The best term to describe today was surprise.  Due to the rain, our original tree-planting plan fell through, so we awoke at nine a.m with no idea what was going on today.  Fortunately for us, the wonderous Sherri Tarr, mother of UMD hillel’s own superhomie Josh gave us the surprise of the trip.  She agreed to meet with us at the local JCC and share her Katrina story with us.  But that wasn’t all!  She also invited our group to be guests of honor at the New Orleans Jewish Federation Gala event during the evening.

Sherri’s story was profound and heart-wrenching, as she told us her story of her family’s temporary evacuation to Houston in a state of disarray and uncertainty, before returning home to New Orleans to help rebuild her community.  After she spoke to us, we had an interesting discussion about our obligations to help those in need, and whether or not being close to a given situation gives us more of an obligation to help those in need than those in need who are physically and emotionally farther away.  Following our deep and profound discussion, Sherri provided us with our second wonderful surprise of the day, treating us to an impromptu lunch at a local Kosher restaurant.

In the afternoon, we worked with a program called Green Light New Orleans where we drove to different houses around the city to deliver and install environmentally friendly lightbulbs to the residents.  During our excursions, we met a number of interesting people, including a wonderful family, where we installed 36 lightbulbs, that just seemed to be totally high on life.

Sherri’s third surprise for us came that evening when she invited us to be guests of honor at the New Orleans Jewish Federation Gala event.  There, we were able to meet some awesome individuals in the Jewish community as we chowed down on the scrumptious munchees made by three famous New Orleans chefs who recently went together to cook in Israel.  Although many of us were under-dressed for the occasion, we could tell that everybody there truly appreciated our presence, and we fully enjoyed the experience.

Today was a great day, and we all look forward to yet simultaneously dread the coming of Shabbat, because although it is going to be a very awesome and holy shabbat, we know that Saturday will be the last full day that our great group will be together.  In this crazy, upside-down city that seems reminicient of old-school Shushan (where the purim story happened), we can’t help but feel a contradictory range of joy and despair as we prepare to depart from the wonderful, paradoxical city that we’ve all grown to love more than we every could’ve imagined.  Cheers from New Orleans!!!!

-Misha Brenner

We were able to break up the day for lunch at a gorgeous park next to Lake Washington.

From there, we went to the Kirkland Boys&Girls club to play at three different stations: relay races, knockout, and gaga. Before we started the games I started talking to one of the first graders Kai. We were talking about his family and he began to tell me that he was born prematurely in China to a mother who couldn’t afford his healthcare and therefore was forced to put him up for adoption. He went on to tell me that he almost died and how sad that made him—he said this in such an innocent and naïve way, not truly grasping the impact of his statement. I went on to reassure him that it was in fact a terrifically happy thing that he was alive because that meant that he was meant to due something deeply incredible. The conversation ended there, as he got distracted with Lego’s.

This brief conversation really led me to start thinking about what we are supposed to be doing here, both in Seattle and generally. Kai inspired me to strive to feel that I’m accomplishing something in any sort of situation I’m in, regardless of how its transparency. As a community health major, I slowly feel my interests converging into a tangible project based on things we have learned in the short few days we’ve been here. Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion defines health as something to be “seen as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living.” We are to inspire to be in a healthy place, physically, socially, and mentally to allow us to fully allow ourselves to do something incredible with our lives. Shaina

Then, we headed over for the tour that was led by a man named Mack.

He was raised in New Orleans and gave us a great perspective on how life was like before and after the storm.  He was incredibly thoughtful and friendly, and he would approach locals on the tour to ask them questions about their own experience.  One man we met was very open about family members that he had lost from Katrina, which was a very emotional experience for all of us.  We ended the tour and had lunch with Mack in the community center that he had created after the storm.  During lunch we were all able to share our thoughts on what we had experienced over the course of the day.  We then went to the Katrina exhibit where we saw pictures, murals, videos, and heard voice recordings of people’s accounts of the storm.  Once we returned to the hostel, we made dinner and finally headed out to Frenchmen street.  At Frenchmen street we saw a live jazz band and danced with another Hillel group from Ohio.  Overall today was a very meaningful day and will definitely be one of the days we talk about the most once we return home.

-Jillian

We had breakfast foods for dinner and paired off to discuss our thoughts for the day. We ended the night off on a high note with jazz music on Frenchman Street.

Lowell

Our second stop for the day was at the Rainer Beach urban farm project run from the Seattle Tilt project.  This farm started up in August and is slowly filling the three greenhouses they have on site.  We got hard to work by shoveling sand and wood chips to create a path and cover a coffee sack to avoid the growth of weeds and invasive species.  Of course none of us came prepared for the strenuous physical labor, but with the help of large shovels and some muscular men, we got the job done

No day is complete without a run to Starbucks, so we ended our day with a relaxing sip of coffee to reward ourselves with the hard work we did.

Back at the JCC a group of us ventured to the Yoga class taught by a local instructor.  It was an interesting experience to say the least, but we were able to stretch our bodies after a long day.

Hopefully tomorrow will be just as exciting! Until next time.

-Rachel Gordon

We are helping to restore Mr. Hargrove’s house to maintain some of its original architecture and character. This obviously requires a lot of detail work that takes a lot of time. Should volunteers like us be focusing on precision rather than efficiency and volume?  Doesn’t each person deserve the fortunate lifestyle that we have been blessed with? The conflict between helping the masses and providing people with the best situation is one that will probably remain in my mind for a long time. Regardless of this conflict, I am fortunate that I have the opportunity to help at least one person that has been affected by the storm.

-Morgan Franklin

For dinner, we had a wonderful home cooked family style meal.  Although we were exhausted, some to the point of delirium, we managed to engage in a hands on, messy, and comedic opening activity.  Despite a furniture malfunction we succeeded in covering our friends in jam and stuffing Oreos in our mouths and had a great time.  By 9:30 we were all in bed and asleep after a long but successful day.

After a quick breakfast we arrived at the Comin’ Home campus which consists of space for 52 residents and offices for the staff.  We began with a quick orientation and tour by Cliff, the site manager, where we learned that Comin’ Home provides many types of mental health services, connections to schooling and occupational opportunities in the area, and a warm supportive community.  Comin’ Home’s main goal is to enable their clients to reach their own goals whatever those may be.

We spent our morning “remodeling”  an apartment that is being renovated for future resident use.  Some tore up floor boards and old tile, which required many hours of hammering and chiseling to remove, while others ripped nails out of walls and repainted the interior. While most of us came to Zona with the expectations of warm weather and farmer’s tans we experienced a Tucson anomaly when the already chilly day surprised us with a quick burst of hail and snow.  The cold weather, however, did not deter us from our hard work; we managed to tear up all the tile and paint all the walls in the apartment.

We left with a strong feeling of accomplishment and returned to the house for a visit from Suzanne Perkins, a social worker for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder client at the Veterans Administration in Tucson. We talked for over an hour and a half in an open, honest conversation about the harsh realities facing veterans with PTSD and learning that this condition is treatable. The discussion was a great way for us to learn about the veterans we will be meeting and working with this week.

We ended our night with an intense reflection and discussion about the dichotomy between the american army and the IDF (Israeli Defense Force).  Given the diversity of the group, especially people’s Jewish backgrounds, varying perspectives were represented. Even after the discussion had officially concluded, we continued to discuss the issues. All in all, a wonderful second day.

Tomorrow… PRARIE DOGS!!!!!!!

It was a great first day on the West Coast. Everyone arrived safely to the airport and only one person was slightly delayed, but not a major issue for the group. We drove to the house in Chula Vista and it’s a cozy place with a nice patio seating area. It took some college-level math to figure out the bed situation and we’re all set now. A few of us went grocery shopping and we should be stocked for the week. We enjoyed a spaghetti dinner and discussed plans for the week ahead. Everyone is winding down for the evening.

San Diego Update #2

We had a fun-filled first full day in San Diego. We started bright and early with Border Angles. Half of the group painted rocks to be placed at a cemetery for unidentified persons. Meanwhile, the other half prepared burritos for day laborers for lunch. Then we hopped in our vans and drove to a park to chat with day laborers (in Spanish) and deliver the lunchs and a cold soda. Next, we went to Friendship Park. We walked along the border and the edge of the ocean and enjoyed learning from Enrique of Border Angels. In the evening, we met with a group of immigrants at the African Alliance to hear about their journeys. Tonight’s dinner was yummy burritos! There are some photos and updates on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SanDiegoAWB. Until next time, adios.