Winter Break in New Orleans

I chose to go on this trip because I wanted to do something worthwhile with my winter break and I wanted to help a community that needed aid. We worked with the organization Youth Rebuilding New Orleans, they focus on rebuilding or remodeling houses in neighborhoods affected by Hurricane Katrina around the city of New Orleans and then they sell them at a more affordable price to educators. In doing so, they are not only contributing to the development of the city after a devastating disaster, but they are also investing in the education of future generations.

We started our trip on Sunday morning at 6:00. We all met up in a parking lot and from there we left for a 14-hour long road trip all the way from Lubbock, Texas to New Orleans, Louisiana. We finally got to the YRNO house and settled in for the busy day we were going to have the next day. When we got to the construction site the other group, we were working with from Wisconsin was already there. It was really cool to be able to meet more people from different places and work with them on a project as big as this one. I, Deann, Radhika, and another girl from Marquette called Lily began working on the attic of the house. Before this trip, I had never tried any kind of construction work, but Ray – one of the site leaders - made it easy to learn how to use the power tools. We began drilling pieces of plywood to the ceiling and I have to admit, at first it was kind of scary walking through single planks of wood and loose wood. Unexpectedly, crawling through the attic moving heavy pieces of wood and drilling them was so much more fun than it sounds. We got to talk with Ray and Jeremy, and we all had fun while working.

The next day, I woke up very sore but excited to keep working. This time I worked in the front of the house, helping cut and secure the walls of the house. I learned to use the power saw and the nail gun and found out I really enjoy using power tools - something that I would have never learned if it weren’t for this trip. I especially liked using the jigsaw - or as I like to call it, the electric turkey knife - which I used in the house to narrow down the window holes, I even found out that I have quite the steady hand. That same day John took us to the levee that fell causing most of the damage in the neighborhood. Seeing the watermarks on some of the older houses and some of the leftover debris on the floor impressed me as it showed how impactful Hurricane Katrina was for the city. When I learned more about Hurricane Katrina and how much it affected the city, I found a certain motivation to give it my best because I knew we were working to help improve a community that had faced a terrible disaster.

On our third day, John, who has worked with the organization for many years showed us some of the accomplishments the organizations had achieved. He took us to some of the houses they successfully rebuilt and sold and even explained how they maintained the price as low as possible. One of the houses we saw, for example, had two separate living spaces, one of which the owner could rent out and gain some money. This shows just how much YRNO cares about helping those who are counting on them. Watching the beautiful European style houses and listening to John's passion for helping the community inspired me to be more involved in my own community back home. John also showed us how they create these houses as environmentally conscious as they can. Taking into account the city’s susceptibility to being drowned, they include aspects that will help prevent it. An example is how in each house they have a 50-gallon water barrel that helps preserve some of the rain so it doesn’t end up in the streets, and in case it does they minimize the amount of concrete used so that the soil can absorb water.

After that, we went to a community garden that belonged to a wonderful lady called Ms. Gloria. We decided to take turns with the Wisconsin group in working at the house because there were too many of us, so we helped out in the garden for 2 days. On the first day, Ms. Gloria had us paint some baskets to add to her collection of colorful pots and garden furniture. I helped paint some black and white baskets that matched a couple of chairs she already had. On the second day, I decided to leave the painting for the others and helped cut outlines of people that Ms. Gloria had drawn beforehand on pieces of plywood. Once again, I used the jigsaw for this and managed to cut the outlines which were fun. I also helped take out the fencing on the old garden site, which was difficult because it had been buried with the concrete.

I have always been crafty, I enjoy making things with my hands such as stained glass, or sculptures, but building a house just took it to the next level. Seeing the progress and knowing you contributed to it was really satisfying. On the last day we worked there John taught us how to install the windows. First, we pulled up the windows from the ground and placed them in their respective hole, then drilled them in and secured them with a tape that prevented the water from coming in. Seeing the house with windows made a difference as it looked so much more complete.

Whether we were walking down the French Quarter on our way to get some beignets, painting art pieces on Ms. Gloria’s community garden, or cutting up some wood for the house we were building, there wasn’t a second when I didn't feel welcomed in this wonderful city. This trip helped me realize things I didn’t know about myself, like how I actually enjoy construction work. Now I will definitely try to find more opportunities to volunteer with organizations like this and I hope more people get to experience what I did.

- Ana Gutierrez