Last Night in New Orleans

This week went by so fast. I don't think any of us are ready to leave. Being here has affected all of us in different ways and we have all learned so much.
We learned a lot about Hurricane Katrina - we watched "Hurricane in the Bayou" on IMAX, talked to some locals and staff at Tulane University, and toured the Lower 9th Ward with our excellent half-tour-guide half-staff-leader Brent. A whole blog could be devoted to everything we saw and heard about the devastation of Katrina.
After learning about the people who need help here after the storm, and even talking to some of them, the service component of our trip was extremely rewarding. Alongside Habitat for Humanity, we hammered a lot and sawed some in order to finish a whole floor structure and put in all the floor boards for a house. We finished today very sore and with a lot of blisters, but with a wall up and huge smiles on our faces. We were helping somebody!
One question that was asked a lot - why would anybody want to move back into a city with so much devastation and abandonment that is prone to be hit by another hurricane? That question was quickly answered as we explored the city. We went to Bourbon Street, shopped in the French Market, ate beignets at Cafe du Monde, visited Universities, spoke to locals, went on a ghost tour, and just drove around looking at the architecture and parks. Another blog could be devoted to everything we learned about the city. There is so much culture embedded in New Orleans there is no way anyone couldn't love it - of course people who have lived here their whole lives would want to come back!
This is why we all feel so good about being able to spend our Spring Break serving those who need us in this beautiful place. We encourage everyone to check out our pictures and listen to stories about our week spent here - and of course we encourage anyone who can to come down to New Orleans themselves :)
What we learned here will be with us for our lives and we will bring it back to our hometown. In fact, a lot of us are considering continuing with Habitat back home - there are people in every city that could use our help.


I can't believe this is our last night!
-Kristine