A stroll & movie review

On Friday, I got off of work at 330. I came home, did some chores & took Evie for a walk. We have been taking a new route where we just turn where we feel like it and have found a lot of new places!


We walked up this huge hill that is so steep it needs steps!

We walked past a school with this great art on the building.

It has this mural on the side wall


Looks like these kids know how to give out good advice


Evie chillin on the sidewalk. I tried to capture her sitting on a really slanted street but...it didn't work out so well.

We cut through Buena Vista park on the way home. You can see downtown from the park. The fog was already sitting on top of the buildings.

Friday night, we saw Sex & the City 2 for our monthly movie night. I did not like it.


The ladies are all married (except Samantha). Carrie is struggling with being married. Charlotte is struggling w/ kids. Miranda is struggling w/ work. And Samantha is struggling with....menopause. This is a far cry from when the series first started!! The movie was really long & kind of boring. They took a trip to Abu Dhabi. I felt like I was watching the travel channel most of the movie. It also had a lot of placed jokes. It felt like everyone was playing their roles, just over exaggerated. Plus, I thought that it sort of made fun of Arab culture. They couldn't get over the robes/masks that the Arab women wore and disrespected the culture by wearing sleeveless stuff in public.

Overall, it was ok to watch but I could've rented it & have been fine.

Friday

How wonderful to have a short week! Tonight, we are going to see Sex And The City 2. I heard it sucks. I'm sure its very cliche and lot of cheesy jokes. Oh well! Not sure what else we are up to this weekend. There is a big street festival we might check out. I also just want to get outside & do a hike or something. We'll see.

Have a good weekend!

Reunited

Last night, four of us Dickinson Alums who were in NOLA met up for happy hour. It was so great to see them. I know, it's only been a few days that we were apart but it was great. We are going to try to meet up frequently! The Presidio Social Club even has beignets so we might go there!

In other news, Evie is getting her stitches out on Monday.

Her cut is on her left leg.


Her stitched up leg. It's not that bad - they just used hot pink for the stitches!

Our little garden

We have a little garden happening at our place. We are growing some herbs in the window & the flowers on the porch.


Basil & Cilantro

Mint & Thyme




We are also growing tomatoes in our Topsy Turvey. I might get another long flower box to grow more flowers in and possibly some more stuff. We have a tiny place & a tiny portion of a porch but we are making it work. We love growing our own stuff. One day, Erik dreams of having a farm where we grow all of our own food.

Sunday

Well after an epic week, I returned home. Erik & Evie picked me up on Sat night. Evie did get hurt at camp and has stitches in the front of her leg. She is fine though. She gets them out on Monday. She was wrestling with a dog and something happened. Either a tooth or nail got into her leg. The camp covers all costs so that is fine. We realize we have a accident prone dog. Kind of like a kid who is always at the ER with a black eye. Good thing there is no Child Services for pets. haha.

We are back together. Evie is happy when we are all together & so am I. She was cuddling all day with us. We really did not do anything on Sunday except unpack & I think we went to the grocery store.

It is a little bit of an adjustment coming home. After being surrounded by 30 people all week and doing great work, it's hard to look at going back to work.

NOLA Lessons

After a week in NOLA, there are some definite lessons I took home with me. These are the big ones -

1. Everyone has a story
You might look at someone and think you know them or where they come from. You don't. Everyone has a history of what they've been through & where they are going. Not everyone will have been through a catastrophic hurricane but maybe something in their lives has felt like that. They could be struggling & you have no idea.

2. Listen
The residents of NOLA wanted to talk. They wanted to tell their story. Where they were during Katrina, what it's like living there now, & more. Sometimes just listening to someone else's story can make their day. Whether you meet someone on the street or listen to a stressed out friend.

3. Raise Each Other Up
All week, everyone applauded each other for great work done. No one yelled, got snarky, bitchy, bratty or pouty. We were adults. We acted like it. We said our opinions and listened and made decisions in a calm fashion. I will take this one to work for sure. Compliment each other. Nothing makes people feel better than to say nice things to them.

4. It will all work out
We get so fussy & pissy about the dumbest things. I am definitely guilty of that. Things dont go right at work, the car repairs are expensive, there's no parking, the grocery store is packed, on & on. Just stop & take a breathe. Things are not that bad. It will pass. There are much worse things happening in the world.

5. Be open
Be open to new things. Be open to seeing things in a new way. Be open to understanding the story about a new place or people. Be open with your feelings. If you're happy , say it. If you're upset, it's ok.

I hope that this trip shows just one person that you can make a difference & help others. Even if you help out in your own community, you can help.

And to end with one of my favorite quotes -

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi

Rebuilding Week: Day 5

Saturday was our last day together. We were done building & had toured the area. We had made some wonderful friendships that will last beyond a week together in Louisiana. We packed up our home for the week and headed back to the French Quarter.

We visited the French Market again, got more beignets, and spent the morning together. I had a stomachache all morning which meant I knew I was going to cry. Before we left for this trip, we joked that we had no idea what to expect. We were staying in a church - were we going to Bible camp? Would we have to pray every day? Would we be like the Girl Scout Troop in Troop Beverly Hills? Turned out that it was nothing like we expected and it was more than we could have hoped for.


Me, Beth, Amy, Mike, and Lisa
Lisa, Beth, Amy & I said we were soul sisters. We felt like we were meant to meet each other. They were just such good people and ironically, we had so much in common with them. When I looked at Beth to say good bye, I just burst into tears. She thanked me for being a bright spot in her week and we said how great it was that we found each other. I know it might seem crazy, but it was truly genuine.

(Me & G - she truly will change the world some day even though she is only 19!)

Thank goodness for Facebook, email, and the phone! We will all keep in touch for sure. Thankfully, there are 5 of us in SF who are getting together tonight!! Maybe we will plan a trip like this next year. All I know is that I am so grateful, thankful to have gone on this trip and will treasure it forever.

The Lower 9th Ward

August 29,2005. Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. 80% of the city was flooded, levees broke, and many people died. The government issued demands to evacuate but many people didn't leave. As I said, people have been here for generations & didn't want to leave. Or, they felt that they could withstand the storm, as they have done in the past. The water levels were as high as 25' in some areas. There are lines on the homes that still remain, to show how high the water level was. People waited too long to evacuate & climbed into their attics. Some were able to cut a hole out of their roof to be picked up by rescuers. Some were not able to. The Lower 9th Ward was the hardest hit area of New Orleans.




There has been a ton of criticism over the Hurricane, warnings to people in the area, response to rescue, clean-up, etc. When you look back at history though, we started building below sea-level back when we purchased Louisiana. We built levees to hold back the water - essentially manipulating nature. The levees weren't built properly to spec & there were no checks and balances in place to ensure they would hold during a storm.




FEMA and the Gov of LA blame each other for not warning people & evacuating people fast enough, with enough lead time, etc. Everyone blames the government for not acting quickly enough. Why were cars still in trees 6 mos after the storm? Why did the Lower 9th not have fully restored electricity until 2006?

(Foundations where homes once were)



At this point, government funds and private donations have pretty much run out. Five years after the storm, people are still displaced and need help. We were told that volunteers are the resources making it all happen.

The Make It Right Foundation was founded by Brad Pitt. His organization has pledged to build 150 homes that are eco-friendly and on stilts to avoid future flooding. To date, he has only built about 30 homes due to funding & permit issues.



(Make It Right home)

We were not rebuilding in the Lower 9th. We were in other areas. There is a lot of controversy over rebuilding in the Lower 9th. The levees were rebuilt, but will they hold? We have only had three Category 3 storms in 150 years - so are we really at risk for another one? Will global warming have an affect on the weather & crazy storms?

But, it's not just the Lower 9th. It's all parts of NOLA that are at risk for another levee breach, another storm. So what do we do - not let people live there? Then, you might as well close off most of the country as places that are too unsafe to live....Mississippi, Florida, The Bay Area due to earth quakes. Heck - the entire state of CA for the wildfires & quakes. North Carolina for hurricanes. The mid-west for tornados. Where does it stop? Is it right to want to not re-build someone's home?


The entire group shot! It was taken by one of the students who sat on top of the levee and took it!


There are a lot of unanswered questions & things to think about surrounding Hurricane Katrina. This trip definitely opened my eyes to what is going on, right in the US. People getting scammed by contractors, living in trailers, homeless, etc. I learned some other things & definitely feel changed by this trip....

Rebuilding Week: Day 4

On our last day of work, Friday, we worked a half day and then took a tour. We finished our projects and then toured the Lower 9th Ward and a school.

Hammering in the closet.

The closet - finished, at last! It Felt SOOOOOO good to be the last one to screw that last nail in!





Team Bathroom!! We did it!



This school was closed down years ago due to wind & water damage. It remains closed as they wait for government money to rebuild.

In the mean time, students are going to class in these trailers. During the fall & winter, it pours buckets of rain. The students are stuck in one trailer for hours until they can go to their next class without getting soaked.


This is the mantra of everyone in NOLA. The hurricane may have devastated their city, but not their spirit & souls. NOLA has approx 80% retention rate through generations of people who live & die there. It is such a unique city & place that people do not want to leave. The food, the music, the friends & family that are there are something they cannot get any place else.

Rebuilding Week: Day 3

Day 3 was Thursday. We had the hang of doing our jobs and were foraging ahead. Besides the bathroom, three other rooms were sanded and primered. There was a closet in the kitchen that needed to be drywalled, too. This home had no electricity or bathroom. What a pain! We had to use manual tools or drills with batteries. We had to drive to this stinky laundromat bathroom to go. Thank goodness it was so hot out & we were working so hard. We all didn't need to go that bad.

Beth & I - partners in crime. Can you believe she works with Girls on The Run, too? Small world!


These little neighborhood kids came by & wanted to help us. How cute.


Mike (who lives in SF) and G measuring out the ceiling!


Marisa painting the ceiling with sunglasses on. She needed some type of goggles, haha!


This is a shot from the porch of our house out to the neighborhood. A lot of other homes looked like they could've used some help, too. A lot of the neighbors just sat on their porch. They wanted to talk to us or ask us how we were. Everyone waved at us when we were driving down the street or pulling into the site. New Orleans is a very friendly place.

At night, the teams all went down to the French Quarter for dinner. Beth, LIsa, Amy, KT & I went to this place called, Coop's. Typical NOLA food - fried shrimp, catfish, gumbo, jumbalaya. NOLA also has a lot of bugs. This huge bug was suddenly on the window sill near our table. I showed it to the waiter & asked what I should do. He looked at me and said,"Welcome to the French Quarter." haha

Me, Amy, KT(who we are trying to get to move to SF), & Beth


Me, Amy & Lisa at a bar after dinner

KT, Amy, & I



SF Alums! We are getting together soon. Can't wait!!

Rebuilding Week: Day 2

For Day 2 of work, we moved to a different site. This home did not have anyone living in it. The owner had moved away after the storm & was waiting for his house to be finished before coming back. When we came in, a lot had been done but there was still a lot to be done. We split up into groups and I joined the 'Drywalling the Bathroom' Group.

One complaint we had about the trip was that, there was no instruction on how to do anything. No one told us how to drywall. We just kind of went at it.

The bathroom when we started....

Me & the Twins: Megan & Marisa

Mike using this old school tool aka 'the steak knife' to cut the drywall. No one told us you could use a box cutter until Day 3!

Me, installing the celing

Team work was the name of the game. Everyone was very respectful and listened to each other's ideas on how to do things.

The bathroom was so small that we were climbing around trying to do things!