Day 1 of volunteering

I got a really good night's sleep, although I did feel like I was close to death a few times because I slept on the top bunk and that was scary. I have never slept in a bunk bed...let alone the top bunk. I felt ready for anything and was willing to take on any challenges that came my way!

Driving through the 9th ward was a huge reality check. You see it in pictures, on the internet, on the television etc...but it is nothing like seeing it in real person. Some neighborhoods look ghetto and not safe. Land and some plant life isn't tended to or it's left neglected. The houses are worn down, broken, abandoned-looking, and some just look hopeless. I was very surprised. I kept wondering what the neighborhoods had looked like before the hurricane had hit. It made me also think about my life and how lucky I am to have a roof over my head, a nice warm bed to sleep in, basically that my life hasn't been turned upside down and I should be happy. I realized that Vanidy and Renee are two VERY different drivers. I drove with Renee last night and today I was with Vanidy. Let's just say it seems Vanidy likes to drive like a wild child and Renee takes her time haha.

We finally arrived at the house we were assigned to work at. It needed to be stripped of its exterior lead-based paint job, painted with new coats of paint, drywalled, swept up, and some other small oddball jobs. There was a vacant lot next door to the house and there was a large amount of debris left over. The house that used to be there was deconstructed and most of the remnants had been taken away. All that was left were bricks, random pieces of wood, and garbage. Amanda and Jessica were our two leaders from Rebuilding Together New Orleans. They were there to greet us, give us the lay of the land, and just be there to sort of supervise our work, they're pretty cool. After we discussed what had to be done, the group split up and we began working. I had the pleasure of working on the vacant lot, searching for bricks and scraping the concrete off of them. It didn't seem hard at first but after my first brick I knew it was going to be a long day. Concrete is hard, and it's even harder when it's attached to a hard object. With my tool I hacked away trying to get every bit of concrete off of each brick, my arm and hands became sore. I decided that tomorrow I will paint the house or do some other job, I need a break from hacking at bricks.

We did a lot of good work today, I am very proud of the group and I look forward to the rest of the week. Go ASB!!!!

Vania Ellison
Resident of Building 6
Deaf Studies Major