I went on my first Raider Service Break this past August to Caprock Canyons State Park and was immediately hooked. I loved being able to travel someplace I’d never been while getting to spend some quality time outdoors, something I hadn’t expected to do when I returned to school last year. Not only was it a good excuse to travel, but it provided me with some insight into the operation of a state park and some of the issues they had been facing with graffiti and trail maintenance. While we were serving in Caprock, Jacy mentioned RSB would be heading to New Orleans the following January to assist Youth Rebuilding New Orleans with neighborhood revitalization. Admittedly, while I had always wanted to visit New Orleans, I wasn’t interested in the trip initially. With Caprock, we were mainly left to our own devices as we worked. In New Orleans, they would be working directly with local youths, something I was not particularly comfortable with. I would not describe myself as a “people person,” much less so around kids. Not to mention I had zero experience with construction. I’m more of a conservation kind of girl. So, I dismissed the idea. However, it didn’t take too long before that irresistible call to travel kicked back in. I thought to myself, “when was the last time you did something out of your comfort zone?” With that thought in mind, I took the plunge and signed up.
While I had one service trip under my belt, I had no idea what to expect. Caprock had been a weekend trip, this would be my first full-length excursion. We divvied up into two large SUVs and departed Lubbock at 6am on Sunday. We pulled up to the Youth Rebuilding New Orleans bunkhouse around 8pm, a deceptively small looking building. It was there we got our first taste of traditional New Orleans architecture: the shotgun house (I later learned the bunkhouse was actually a “camelback” as a second story was added to the rear of the house). Shotgun houses are narrow, rectangular structures designed to promote airflow prior to the invention of air conditioning. Several of the girls jokingly referred to it as a “tardis house” as it appeared much bigger from the inside. One thing was clear, we weren’t in Texas anymore.
The following morning we piled into the cars and headed out to the worksite. It was there we met John, Ray, Jeremy, and a large group of volunteers from Marquette University in Wisconsin. John, the site manager, had us gather in a circle and we played the name game (something I’m horrible at) to help us all get acquainted. Afterwards, he shared the history of YRNO. It was then that the importance of what we were doing became clear to me. Youth Rebuilding New Orleans was founded in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. A group of school kids came together to aid in the arduous process of rebuilding the city. YRNO has continued to be active throughout the community over all these years. The houses built and/or renovated by the organization are sold to educators and first responders for less than their market value, in order to keep them from being priced out. The house we were working on was located in the Lower Ninth Ward, a section of the city that was destroyed when the levees broke. After we completed work on the first day, John guided us to the site where the levee broke.
As an older, non-traditional student, I was one of the few people on the trip old enough to vividly recall the events of Hurricane Katrina. As a result, I found what I saw particularly jarring. In August 2005, I was a sophomore at Carroll High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. Shortly after the hurricane hit, refugees were bused into Corpus from the affected areas for shelter while they waited for the all-clear to return home, or what was left of it. Several of these refugees were temporarily enrolled alongside us in schools throughout the city. One such girl from Mississippi was temporarily a member of my school’s band. She recounted to us the terror of what she experienced during the hurricane. She shared her frustration with being unable to return home, and how difficult the bus ride to Texas had been, not knowing what happened to her hometown. Despite everything, she kept her head up and carried on in high spirits. That is, until we sightread Georgia on My Mind in class. It was a song that reminded her of home. Upon hearing it, she became overwhelmed and ran out of the bandhall in tears. It was a testament to how traumatic Katrina had been for the millions of people affected.
Even though I had been in contact with someone who had been affected, I didn’t understand just how devastating the effects of Katrina were until I visited the Lower Ninth Ward. Nearly fifteen years later, the city still bears the scars of the tragedy: overgrown lots where houses once stood, empty foundations, water stains on bridges, and condemned buildings left frozen in time. I can’t even fathom what it would have been like to have to rebuild after an event like that. It made the work of organizations like YRNO all the more inspiring to me.
Despite everything that happened, the city is teeming with life. This is in large part due to the New Orleanians’ love of their city and their commitment to its restoration. One such person is Ms. Gloria, who opened a beautiful neighborhood garden in order to bring the community together. She largely funds it herself and makes the produce she grows available for free to whoever may need it. It is clear she is well loved by the community. On the days we were helping at her garden, several people stopped to thank us for helping her. I was truly humbled by the strong sense of community present in New Orleans.
We spent a total of five days volunteering and exploring the city. We spent a few nights exploring the French Quarter, watching street performers, and eating entirely too many beignets. I even got to scratch an item off my bucket list by watching a brass band perform in the city where jazz was born! It was an absolute blast getting to know everyone and picking up some new skills (I got pretty good with a nail gun and crowbar!). But alas, all good things must come to an end. We left New Orleans at 6am on Saturday, and despite the weather and our tire’s best efforts, we made it back to Lubbock safe and sound around 8pm that night.
I am so grateful I decided to take the plunge and step outside of my comfort zone. I had a fantastic time loading up in a couple of SUVs with strangers, exploring someplace new, and doing some good for the community. Not only was the trip fun, but it was also very eye opening, humbling, and highly educational. It inspired me to branch out and try something new, to search for other ways to serve aside from sticking with conservation type projects.
So, when was the last time you did something outside of your comfort zone?
-Sarah Tapia