Auryn read down to the bottom (massive deployment update)

[marathoner452]

Where 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

Comments

[roadwarrior220.livejournal.com]

There you are! I've been thinking about you constantly, obviously. I've been praying for you to get better since the day things started to get bad down there. Although the Crudt isn't the highlight of your trip, I can tell you're having the time of your life, and I can't wait to see you and hear all about it and see your pictures. I've said it a hundred times--you're doing awesome work. :-) And I'm so proud of you.

I have news, too. You can read my journal from today if you get the chance, though since this is the first update in a week for you, I know you don't have much time on your hands. I'll update you the next time we talk, which I hope will be soon.

[quick-step.livejournal.com]

You are teh awesome!

[ratkrycek.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of you on Monday, hoping you were enjoying your day off. :) Sounds like your new hotel might not be as good as I'd hoped, but at least it has a shower! That has GOT to be an improvement. So cool about the college student you recruited; cool to know so many people care and are helping. It must be such a cool place to be - all kinds of emotions and experiences.

Drink a Katrina-Rita for me, and if you can, post the recipe - I'm curious as to what's in it!

Big hugs to you, and I'm just a call away, you know that (I'd call you but I don't know your work hours, so). It's cool to talk with a deployed volunteer and hear the good side of things down there, the love, the caring - the news can be very depressing. It's the people I care about, and the city.

[batemanenroute.livejournal.com]

AmeriCorps update: I've heard a rumour that AmeriCorps Alums will be organizing a service project to NoLa over the week of July 4th. If you're interested, let me know and I'll pass along information/details.

Good luck down there, and thanks again for going :)

[auryn24.livejournal.com]

I am off Saturday and Sunday this weekend. I'll see when I'm off next week as well.

My name is Liz, btw :)

504 606 7165 is my number. Call anytime and leave me a message if you want.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

hey good for you! You're doing great work down there. I hope the throat thing clears up once you're away from that hotel.

[eternallycaring.livejournal.com]

Hey Bethany,
I know all you hear on these posts is how proud your friends and family are of you, how they miss you, want to hear all the stories, etc, etc. Well this is not too different. Since the first day I met you in church till the last good bye scare I gave you jumping out of an aisle at Jos. A. Banks, I have known there exists a woman of amazing hope, aspirations, and radiant kindness hiding under that shy facade you sometimes live. At first, I will admit, I thought you to be sometimes...well a little prudish, but I have grown to admire and respect you and your outlook on things. I wish I could say I would do the same noble deeds you are doing right now as I type this, but I wouldn't know until it really came down to it. So, though I am still rambling on here...I just wanted to say I like you. I like you as a friend, I like knowing you in my life, and yes I even like your quirky sense of humor mixed with that simple beauty you possess. (wow, thats a vague use of like...can you tell I am dancing around some thoughts here.) Just know this, I am proud of you, your values, and the resolve in which you have handled life. God bless and good luck in all you do.
~adam henry~

[marathoner452.livejournal.com]

That would be AWESOME. I would love to go if my chapter would let me, southeast Louisiana summer heat notwithstanding. :-)

My email address is piikanala19@yahoo.com. That means "surf's up" in Hawaiian.

~Bethany

[flamingjune07.livejournal.com]

Hey, I came across your journal from dearnola -- I was wondering if you ran into Common Ground people while you were in the 9th Ward? I was down there working with them in December, and I always wondered what the hell we looked like to the Red Cross people :)

[marathoner452.livejournal.com]

My ERV crew was actually interviewed by Common Ground my second day down there, when I was still on the Lower 9th Ward route. We had to bite our tongues so hard when asked what we thought of where other agencies, particularly the government, had fallen down on the job. It's our policy to help people, not to criticize other groups, but geez, something's wrong when most of the city is getting back to normal and in a lot of St. Bernard's Parish it looks like the hurricane could have hit last week.

We loved seeing other groups out there-Common Ground, Operation HOPE, the Made with Love Cafe, college spring breakers. We made sure to do whatever we could for them, whether it was a hot meal, snacks, water, popsicles, or just a huge THANK YOU for what they all (and you all) are doing for New Orleans.

So THANK YOU too. :-)

~Bethany

[flamingjune07.livejournal.com]

Yeah, when I was down there, it looked like the only thing that had happened in the 9th ward was that the water was drained, and occasionally a lone bulldozer would show up and pick up a little bit of debris and rearrange the rest into piles. & this is 4 months after the storm happened :-/ I actually grew up in N.O., lived in Algiers until I was 15 years old, so frankly it was a real mindfuck. It was such a weird experience -- the destruction went way past despair into sheer surreality, but on the other hand, it felt like a huge triumph and statement to just be a living, healthy person walking around there, if that makes any sense.

But yeah, thank YOU as well for going down there and helping out, it's so good to see that even though many agencies aren't doing their job, so many other people are stepping up to the plate.

[marathoner452.livejournal.com]

I know this is a little late, but Katrina-Ritas are New Orleans margaritas, with a little blue curacao for color. It's a pretty, citrus-y drink served on the rocks. Something you could only get in New Orleans, under that name anyhow.

~Bethany

[ratkrycek.livejournal.com]

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,

Sounds like what I'm dealing with now. My throat started hurting a few days before we left; two days ago, I was flat out in bed, and this AM, too. Heading back there now. Hoping this will get kicked out of my system right quick; I don't have time to be sick.

If it doesn't clear out by Monday, I may stop by my doc's to see if anything more is needed.

Hope you're doing well in MD! How was sailing?

[marathoner452.livejournal.com]

Alavert helps. Cough drops help. Other than that, I can't give any advice other than to see a doctor.

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

[marathoner452.livejournal.com]

Sailing was great, as usual. I'm starting to get a little more competitive, now that I actually kinda know what I'm doing. The fire call yesterday...not so much. Judy was out of the office and Leah was at the golf tournament, so I was responsible for getting the ERV to the scene. I went out to get ice, went back to the chapter to get a cooler (only to realize that we already had a cooler), almost drove to the wrong Carroll Street at the opposite end of the county, and got turned around in traffic. I got to the scene 50 minutes after I left the chapter house. Leah was not impressed.

Hence the reason why I slept in this morning. Geez have I been out of it lately, and I think it's NOLA's fault. :-)

~Bethany