Habitat for Humanity

I can honestly say my adventure in New Orleans was a trip of a lifetime. If you want to skip my write up, you can view my photo album here: New Orleans Pix.
I was nervous when the plane touched down in New Orleans. I had no idea who I would be living with and what the work week would entail. Luckily enough my trip started with ample comic relief to ease any lingering nervousness. Ray (our fearless team leader) greeted Trevor, Zane and I at the airport. We all burst out laughing when Ray popped the trunk of his Toyota Echo. Not to bash the Echo, because I know they are great little cars for gas mileage, but the trunk space pretty much fits one suitcase comfortably. Correction, it fits one carry-on bag comfortably. We stacked all of our luggage on our laps, and looked like a carload of floating heads. We had to keep pushing bags out of our faces to talk to one another. We had a great laugh, it was a terrific ice breaker. We drove out to Thibodaux, about an hour's drive west of New Orleans to meet the rest of our team in our Habitat For Humanity volunteer headquarters.

My teammates: Pat (a retired nurse who dedicated her career working in the Children's Hospital in Toronto and mother of two sons), Leona (Pat's older sister, a retired teacher from Haliburton -Ontario's beautiful cottage region), Don (An engineer from London Ontario who runs his own company and competes in Masters Race Walking, father of a son and daughter), Aggie (Don's wife, a retired school teacher and Master Race Walker), Trevor (an archeologist from Winnipeg), Nora Mclellan(a theatre actress from Niagara On the Lake, you can google her bio, it's impressive), Winnie (an engineer from Toronto), Sara (a dairy farmer from Cape Breton), Zane (runs maintenance for the legislative buildings in Edmonton, father of two daughters), and Ray, our fearless leader from London Ontario who has built over 15 houses for Habitat since 1998.

Our living quarters: We split our team into two homes, one for the men and one for the women. The houses for the volunteers to sleep in were extremely bare, simply because they would be finished and donated to families at a later date, once the Habitat subdivision neared completion. We had mats on the floor for our sleeping bags, and the kitchen was simply equipped with a refrigerator and microwaves (no sink or stove). At first glance we all thought our kitchen had a television, but it was just an ancient microwave that we all stood a safe distance from when it was in operation. I was thrilled that Pat packed a tin of Tim Horton's coffee, it brought that little piece of Canadiana into our home. It was also funny that Don and Aggie kept to the arrangement and slept in separate houses during their week's stay. Every night they'd kiss in the driveway like a couple of teenagers. It was so funny at the end of the week, we were all staying up late chatting in the kitchen and then Aggie said, "Ok troops, I think I'm going to change into my pj's and turn in." And without a moment's hesitation, Don said "Can I watch?" I think the separate housing situation put a new spark in their marriage. :)

Our daily routine: We'd get up at 6 a.m. and the men and women would congregate in the women's kitchen where we'd all jockey for position to have breakfast. At 7 a.m., we'd meet up with the rest of the volunteers at the Habitat pavillion to go over the day's work duties and do a group cheer. We would fill our tool belts at the shed with what we would need for the day ahead, load ladders and power tools on the truck to be dropped off at the job site and put in a workday from 7-3. At noon we'd all gather at the little mess hall for a free lunch (usually meat and a rice dish, so for me, usually a rice dish). In the evening, the 10 Canadians would drive into Houma or Thibodaux for dinner (the dinners out were included in our initial Habitat fee). It became part of our routine to also get lost everytime we drove off the Habitat site. A some point during every evening out, we'd end up in a parking lot looking at maps or asking for directions. It definitely offered up a lot of comic relief. The funniest evening of all is when the team decided to go to a lecture on coastal erosion .(I can't think of a better way to top off a long day of construction work in 80 degree heat, can you?) Our driver was going down the highway, making turns, driving through subdivisions and then he eventually pulled over and said, " so, where exactly is this place the lecture is at?" Nobody had any idea. No one brought the address or directions. 10 people and no one had the foresight to bring the brochure. I was pretty thrilled that we didn't find the lecture and went out instead for a fabulous meal of pasta and vino. After our meals in town, we'd usually all congregate in the kitchen of the women's house for tea/wine and great conversation.

The Habitat project: Families who lost their homes during Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita could apply to Habitat for one of the new homes on the Bayou. As part of the application process, potential partner families have to be gainfully employed to make the mortgage payments and they have to be willing to donate 350 volunteer hours before receiving their homes. For me, perhaps the most inspiring moment of my week came from meeting the partner families. Often family members would assist us on our worksites as they fulfilled their volunteer hours. Their stories were remarkable. So many of them lost everything. I remember one woman telling me she had been separated from her children for 5 weeks during Katrina's aftermath, and she had no idea if they were alive or dead during that time. The families would hug us and thank us for donating our time to help them. I have honestly never felt so fulfilled. It made me single handedly feel like I was making someone else's life better. I was so angered by the US government's slow reaction to help these families that I worked extra hard to push myself during my visit and make every moment count. I painted 20 shutters, installed three porch posts, put soffits up on two houses and installed F and J stripping on two homes. I conquered my fear of heights by spending the majority of the week on top of a ladder. I felt so empowered walking around the job sites with my tool belt on - it definitely put an extra swagger in my step. I also found it exhilarating using power tools. Even though I had on goofy safety goggles most of the week, with a power drill or hammer in hand, I felt right sexy! I will surely be a Home Depot junkie after this experience.

Highlights:
We took a tour of New Orleans and got to see the true scope of Katrina's devastation. Our tour started in the beautiful French Quarter, which was virtually untouched by Katrina. The wrought iron designs and architecture were simply stunning. We learned about the fascinating history of the old Creole City. But it was the drive through the St. Bernard Parish and the 9th Ward that left me speechless. It's been over one year since Hurricane Katrina struck, and the regions surrounding the Industrial Canal, where the largest levee breached, still feel like a ghost town. Tens of thousands of homes remain boarded up, with spray painted statistics on their front doors, indicating if bodies or pets were found inside during initial inspections. It's so hard to believe that so many families are still living in tiny FEMA trailers in their front yards, still trying to piece their lives back together. It was alarming to see the water lines on the houses and to see the holes in the rooftops where families had to gather and await rescue. I found it especially frustraing to see the city rebuild the same levee structures that failed them before. They haven't learned from this devastation. It was an eye opener but well worth seeing to feel the full impact of what these people went through and continue to endure. It definitely made me feel the urgency of my volunteer work and the necessity of it. All of the volunteers had a wonderful sendoff with a barbeque dinner. I was a little surprised when I arrived to find the barbeque consisted of three kinds of meatballs. It was another rice dinner for me! But we had a great time sitting around the campfire, sipping wine out of plastic cups. We looked at the constellations, made smores and chatted about the week we all had together. We played cards in the men's kitchen and honestly laughed so hard we had tears streaming down our cheeks. I am so thrilled that the Habitat project coincided with my week off of work. Meeting new friends, lending a helping hand, learning about construction, indulging in travel photography, and feeling fulfilled - not bad for a week's holidays. :)