None of us thought we would work this hard at any point in the trip. But we did. And then we kept going.
We set off at 8:45 this morning (after pancakes) for the Lower 9th Ward: the most economically depressed and (no coincidence) hardest-hit part of New Orleans. The area still looks like it was leveled by bombs. Our project was to remove weeds and overgrowth from the yards of people in danger of receiving fines for lack of upkeep. It sounds mundane enough except that the fine can run as high as $500 a day, even for people who haven’t been able to move back into their destroyed homes. Such penalties have forced some to sell their homes which suddenly makes it all look like an insidious land-grab.
With this in mind the group tore those yards up. I haven’t seen a group work that hard or fast before. We hacked and raked far beyond the anticipation of our coordinators, the Survivor Council Community Center, so we even cleared a bonus yard. This group of students is a real blast to work with.
After the blisters and soreness and run-in with a hill of fire ants, Sr. Mary Pat lead us on a “reality tour” drive through other destroyed and developing areas of the city. We found our way back to Duchesne House for dinner, a documentary about the importance of wetland restoration, and much needed showers. Student reflections to follow…
Also, take a look at the “Pictures” page for a slideshow. We’ll add more photos as we take them.
Posted by puredesiretoknow 
Posted by puredesiretoknow 
