As our ASB trip comes to a close, the group reflected on the following question: Describe a realization from an experience this week that has changed your perspective.
“Through conversation & observation with the people of New Orleans, I have gained the realization that no matter the hardship, there is always cause to celebrate. Through life, death, and tradition the celebrations should always go on.”
“Meeting the owner of the house we were working on was incredible! She was working right beside us on her future home with such enthusiasm. It really put this trip into perspective, that what we were doing was meaningful and makes a difference.”
“Katrina destroyed a lot more than just houses. Seeing the spirit of this vibrant town dampered made me realize that everything can be damaged, but also that everything can be rebuilt.”
“Although New Orleans is still heavily damaged, residents are optimistic and working hard to make it beautiful once again.”
“Seeing New Orleans with my own eyes was an amazing experience. Actually seeing the Ninth Ward was incredible. Seeing that the people were still there was inspiring to say the least. They’re still here after the incredible amount of damage that was done and that shows hope and extermination. Seeing and meeting these people completely changed my life.”
“The Ninth Ward was the opportunity to be a beautiful area again with the efforts from the neighborhood community and volunteers. it was comforting to have people wave and thank us for our efforts. The bike tour helped show what the area looked like and that my /view of the area was not correct.”
“Before this trip I always wondered why people would choose to remain in a city prone to natural disaster & flooding. From the bike tour & visiting The House of Dance & Feathers”, I’ve realized how rich the culture is in a New Orleans and why people who grew up here would choose to stay despite the city’s problems.”
“My biggest realization was though it is awesome all these volunteers are coming to help out, they aren’t all necessarily asking the community what they need. New Orleans is a very cultured city, very different from others in the US. When projects like the Brad Pitt Make It Right Houses come in and do what they want, they are changing the atmosphere. Its an awesome they already housed 70 families back in the lower ninth BUT the design of the houses are so different from the rest of the communities. This takes away from the original culture of the neighborhood and also going to create this barrier of a “gated community.”
“The cleanup made me realize how much New Orleans is still under poverty and the amount of damage that is still present from Hurricane Katrina.”
“I’ve heard that New Orleans is dirty, but until yesterday I never truly knew what that meant because I know that every city can have trash but where I’m from it is certainly not as big as a problem as it is here. When I saw all the trash on the ground, I was just shocked that people would do that to their city and it makes me wonder how they came to think it was okay. Before we started picking up the trash, I honestly didn’t want to but when we only worked a few blocks, I realized it was a necessity. This city is full of culture and it should be protected by all people to give it the looks that represent its plentiful activity. All of what I saw made me appreciate how we take care of cities in North Carolina and I hope that one day, New Orleans will not have that trash on their great city.”
“Before going on this trip, I always thought of New Orleans as the place where Hurricane Katrina struck. After touring the area and meeting the people who lived here, I learned that New Orleans is much more. It is full of music, good people and that Hurricane Katrina never changed that. That atmosphere kept people going through everything and it brought people together and that to me is amazing. It also made me realize that you make the situation and even if you go through something like Katrina, you can still be happy with the support of the community.”
“New Orleans still has a long way to go as far as clean up. I was surprised that 6 1/2 years after Katrina, more work hasn’t been done. After seeing the empty lots on the bike tour, I realized a lot of people have not been back home.”
“While working with other students this week, I realized how different each of us are. People from Boston who have never seen wild animals or have backyards were trying to clean and build a house. People from Virginia & Louisiana coming together to work with no experience. For the NC State students, some of us had experience but many had none. We all learned valuable skills this week whether it was patience, kindness, the ability to hammer, dig holes or caulk! Hopefully none of us are put to the test of building our own house but we all learned how much work goes into rebuilding a life after a disaster.”