Student Reflections

However, what hit many of us the most was going to the 9 th Ward. ... This was literally the worst thing we have ever seen. Words cannot even begin to explain how deep this affects you, not even pictures can help explain. It is something you have to experience by being there. But something that was so upsetting you almost wish you didn’t go there to see it. From that experience we made realizations, realizations that will last a life time. [full entry]

Whether or not race is actually a reason that people in this area are having a harder time rebuilding is up for debate, but it is without a doubt an obvious conclusion to the problems going on there. Gender goes right along with race considering that the majority of single parent homes are headed by women and that on average they make a lower income then man. [full entry]

I think that everybody who went on this trip had their own moment. What I mean by moment, is a sudden realization of why you were truly there. For me, that moment was during the St. Michael’s Special School “Thank You” program, dedicated to our class. ... It was at this point when I finally realized why I was there. I wasn’t there just to do the physical work of rebuilding, however much it may have helped. I was there to support the rebuilding process, and to give the people of New Orleans hope for the future in their time of need. [full entry]

As a class we drove around near the area by the Superdome and Convention center and understood how hard it would have been for the people to escape. The best route out of the city was through overpasses and expressways. Otherwise people had to travel through the debris ravaged waters. [full entry]

Participating in relief work for the people of New Orleans really makes you feel like you are a part of their community. ... We had educated ourselves before going down, and now we received the experience to further enhance what we learned. Although we will never be able to fully understand what these people when through in late August, early September, I really felt like I was right at home and wouldn’t have left if it weren’t for school on Monday. I will definitely never forget the sights, the people, the food, the music, the art, or the history of the city. [full entry]