day 20: tuesday, January 24
Our fiesta took its toll on our morning today. We were happily exhausted, and when we rolled out of bed, we were met by a reporter for the major New Orleans newspaper, The Times-Picayune. The reporter, Kim Gritter, was very sweet and curious about our whole undertaking. She couldn't quite believe our sleeping quarters, and she couldn't quite fathom how much we had accomplished on many different fronts. She started asking us about our impressions, and our answers brought her to tears. We asked her about her own house and her experience of the storm. We learned that she had lost everything. Her home is in Chalmette near Connie and Jerry's place, so we can guess what it must have looked like. She cried some more, and declared herself "unprofessional." We told her that we didn't believe in objectivity anyway, especially not in this context. She hugged us and thanked us and went off to prepare a story that will run in Sunday's paper.
As Kim was leaving, Ayla from Parkway Partners was arriving. We had expected to plant some trees through some of the neighborhoods. As it turned out, though, we didn't have enough agreements signed from community members. Residents of the neighborhoods need to commit to caring for the trees once they are planted, including watering them and protecting them. So, we went out and canvassed neighborhoods in preparation for future plantings. We knocked on doors and offered free trees and free planting to anyone who was willing to sign our form. We met with unusual levels of skepticism, but had a fine day walking through neighborhoods in the sun. In the afternoon, we all gathered at the community garden closest to our lot and cleared the paths inside it. We spread mulch and pulled our LAST Bermuda grass roots, and a photographer from the Times-Picayune captured it all on film. We piled in the back of the truck and headed home from work for the last time.
After lounging around and doing some project work, we all kicked into preparation mode and started primping for our dinner with Rosie. The women's bathroom looked like it was prom night. Music was cranking, and all of the women were crowded at the mirrors applying makeup. We had kind of forgotten about makeup until then. The men and women all dolled up, and we headed off to Destrehan to sample Rosie's gumbo.
When we arrived (a little late, thanks to traffic), Rosie was waiting for us in the street. We all piled out of the bus and took over the Trigo residence. Lisa, Bruce, Amanda, Andrew and Lauren (all Trigos) were ready and waiting, as were Aunt Connie and Uncle Jerry, Lisa's mother, and Joan, David, and Louise Diaz (the family through whom we connected with Rosie in the first place). As soon as we were all inside, a roar of laughter and conversation filled the beautiful house. As this was the first house that we had entered that wasn't in need of a makeover, we had to make an important announcement: "Team, DO NOT load all of the Trigos' furniture out onto the curb!"
Rosie had made gallons and gallons of gumbo, and we were quick to eat seconds and thirds. Alli declared it the best gumbo she had ever had. As Alli has never tried gumbo before, this wasn't saying much. Those who had eaten gumbo, though, knew that it WAS, in fact, the best gumbo of all time. We also had great bread, wonderful salad and a range of drinks that included Princess Shane's new favorite: pink crème soda. We all took turns gathering around Miss Rosie, Miss Janice, Miss Connie, Uncle Jerry, and all of the kids. Janice was particularly glad to meet Courtney, who salvaged all of Janice's journals from the house on North Claiborne. Janice was also thrilled that her charm bracelet had been saved, and she credited all of us with that find.
Connie talked about how little she cries; she says that Jerry does all the crying for both of them. But we saw her cry. She said that it surprised even her. She had delivered her mother's eulogy and had not even broken down then. But she cried over our efforts this week.
Rosie talked to everyone individually, telling us how low her faith in humanity and in God had dropped after the storm. She says that our arrival in her life has changed her perspective entirely; of course, we feel the same way.
Joan and Louise Diaz went and got four guitars, and Alli and Marcia joined them in playing some old favorites and some totally cheesy tunes. At Rosie's request, we actually, factually, truly sang "Kum Ba Yah" – no kidding! We changed the words a bit, adding lines like: "Someone's gutting, lord, kum ba yah. . . ." Even Chris was swaying with the music and singing at the top of his lungs. Jorge took over for awhile and sang some songs in Spanish, including "La Bamba," with help from all of us. Rose and Janice kept making requests, and we kept singing and singing. We finally realized that all of the kids had school on Wednesday, and that we therefore needed to bring the night to an end.
To say that tears were flowing is an understatement. We're surprised that there wasn't another levee break somewhere after the flood of tears produced in that house. All of us believe that we have done some of the most important work of our lives in service to the families in that room. They have become part of our NOLA family. The whole evening felt like a big holiday reunion event. Driving away in the bus and waving to Rosie, the LeRouges, and the Trigos was a very sad moment.
Once we got out on the road, we converted the bus ride to a joke-telling session. We passed around the onboard microphone and told terrible jokes until we ran out of them. Then Jorge picked up the mike, and restarted his "Language Barrier Radio Show." Elvia provided some commercials, and lots of us called in from our seats. As we drove through our neighborhood, Algiers, we converted the mike over to "Confessions." We passed the mike around, and people voluntarily admitted the ways that they had secretly let the group down over the past several weeks. We were rolling in the aisles as we caught wind of Shane's general slacking, of food that had been sneaked on the sly, and of who had emptied toilet paper rolls without replacing them (Shane again!). Even Courtney had to admit that she had done a bit of loafing on a recent job. All was forgiven.
We came home to a cool, clear night. While we were at dinner, Joan Diaz mentioned that by next January, Catholic Charities would be organizing lots of rebuilding. She wondered if we might return. We sat together in the bus and talked about it. It sounds like we might be back...
| Vanessa and Arthur go door to door seeking out locals who would like a Parkway Partners tree planted in their front yard. |
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| Arthur helps demonstrate the sheer colossal size of the Live Oaks that line the streets of the older parts of town. | |
| Our team reposted the sign at the Algiers community garden. |
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| Hugo, Fernando, and Shane stand around and watch as the women work diligently. |
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| Shawny with the Times-Picayune photographer and the lead gardener at this site. |
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| When we arrived, the path between the flower beds was undetectable. We uncovered it and remulched it, so it looked great. |
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| Justin and Feke rest on the truck at the end of our last work day. |
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| Miss Connie, Steph, and Rosie when we arrived at gumbo night. |
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| Our anniversary couple posing with the gifts Rosie gave us. The whole family made a sign that said "Thank you for planting hope" and then gave each of us a clay pot full of New Orleans souvenirs. |
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| Hugo, Rachel, Arthor, Vanessa, Courtney and Elvia enjoy their gumbo. |
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| The sing-along gets going. |
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| Alli and Marcia play some of our favorite songs from the trip as we all sing along. |
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| One of our teams (Hardcore) poses with Rose. |
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| Jorge cranks up his performance as a radio DJ in the bus on the way home. |
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| Clad in Mardi Gras colors, these "Rebuild New Orleans" ribbons dot passing cars. After our conversation with one of our hosts tonight, many of us think that we might return next January to help with the rebuilding of the city. We'll see... |
| <<< Day Nineteen | Day Twenty-One >>> |
