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marathoner452Where to begin? This last week has been crazy. First for the bad news. The "Katrina crudt" has gotten worse. It feels like someones stabbing me in the throat everytime I swallow, and I've been all stuffed up since the day I got here and out on the response vehicles. This is not cool. No one's going to convince me that this is just allergies, because I never had allergies a day in my life before I got to New Orleans. It's the "black mold motel" that's making everyone sick, and if our higher-ups want to tell us to stop complaining, maybe they should move from their fancy-schmancy hotel to over here.
Anyway, I've had a huge number of amazing "Red Cross moments" in the past week or so. For one thing, I've been on the same route, Violet, since last Wednesday. That's awesome because I've really gotten to know the clients (the people we're serving). I know Kathleen and her survivor dog named Gypsy, I know the guy who thinks that all women are good for is heart attacks, and I know the older woman in a FEMA trailer next to what used to be a Baptist church who needs her food brought to her. I ride in the back of the response vehicle with a woman who lives down in Plaquemines right where the storm hit, and after three days of riding with her, I think she's warmed up to me. I've heard some amazing stories from her, and she's taught me a lot about the strength and resiliance of people down here.
The best part is feeding the thousands of college kids who are down here for spring break gutting houses, particularly houses in the 9th Ward. One of the girls I passed hand sanitizer (our new best friend) out to today wanted to know about how she could join up with the Red Cross when she gets home. I probably just recruited a lifelong Red Cross Disaster Services volunteer. Besides, those kids are just about my age and they're so grateful for anything other than hot dogs.
Monday, Karen (a fellow Red Cross volunteer and history buff) and I took our day off wandering the French Quarter just blocks from our hotel. Beignets for breakfast, po-boys for lunch, lots of souvenir shopping and a private tour of the Beauregard-Keyes house. The best part is that for the day we weren't Red Cross volunteers but tourists, and we got to see the good side of the city, the side that's recovering on something like a schedule. I think I've had just about every local food so far-jambalaya, etouffee, gumbo, po-boys, and beignets. Oh, and hurricanes to drink with just about every dinner, that or Katrinas or Katrina-Ritas. Those things are powerful.
In short, this has been the bext two weeks of my life so far. I couldn't have asked for more-fellow volunteers who become best friends within hours, clients who are endlessly appreciative and hardworking, and the energy of a city that will come back. What more could I ask for?
"Auryn," I'd love to get to meet you but that might be a trick given that by the time we get off the response vehicles and back to the hotel it's usually at least 7 pm. I don't know what your work schedule is like, but I'm here until next Friday. I have a day off on Wednesday to do the whole tourist thing again, then I "out-process" (basically, meet with our mental health people to be sure I'm still sane) on Thursday and fly home on Friday. Let me know what works for you-my number is (734) 765-5880.
For now, I just hope my roommate isn't too upset with me for not doing the whole Bourbon Street thing tonight. It's off to bed with me-I'll be on the trolley at 7 am for a breakfast of beignets at Cafe du Monde.
~Bethany
Anyway, I've had a huge number of amazing "Red Cross moments" in the past week or so. For one thing, I've been on the same route, Violet, since last Wednesday. That's awesome because I've really gotten to know the clients (the people we're serving). I know Kathleen and her survivor dog named Gypsy, I know the guy who thinks that all women are good for is heart attacks, and I know the older woman in a FEMA trailer next to what used to be a Baptist church who needs her food brought to her. I ride in the back of the response vehicle with a woman who lives down in Plaquemines right where the storm hit, and after three days of riding with her, I think she's warmed up to me. I've heard some amazing stories from her, and she's taught me a lot about the strength and resiliance of people down here.
The best part is feeding the thousands of college kids who are down here for spring break gutting houses, particularly houses in the 9th Ward. One of the girls I passed hand sanitizer (our new best friend) out to today wanted to know about how she could join up with the Red Cross when she gets home. I probably just recruited a lifelong Red Cross Disaster Services volunteer. Besides, those kids are just about my age and they're so grateful for anything other than hot dogs.
Monday, Karen (a fellow Red Cross volunteer and history buff) and I took our day off wandering the French Quarter just blocks from our hotel. Beignets for breakfast, po-boys for lunch, lots of souvenir shopping and a private tour of the Beauregard-Keyes house. The best part is that for the day we weren't Red Cross volunteers but tourists, and we got to see the good side of the city, the side that's recovering on something like a schedule. I think I've had just about every local food so far-jambalaya, etouffee, gumbo, po-boys, and beignets. Oh, and hurricanes to drink with just about every dinner, that or Katrinas or Katrina-Ritas. Those things are powerful.
In short, this has been the bext two weeks of my life so far. I couldn't have asked for more-fellow volunteers who become best friends within hours, clients who are endlessly appreciative and hardworking, and the energy of a city that will come back. What more could I ask for?
"Auryn," I'd love to get to meet you but that might be a trick given that by the time we get off the response vehicles and back to the hotel it's usually at least 7 pm. I don't know what your work schedule is like, but I'm here until next Friday. I have a day off on Wednesday to do the whole tourist thing again, then I "out-process" (basically, meet with our mental health people to be sure I'm still sane) on Thursday and fly home on Friday. Let me know what works for you-my number is (734) 765-5880.
For now, I just hope my roommate isn't too upset with me for not doing the whole Bourbon Street thing tonight. It's off to bed with me-I'll be on the trolley at 7 am for a breakfast of beignets at Cafe du Monde.
~Bethany
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Date: 2006-07-15 02:24 pm (UTC)The kicker for me was the really deep chest cough. Not cool to be coughing and sneezing all over the place when you're serving food.
Hope you get feeling better.
~Bethany