Helping out in New Orleans

This trip was an amazing experience.  Before going down I really did not know what to expect.  It was a rude awakening to see how terrible the situation was down there.  I know a lot of people don’t undersatnd the full extent of the problem since the media has not brought attention to it, so for most people since it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind.  However, there is no doubt that New Orleans needs a lot of help and I am grateful I was bale to do my part. 
          I really enjoyed getting to meet people on the trip.  Not just the fellow students form Rutgers and Stockton but also the long-term volunteers and the residents of New Orleans.  I really give it up to those who have spent an extensive amount of time rebuilding in New Orleans because it is not easy work.  It’s labor intensive and can even be dangerous to your health through being exposed to things like lots of dust and lead paint.  Moreover, it was important to put a face to a house we were working on.  To know that our efforts were going to make it possible that this person regain part of their life back.  In particular, it was nice to meet Mr. Turner and know that when his house is finished he will no longer have to live in the trailer alongside his home.  
          What brought this trip full circle were the discussions we had at night.  We reflected on our days and could compare our experiences to the other volunteers.  We also talked about issues around Hurricane Katrina like the failure in the government’s response to the disaster and the social injustices that coincided with that.  Additionally, we looked at other issues like the environment and the toll that this Hurricane has taken on it especially in reference to water quality.
          Furthermore, it was great to learn a little more about New Orleans as a whole.  For example, I learned what a shotgun house was and how many of the houses in the Lower Ninth Ward were built this way.  A shotgun house is a particular house design that allows for maximum ventilation during the hot summers.  It gets its name from the fact that if you shot a bullet through the front door of the house, it would go completely through the house and out the back door since all the doorways of the house were lined up in a row.  Also, I appreciated the eye-catching color schemes a lot of the houses had.  Bright colors both inside and outside the house really bring cheerfulness and delight.
          Overall this was truly a life-changing trip and I will definitely be traveling down again to help out even more and encourage others to get involved also.  If you cannot volunteer you time per se look into donations or at least talking about New Orleans and making sure that people not forget this tragedy and that many people still need help.