Day 7 - Epilogue: "If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise" April 7, 2012

Well, this is it.  Today we are coming home.  For me, after four years of taking Archbishop Riordan students to New Orleans, this feeling about leaving has become bitter sweet. New Orleans is so good at making you feel right at home, and, because it is so charming, it begins to grow on you. We were especially made to feel at home this week by James, Jean, Kate, and Dwayne, the staff at Annunciation Mission. Even beyond the staff, it seems like every where you go and everyone you meet has a story to share, but they also want to know about you and hear your story.  It has probably always been the Southern way of hospitality, but it is more than that. I also have a sense that Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in the history of this country, has even changed the way people here talk and relate to each other. A shared sense of both identity and struggle has always existed in this city, but post-Katrina this sense is particularly strong. Six and one half years have passed since the storm, and the city has made incredible progress since my first visit in 2008. However, more rebuilding remains, and we will hope and pray for the residents and their continued recovery: "If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise".  I thought this would be a fitting title for the final entry.  It comes from a spoken word poem by Phyllis Montana LeBlanc, New Orleans native and actress, and appears in Spike Lee's documentary film of the same title about New Orleans and the recovery five years after Katrina, which was the sequel to his first film about Hurricane Katrina entitled "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts". I recommend viewing these two films for a comprehensive look at the storm and its aftermath.

This morning was boring and uneventful because we had to get cleaned up and pack.  The guys made a great thank-you poster for the staff with a big Crusader and a few group pics of us on it and we all signed it!  Then we went straight to the airport after saying our goodbyes, and prepared to fly home.  We are extremely proud of our Crusaders and their hard work this week. I know we are not the only school that has done this or other good works for people in need, and I'll admit I may be a little biased (just a little). However, I am so proud of us because when we give, it is truly from the heart and it is done with grace, humility, and a smile! Eric, Steven, Henry, Mark, Marek, Jimmy, Simon, Nico, Chris, Joey, and Beau: congratulations on a job well done! Enjoy the rest of your Easter break--you deserve it!  Happy Easter and see y'all back at school!

Day 6 - Good Friday Good Deed, Crusaders Loose on Bourbon St., Fried Oysters, and Vampires, Oh My! Friday, April 6, 2012

Even though today was our free day and we weren't scheduled at the job site, we had an opportunity to serve the people of New Orleans in a different but nonetheless profound way.  This morning after breakfast, James and Jean had us load their truck with boxes of food and a few tables, and they took us to a neighborhood about five minutes away from Annunciation Mission where every Friday for the last five months they have been handing out donated food to the poor and homeless. For reference, the Garden District is another five minutes' drive on the other side of the neighborhood to which we were headed, but worlds away in socioeconomic terms.  We pulled up at a street corner and unloaded the tables and food, and under James' direction, set up a food pantry right there on the sidewalk.  For the next three hours, our guys handed out food to the needy and homeless.  At first I think we were all a bit apprehensive because to be perfectly honest, the neighborhood was a bit rough looking, but as we began talking to the people we were serving, those initials feelings dissipated. The boys did fantastic work, and as you know, they can be very charming! By the time it was all over we had given away most of what we brought, and the people appreciated the boys and their service.  Each person who picked up food thanked the students for helping and were very welcoming.  No one said much on the ride back to the mission.  Overall, we were very moved by the experience and grateful for the chance to actually interact with the people of this community whose needs are so basic.  Indeed, this was a very special morning for us, and I can't think of a better way to spend Good Friday.  I also learned from James and Jean that they collect food weekly and distribute it every Friday in the same place, and they do this on their day off. Talk about inspiring.  Even though Annunciation Mission has officially stopped their post-Katrina food give-away program, Jean still sees a tremendous need in the community.  As Jean told me, "We do it because these people still have great need since Katrina."

After our morning of service, we jumped on the St. Charles street car, an old, charming, open aired trolley, and headed downtown. The boys couldn't wait to checkout Bourbon Street! We let them explore a bit and do some souvenir shopping, and then met up at the famous Acme Oyster House where we shared another delicious meal together.  The highlight was a tray of raw and fried oysters.  Like the crawfish, a few of the boys were reluctant to try them.

When dinner was over, we walked to Jackson Square where we met our vampire tour guide, a friend of Mr. Fern's, who works for Haunted History tours.  He led us on a fantastic, somewhat scary walking excursion, sharing vampire folklore and pointing out buildings where unexplained mysteries have occurred, including several unsolved homicides. Of particular interest was the Ursuline convent where, according to folklore, the attic is full of vampires.  The second story of this old convent, built in 1750, also houses the office of the chancery of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  According to local legend, the Archdiocese has never allowed anyone to see the attic.  In the 1970's two women, who were researching the convent and videotaping the attic windows from across the street because the church denied them access, were found dead on the outside steps of the convent chapel.  The coroner could not determine a cause of death, but noted in his report a long gash between the shoulder blades of both women, and very little blood remaining in their bodies.  Was it one of the attic vampires?! The tough Crusaders were spooked!  We must note here that a big, yellow, full voodoo moon provided the perfect setting for our tour!

After a full day and night of adventure, we climbed back on the streetcar and rode sleepily back to our neighborhood. We were all tired but satisfied with our New Orleans experience. It was a perfect way to end what has been a remarkable trip.

Day 5 - Back to the Grind! Thursday, April 5, 2012

Although we woke up to a slight rain, the storm was over, and it turned out to be a gorgeous, sunny day.  After another hot breakfast of eggs, waffles and biscuits, we headed out for a short college tour before our scheduled work shift.  We took a walking tour of Tulane University, which is situated right next to Loyola New Orleans.  Both campuses were beautiful, and the students were especially impressed by Tulane’s fitness center.  All of us agreed it was better than any gym facility we’d ever seen.  It included an indoor track, pool, cardio room, and basketball court.  Students browsed the extensive bookstore and took in the all the sights of a college campus.  Maybe one of them will be a Tulane Green Wave or a Loyola Wolfpack someday!

We decided we hadn't eaten enough this week, and seeing as it was nearly lunchtime, we adventured to Dat Dog, a new, hip, hot dog shop near the university.  I really think the draw was alligator sausage!  We had regular hot dogs, Louisiana hot links, and alligator sausage loaded with relish, sauerkraut, cheese and mustard.  Put a smile on all of our faces!

With full bellies once again, we arrived at the work site for our afternoon shift.  The staff was ready for us and efficiently assigned each of us to specific tasks.  The first team, Marek, Jimmy, Mark, and Nico, primed boards for the door frames, and instead of watching the paint dry, they cleaned all the materials used by the earlier shift.  The second team, Beau, Eric, and Joey put the first coat of paint on the master bedroom, and then measured and cut flooring for the kitchen.  In the center of the home, the final student team, Simon, Henry, Chris and Steven had the unpleasant but necessary task of scraping paint and mud off of the hardwood floors because the homeowner really wants the original hardwood floors to be saved.  The adult team, Mr. V and Ms. A, also had the very dirty task of scraping the ceiling of the porch, preparing it for primer and paint.  When the ceiling was smooth, Marek joined in and the three of us put a coat of primer on the porch's ceiling.  We now have a greater appreciation for working upside down like Michaelangelo did, although this piece fell a little short of the Sistine Chapel.

The highlight of our day came when Ingrid Legohn, the daughter of the homeowner, stopped by to say hello on her way to work.  She shared a little about her mom's improved health, and thanked each of the boys for their help to get her mom back in her home soon.  She chatted with the boys, asking them about their trip and their impressions of New Orleans.  She was extremely gracious and grateful for our service and in true New Orleans welcoming hospitality, she invited us to visit next year.


The workday ended with a team meeting lead by Eddy, our site supervisor (pictured above left).  He asked the boys to share their "highs" and "lows" of the work experience and asked for feedback on ways the St. Bernard Project could improve.  The boys were amazingly honest and insightful.  Eddy expressed his gratitude for our hard work and cooperation.  Despite the rain delay, we left the project one day ahead of schedule, getting Mrs. Leghohn one step closer to returning to her home.  What a great feeling!

We staggered home to more of Jean's great cooking.  Unbeknownst to us, she heard the boys talking at breakfast, listing the great food they had already eaten in New Orleans.  One of the students mentioned that he had not yet tried fried chicken.  Well, you can guess what we had for dinner.  She made the best fried chicken and jambalaya, and James told us on the sly that they hadn't cooked fried chicken for any group in over five years.  Yes, we are special.... we are CRUSADERS!  We were so tired that even though Mr. V offered to take us out for snowballs, we were so full and tired, we couldn't move.  What a great day!  Tomorrow we look forward to our last bit of service, which will be different than what we have been doing all week.  More to follow...stay tuned!

Day 4 - Rained Out! Wednesday, April 4, 2012

That storm that came in yesterday afternoon lasted all night and woke me up with thunderclaps that lasted 15-20 seconds. I was told by Noel this morning that there were 437 lightning strikes in the period of one hour last night!  Among other duties, Noel watches the weather for the center because of the frequency of extreme weather.  As he put it, "This IS southern Louisiana!" Fair enough.

So we were rained out of work today.  We called Eddy, our Americorps volunteer over at the Legohn house and he said he was shutting down early today because nothing could be done.  I certainly didn't want to have to see the poor guy keep eleven teenage boys busy all day, so we settled for moving some metal bookcases for Noel here at Annunciation Mission and then we were free for the day. And then it dawned on us: what were we supposed to do with eleven teenage boys in the rain all day?   OK, think fast. After breakfast I consulted my trusty Lonely Planet New Orleans book for some ideas for indoor activities.  We settled on a cluster of museums located in the Central Business (CBD)/Warehouse District, NOLA's version of SOMA in San Francisco but before the ballpark. We had a choice between the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the National World War II History Museum.  Ms. A took four guys over to the Ogden Museum while I went with the other seven to see World War II history.  As we entered, we wondered why the National World War II Museum was located in New Orleans of all places, and not, for example, Pearl Harbor.  We were told that it was originally going to be a museum exclusively about D-Day to be located in New Orleans because the guy who invented the landing craft used at D-Day was from New Orleans. The museum has since been expanded after receiving overwhelming support and donations of other artifacts from WWII veterans nationwide, and is planning even further expansion into the future. The museum has fantastic displays of real artifacts and a thorough interpretation of not only D-Day but also all the different fronts of the War, including the American home front. As we walked through the museum, the students asked other good questions that I couldn't answer, like "What does the 'D' in 'D-Day' stand for?" and "What does 'G.I.' stand for?"  We were definitely in the right place to get those answers.  We found out that no one really knows what the 'D' stands for.  A volunteer at the museum told us that it depends on whom you ask, as the guys involved in it were told different things.  Yet, it is one of those words from that era that has found its way into our lexicon. Overall, the museum is worth seeing if you are even remotely interested in WWII and especially if you ever find yourself in New Orleans with eleven teenage boys on a rainy day with nothing to do.

After we got museum fatigue, we met up with the other group and walked a few blocks to NOLA Grocery for some authentic po'boy sandwiches.  You can literally eat your way through this town and never be disappointed.  This place is a real hole-in-the-wall gem, serves a mean po'boy, and is probably the best deal in the whole downtown area.  We left full and satisfied as you can tell by the picture.

As if we hadn't eaten enough, the Annunciation Mission staff surprised us with an authentic crawfish meal later that evening.  A few students who made the trip in previous years were pros at breaking the crawfish, sucking out the head, and then cleaning and eating the body.  Others of us were not nearly as seasoned, but learned quickly.  A competition between two tables quickly ensued in typical Riordan style.  Team Simon, Chris and Eric were the clear winners (see last photo), and the mission staff declared them honorary New Orleanians.  A few burly football players, who shall remain nameless, wouldn't even try.  The staff of the mission joined us, and we had a wonderful dinner out on the patio in the warm Louisiana evening.  The students experienced a true crawfish boil!

To cap off the night, we went to Broccato's for delicious gelato and cannoli.  Angelo Broccato who immigrated to the US in 1905 started the ice cream shop in the same fashion as one near Palermo, Italy.  His descendants are still running the business today.  I'm not sure how we're going to work tomorrow after all this eating! 

Kate, James, and Jean are enjoying watching the guys go to town on the crawfish.

Day 3 - The Garden District and Our Second Work Day at the Legohn House: Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Our second touring morning before we started work involved a walking tour of the historic Garden District. Mr. Vezzali made an excellent tour guide, pointing out impressive homes dating back to the 1830's. Early American residents included wealthy entrepreneurs who were transplants from the northeast and ironically found themselves foreigners in their own country, largely looked down upon by the French and Creole elite. Today, such homeowners include Payton Manning, Drew Brees, Anne Rice, John Goodman, and Nicholas Cage. To the students, this neighborhood stood in start contrast to the poverty and destruction still pervasive in the Seventh Ward where we have been working. We also checked out a very old cemetery in the neighborhood: Lafayette Cemetery #1. As with all of the cemeteries in New Orleans, the graves are not buried but placed in crypts above ground so they will not float in heavy rains. We discovered some old graves that included victims of the yellow fever outbreak in the 1800's, a Confederate general and several soldiers, and famous old Garden district families.  The cemetery is both fascinating and kind of spooky!  Check out the group picture.

Vezzali promised in yesterday's edition a little backstory about the Legohn family, so we thought we would include it here. Mrs. Patricia Legohn has not lived in New Orleans since the hurricane. While some of her extended family has returned to NOLA, unfortunately she has suffered five strokes during the rebuilding process and was a victim of contractor fraud as over 20,000 other New Orleanians were. She misses her city and most of all, being surrounded by her whole family once again. St. Bernard Project represents her hope for coming home, and we get to play a role in her homecoming.  Here is what the exterior of the house looks like:

We arrived at our a worksite really full, and dragging a bit, but only because we had the best BBQ lunch ever. The volunteers from St. Bernard's project invited us to "The Joint", a little hole in the wall where many of the workers go for lunch. Delicious! Despite our full bellies, we got right to work. One crew, consisting of Simon, Henry, and Steven, and lead convincingly by Chris, organized all of the painting materials, and made sure everything was ready for the crews while I had the fun task of sanding a poor mud job in the stairwell. Another group, Nico, Jimmie, and Mark rolled a first coat of the owner's paint color choice on both bedrooms including the ceiling and the closet. The second crew, Beau, Marek, and Joey, put a coat of primer on the walls of the master bedroom. Eric was the master at cutting in. Believe me when I say they did an excellent job. We talked a lot about how important it is to put care into the job, treating it as if it were their own home. If you need your son to paint a room this summer, he is ready! After a long day of work, we then had to clean all of the buckets, rollers, and brushes. The boys realized that while painting is not glamorous, the final product makes the inside of the house look amazing. We are hoping that Mrs. Patricia Legohn likes it, too and feels that her home in New Orleans is home again. I could tell they were very proud of their work (and Mr. V and I were proud of them). We finished just before a very violent thunder and lightening storm kept us up a good part of the night. After another one of James's delicious meals, we settled in, listened to the storm, and played a little Scrabble. We are not sure what tomorrow will bring because of the weather, but we'll keep you posted.

Day 2 - City Tour and First Work Day: Monday, April 2, 2012

 Today we started working, but not until 12:30, so we had time to drive through the city and see some sights before our work orientation. We woke up early this am to a delicious, hot sausage and egg breakfast cooked by James, one of the several talented chefs at Annunciation Mission. Our plan was to stop in a few places on the way to the St. Bernard Project office (more about the organization we are working with a little further down the page). Our first stop was the world-famous French Quarter and Jackson Square, where ESPN had their coverage tent set up for the Final Four final game later that evening. It was about 9 am and we could sense the Quarter just starting to wake up, undoubtedly to begin another day of revelry (well, I guess that depends on who you wanted to win!) The people I spoke with about it said the city was electrified by the whole event. Yes, New Orleans still knows how throw a party!

Our next stop was a little more serious. Part of our immersion experience is educating ourselves about the people we are helping and the context in which they live. We had an opportunity to visit the Lower Ninth Ward, one of the neighborhoods that suffered the most devastation. This is where many of the images that we saw on TV came from: people on rooftops, with no water in the hot sun waiting to be rescued. More than 4,000 homes were lost in the Lower Ninth Ward during Katrina. At the same time, the Lower Ninth had a higher rate of homeownership prior to the storm than any other neighborhood in New Orleans. Families have lived in this neighborhood for generations. However, this is small consolation because a disproportionate number of residents here lost their lives in Katrina, and many, for a number of complicated reasons, have not yet been able to return.

We took a driving tour this morning of the community and saw first-hand the effects of both the storm's destruction and the community's hope for rebuilding. We saw the disaster close-up when we saw the incredible amounts of empty lots, houses completely gone except for the concrete footprint. We witnessed hope in the funky new housing that Brad Pitt has created through his Make It Right foundation www.makeitrightnola.org. This is eco-friendly housing designed to get the original owners back in the neighborhood. We saw the devastation in some of the houses that still bear the scars of Katrina, especially the "X" mark that has become so much part of the backdrop of the lives of people here. Search and rescue teams used spray paint to mark each house with an "X" after they searched it. In the top quadrant was the date, the left indicated who searched, ie. the Arizona National Guard, the right side indicated hazards anyone else coming to the house should be aware of, like TFW for toxic flood water. In the bottom quadrant, the rescuers indicated the number of bodies they found. From this, though, we found hope at the Katrina Memorial, a memorial to both the victims and a symbol of hope. Dedicated one year following the storm, it has a frame to represent a new home, empty chairs and a remaining foundation to represent those lost in the storm, and the blue columns indicate the different levels of water during the storm (see photo below). We stood at the ground zero, the wall of the Industrial Canal, at the very place the levee was breached and the devastating floodwaters literally tore houses from their foundations and imagined the horror(see photo below). Finally, we witnessed the hope dished out daily by Mack and Smitty at the Lower Ninth Ward Village, the community center that has become the heart of this community. This part of our experience again is vital to understanding the "Why?" of our trip, and gives us the motivation and conviction to do the difficult but soul-satisfying work we came to do.

 After a brief orientation at the St. Bernard Project, we drove to our worksite for the next three days. I'll include the link here for the organization and their mission www.stbernardproject.org. We agreed to take the afternoon shift and the boys got right to task. We are working on a house in the Seventh Ward, only a few minutes away from where we worked last year. I'll share a little about the owner in tomorrow's edition, but she has not lived in New Orleans since the storm. The house is ready to be painted after being prepped by the morning crew. Our job today was doing some painting prep, and then we put the first coat of paint on the walls. What a difference a little paint makes! A few guys also whacked the overgrown weeds in the backyard, a monster job in the 85 degree humidity! We also did other routine construction cleaning jobs, which were certainly not as much fun but necessary to move the project forward. With each task, the guys jumped right in and volunteered without hesitating or complaining. Check out the pics of our boys in action! Ms. A and I were extremely proud of our boys today.

We knocked off about 6:00 and headed back to Annunciation Mission for some well-deserved chow. We were thrilled to have James fix us the traditional Monday New Orleans dish: red beans and rice! It's understandable if your mouth gets a little watery or your stomach rumbles when you read this! Judging by the silence in the dining room as we ate, it was that good! We will talk to y'all tomorrow!

Day 1 - Travel Day: Sunday, April 1, 2012

Greetings from New Orleans! If you are reading this, then you are successfully subscribed to our blog for this year's immersion trip. Sorry about the glitch with the Google Group. I seem to remember having the same problem last year... Travel Day - Sunday began with everyone at the airport at 6 am for an early flight down to L.A. to catch our connector to the Big Easy. After we said a group prayer and our goodbyes, we had a very easy, uneventful flight to L.A.. One note: we ran into Riordan alum and former student of mine from Mr. Jeff Isola's class, Roman Rios! The second leg of our journey was almost four hours, and two time zones later, we landed safely at Louis Armstrong International Airport (I personally love that their airport is named after one of the all-time great Jazz musicians!). We got our luggage in literally 30 seconds and made easy transfers to the rental car place and then to Annunciation Mission, our home for the next week. We were greeted by seriously muggy, 85 degree weather and Noel, longtime resident and volunteer at Annunciation Mission. We ate pizza and settled in with down time after a somewhat long travel day. Thankfully, there were no hitches today. New Orleans is such a beautiful place, whose people embody an incredibly unique culture and spirit! In so many ways, it is the most American of cities and is so much a part of our national identity. Now, six and one half years after Katrina, it still needs help rebuilding so people can continue to come back home. That is what we are all about this week. Thank you for all of your blessings, thoughts, prayers, support and gifts for our group as we come down for what is Archbishop Riordan's sixth trip to New Orleans to do Katrina relief. I hope you enjoy the blog and photos this week!