have made SO much progress in 2 days. We put in some floor boards today, along with preparing "King Jacks" which are basically the window and door frames. Tomorrow we will be putting in the walls! Everyone is getting nice tans (or burns) and very sore muscles, but we keep up the energy the entire day. The biggest challenge is hammering in the nails. The nails are very soft, and if you hit them too many times they bend, and then you need to remove them. It is very frustrating, but i've been getting better!
Alright my times up here! I will have plenty of stories and photos of my night on Bourbon Street!
Ya'll take care now!
Love Xenaaaa <3
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Practice Makes Perfect. Unless, You're Trying to Hammer in Galvanized Nails!
So the last day and a half has been quite interesting as you've no doubt read about our reunion trip to the lower 9th ward and Musician's village where we met Smoky Johnson, the former drummer for Fat's Domino.
So last night, Mark and I had the opportunity to meet up with a friend I met on the last build. Beth A. lives in DC and her first build 2 years ago turned her into a bit of a New Orleans junkie. She's even marching in a parade as a muse. She's visited 10 times since then and when she called, we couldn't turn down her offer to see the real side of the French Quarter outside of Bourbon Street.
We had a great meal, and visited a cool little divey bar where they had to unlock their door to let each person in. Then it was on to The Maple Leaf for some great live jazz by a band called Papa Grows Funk. Beth showed us a great time and it was so great to catch up with her. We hopped a cab back to camp hope quite late.
The alarm clock came quickly and we had a full day on the job site. We hammered for hours and accomplished a great deal on the first part of the homes. It was VERY muddy! The sounds of all of the hammers pounding at once really choked me up. It was just so powerful to see such a large group working together. What a great team!
At the end of the work day, we were all tired but very satisfied with the progress we made on our house. We leveled the land around the homes, and almost finished installing all the joists for the floor. The nails we have to use are a huge source of frustration, because they are galvanized to ensure they don't rust. But they bend so easy and are very long. Removing a bent one is nearly impossible too.
Well, we've showered (very cold water), eaten, had our nightly team meeting and now the bus driver Casey is picking us up to go to Bourbon Street. It's certainly an interesting place!
So, we'll be pretty tired out by the time we return tonight, but ready for another full day tomorrow.
So last night, Mark and I had the opportunity to meet up with a friend I met on the last build. Beth A. lives in DC and her first build 2 years ago turned her into a bit of a New Orleans junkie. She's even marching in a parade as a muse. She's visited 10 times since then and when she called, we couldn't turn down her offer to see the real side of the French Quarter outside of Bourbon Street.
We had a great meal, and visited a cool little divey bar where they had to unlock their door to let each person in. Then it was on to The Maple Leaf for some great live jazz by a band called Papa Grows Funk. Beth showed us a great time and it was so great to catch up with her. We hopped a cab back to camp hope quite late.
The alarm clock came quickly and we had a full day on the job site. We hammered for hours and accomplished a great deal on the first part of the homes. It was VERY muddy! The sounds of all of the hammers pounding at once really choked me up. It was just so powerful to see such a large group working together. What a great team!
At the end of the work day, we were all tired but very satisfied with the progress we made on our house. We leveled the land around the homes, and almost finished installing all the joists for the floor. The nails we have to use are a huge source of frustration, because they are galvanized to ensure they don't rust. But they bend so easy and are very long. Removing a bent one is nearly impossible too.
Well, we've showered (very cold water), eaten, had our nightly team meeting and now the bus driver Casey is picking us up to go to Bourbon Street. It's certainly an interesting place!
So, we'll be pretty tired out by the time we return tonight, but ready for another full day tomorrow.
Construction and concentration
I can't tell you the sound of one hand clapping, but I can definitely tell you the sound of sixty people hammering--it's LOUD!
After spending the last couple of days educating ourselves about the city and what each of the areas looked like in the wake of Katrina, it was a great feeling to finally get out to our site and start working.
Our project is in New Orleans East. Most of the homes are still standing in this area, but many of them are still boarded up or seriously damaged.
We started our morning earlier than I'd care to mention, crowning lumber and grading the terrain to draw water away from the foundation of the two houses. The sun had yet to make an appearance, so as we dug the earth up around the foundations, the water started pooling between the two lots. When we started sinking into the mud up to our calves, we decided to call it quits until the sun dried up some of the water.
We moved on to laying down termite shields, strapping down floor joists, and nailing rim joists. We learned a lot of cool construction words that I promptly forgot, experienced the beautiful Louisiana sunshine, drove 86 million nails, and got generally dirty...it was fantastic.
New Orleans is feeling more and more like home every day.
After spending the last couple of days educating ourselves about the city and what each of the areas looked like in the wake of Katrina, it was a great feeling to finally get out to our site and start working.
Our project is in New Orleans East. Most of the homes are still standing in this area, but many of them are still boarded up or seriously damaged.
We started our morning earlier than I'd care to mention, crowning lumber and grading the terrain to draw water away from the foundation of the two houses. The sun had yet to make an appearance, so as we dug the earth up around the foundations, the water started pooling between the two lots. When we started sinking into the mud up to our calves, we decided to call it quits until the sun dried up some of the water.
We moved on to laying down termite shields, strapping down floor joists, and nailing rim joists. We learned a lot of cool construction words that I promptly forgot, experienced the beautiful Louisiana sunshine, drove 86 million nails, and got generally dirty...it was fantastic.
New Orleans is feeling more and more like home every day.
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