Et Conclure

We have managed to pack so much into our time in New Orleans that the three weeks have FLOWN by. While the community service aspect of our trip has proved to be an amazing experience, so have the adventures we have blazed on our own. I have been air boating, sung “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” on the stage of The Cat’s Meow with two of my, now closest, friends, and eaten things that I would normally say “no thank you” to. So much can be learned from these and the many other new experiences that I have had on this trip. I have been taught so much about the city and about myself.

  When first arriving in a city it seems so large and overwhelming, but after a few days an amazing thing happens. The city gets smaller and smaller, as you recognize the faces, landmarks, and soul behind the city. I am leaving New Orleans feeling like I have really gotten to know so much about the soul of the city. Venturing from the good ol’ depot house to the French Quarter no longer presents itself as an intimidating task, but as a normal walk to my favorite shops and coffee house. Somewhere along the way I became comfortable saying “Hi, How are ya?” to people I didn’t know and directing tourists when they asked me where Canal Street was. Riding the streetcar became a daily event and the cockroaches hiding in the nooks and crevasses in my room didn’t bother me. A culmination of all of the thing we did lead me to this point but the one events that made me really connect with the city was when I went out of my comfort zone (one of the major things I challenged myself to do on this trip) and decided to call St. Louis Cathedral and set up a time to meet with Rev. Msgr. Crosby W. Kern. On the last day of our New Orleans Journey Kim Pinkerton, Sarah Blake I met with Monsignor Kern to hear what he had to say about New Orleans and the deep history it has with the Catholic Church. This interview not only provided me with amazing information that I could use for my final project but also presented me with great insight into the healing the city has had to endure after Katrina. At one point Monsignor Kern said, “ we are still a very wounded city, you will see that. It will take a while to bring it back to whatever normal, whatever normal will be…. You now you can rebuild brick and mortar but you need to rebuild the soul of the people.” This quote struck me as extremely profound. It represented what I have realized during my three weeks in this unique city where everyone seems to have a story. Volunteers, like our group, can come from all over the world and help by doing our part piecing together the bricks and mortar but rebuilding the of the soul of New Orleans will take a long time. Loosing all of your possessions, your home, and loved ones can leave a lot of holes and emptiness in someone’s heart. Until this happens, New Orleans will not be completely rebuilt.

  Experiences like this one have made our trip to New Orleans truly amazing. It is profound to see what happens when you put a group of eager college student with and energetic professor together in a city full of such rich culture.