NOLA Return: Day 3 & 4
Friday, June 20, 2008
The days have been filled with mudding, taping, and sanding drywall in the NOLA 100 house. The nights have been rather calm, with a delicious dinner every night and talk with now familiar strangers. We sit on stairs, on broken concrete, on bunk beds and porches, beers or waters in hand and talk about the area, where we're from, where we're going.
Last night, beers on the porch as we surveyed the landscape. All was quiet for a few minutes, amongst the slapping of our hands against legs and thighs, trying to dissuade the mosquitos and it dawned on me once again, the surreality of where we were sitting and what it meant.
A couple days ago, we made it to the House of Dance and Feathers. Badly damaged in Katrina, it was rebuilt with the help of some K-State students, as well as other organizations. The primary focus of the museum is dedicated to the Mardi Gras Indians and Krewes, but the evolving focus seems to be on community in general, namely the Lower 9th. The owner/proprieter, Ronald W. Lewis, is a walking museum himself since he'd been through Betsy in '65 and Katrina (according to Mr. Lewis, the levee broke in the same place both times). He even grew up on the block where we're staying, the block where there is nothing left except our house and one other behind. (Speaking of the house behind ours, the owners will be moving back in starting tonight. The first resident is a woman over 100 years old.)
The whole experience was intense, looking through the intricate costumes, the unbelievable beadwork, the beautiful plumage. But the real intensity was talking to Mr. Lewis. His love of his city, his commuity is so deep and strong, something that seems to gone from much of America in the past few decades. Looking through his 2-year collection of news stories about Katrina brought tears to my eyes again. Some of those stories, those photos, I'd never seen. He wants people to know their city, before and after the storm. He wants people to pay attention and also knows that it's not the government who will save New Orleans, but the people. It is the small groups that are doing the groundwork, not the celebrities or the huge federal form-filling factories. Greensburg, KS, he said, was seeing much progress a year later, and New Orleans is still struggling with basic needs in some areas. But as he said, "it's not a political thing, it's a people thing." People have to take notice, stay focused, and start helping each other out.
I am amazed at this city, I truly am. The tenacity of the residents, the love they feel, and the gratitude. Not once have I ever felt like a stranger here. From the people driving by, telling us thank you for doing what we're doing, to the fellow volunteers you get to know by sweating and working alongside.
Today we finish the mudding and sanding on the house we've been working on. Tonight is VaVaVoom at Mimi's with a bunch of Common Ground people. Tomorrow our volunteer stint is over and even though my back aches and I've sweat buckets every day, I'm grateful and more than a little sad to be leaving so soon.
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Posted by thirtyeight (Dave Loewenstein) on June 20, 2008 at 8:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks Jill.
Posted by heidizeller (anonymous) on June 28, 2008 at 2:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's so important to have people like you provide a direct link to what's still happening there. So many people (including the media) long ago moved on. Meanwhile one of our country's major cities is still suffering badly. Thanks for writing about your experience.
Posted by godjilla (Jill Ensley) on July 1, 2008 at 3:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank YOU, Ms. Zeller. Not just for the appreciation, but all the info and insight you've given me.
I have exciting news...will tell you soon.
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