New Orleans RUAB Spring 2014!

Our first Alternative Break meeting, we sat in a room full of 13 strangers from all different backgrounds, talking about a trip that seemed to be in the very distant future. We never would have guessed that after a spending a week in New Orleans together, we would go through life-changing experiences and become a perfectly cohesive, dysfunctional, and hysterical group of close friends. Not only did we become close, but the passion that we had for our project and the homeowners  was overwhelming. #NOLA2014 was something we'll never forget.

After landing in New Orleans early Sunday morning, we drove to the United Saints, which was the non-profit organization who led our community service. We settled into our little apartment for the week, and headed out to use our free day to explore the city. We passed things such as the Super Dome, The Smoothie Center, and eventually parked at The French Quarters.

The city of New Orleans itself has so much culture. Anything from Mardi Gras beads, to Dia de Los Muertos and Voodoo dolls. Even the streets picture the original Spanish names from centuries ago. There's so much art and culture to be seen around every turn. The architecture is unlike any you would normally see on the East Coast. Not to mention the food is out of this world. I'm pretty sure I magically grew tastebuds just for southern food during this trip.

Famous Cafe du Monde Coffee

Beignets

Blackened Redfish Tacos at Juan's Taqueria

It was very easy to appreciate every thing that the city had to offer on that first day. We got to experience to tourists' side of the city, however that enjoyment quickly turned into heartbreak and compassion as the week went on. Driving through the back roads of the city, the damage that was still left from Hurricane Katrina even after 8 years, was truly shocking. Each road had about 3 beautifully decorated houses, each separated by abandoned, over grown residences. The contrast between the beauty and the horrific damage still left untouched gave us a completely different experience than most tourists.

As the week went on, we were eventually assigned to a few smaller projects such as restoring a community garden in the Ninth Ward, and helping to roof a house. We soon fell in love with a specific project, which we made our home for the rest of the week. Morris and Steve, an older couple whose home was damaged in Hurricane Katrina, welcomed us with open arms to help them finish construction on their house before their June 2014 deadline. I can think of no other way to describe our experience with Morris and Steve other than the fact that they will forever be family. The personal stories they shared with us, both about the hurricane and their lives in general, will forever stay in the back of our minds. They sang and danced with us, they helped us with construction when needed, they laughed with us, they brought us tiny gifts and snacks, they gave us pounds and pounds of Mardi Gras beads, but most of all, they gave us a piece of our lives that we will never forget. Their infectious positive spirits, even after living through many tragedies, was truly inspiring. By the end of the week, we had put every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears that we possibly could into their house. We know that they will complete their project before their deadline, and will be stress free to enjoy their beautiful home and the rest of their lives together. 

Experiencing New Orleans from an Alternative Break standpoint was not your typical vacation. I now know that you can never truly appreciate a city until you have seen it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It might be painful to see and discouraging, but the work we did, the lives we touched, the lives who touched us and the lessons that we learned were worth every second.