Day 1: Twelve Strangers in Two Vans
Although we had meetings on Tuesdays, we didn't really get to know each other before the trip. So the beginning of our trip was comprised of making new friends. We began as strangers, but soon our experiences brought us together as a team. For example, we experienced eating mass amounts of junk food together. We discovered how to amuse ourselves over the course of twelve hours in a car. We bonded over the Jonas Brothers and a strange game about metaphorically killing cows. We mistook children for dogs and got stuck in our seatbelts. Once we got to New Orleans, tired and loopy from sitting in a car, we found a restaurant and sat around a table eating jambalaya, no longer strangers but friends.
Don't worry, you'll hear an update on our adventures tomorrow, I know you can't wait. :))
Sincerely,
MAB New Orleans 1
Day two started out ~sweet~. After attending Easter service, our group stood in the long line at Café du Monde to experience their world-famous beignets. The wait was worth it; we were all content and ready to start exploring New Orleans. We explored the French Quarter and bought souvenirs of every kind. Olivia bought a typical voodoo doll, but all the girls agreed it could not be in the same room we slept. Mikaela, Mike, Adam, and Justin tried a hot sauce that required signing a waiver. Mikaela kept her cool, while the boys cried. When teased, Justin said, "Hey! I had a lot on mine."
The day was rainy, but still enjoyable. After buying all the souvenirs, we decided to walk down Bourbon Street. Bourbon Street was full of interesting people drinking a lot. After we were exhausted from walking everywhere, we headed home. Many of us took a nap while one of the groups made dinner. They made breakfast for dinner and it was delicious. Once breakfast was over we played card games late into the night. Following our intense rounds of laughs and cards, we played many games of knockout with our newly purchased Wal-Mart basketball. Today, everyone really got to know each other as individuals and became stronger as a group.
-Bianca Smith
Day 3
We served, we balled, we left. But on a serious note, we also had cereal.
Our first day of service was not spent at our assigned site specifically. Instead, we were given the responsibility and the pleasure of giving a room a facelift in the meeting area of the church hosting us this week. Since the 1980s the room has seen many memories but little cosmetic care. We started our mission by first emptying out the objects that served little to the purpose of the area, and moved the big furniture to off of the walls of the room. With a light blue paint, we coated all four cinderblock walls of the room, vacuumed, redecorated, and played some piano tunes to the hallelujah chorus of our glorious finish.
With a big accomplishment under our belt, we moved the party outside to play some great games of four square and enjoy our day of sunshine. We eventually split into two groups: one to nap and another to explore the site we will be starting at tomorrow. The exploration group was able to view parts of the 9th ward and walk along the coastline of the Crescent City.
Tonight, our dinner group served a quick and delicious meal of spaghetti and red sauce with sides of salad and garlic bread. We feasted and prepared for our long-awaited city entertainment: the 5 in 1 haunted tour. *Cue foreboding music* Walking from a voodoo shop in the city to various "haunted" destinations with our tour guide, Matt, we got a chance to explore the more superstitious side of the culture of the historic French city.
The 12 of us have not only learned important lessons about the power we have as a cohesive unit, we have also had a chance to become that effective team for those we serve. Now, it's time for some zzzz's before our first official day at MAyBeyesMAyBeNOLA's Habitat site for the week. Cheers!
-Mikaela O'Barr
Day 4
Today was our first day of service with Habitat for Humanity. After waking up at 6:00AM, eating breakfast, and packing a lunch, we were ready to see the house! We were put to work digging up dirt prior to laying sod. Half of the group worked with another Habitat worker to move wood for a new house they were starting. It took a lot of strength, but we killed it, honestly. To be fair, one group MAY have spilt some (a lot) of paint on the grass... but like, it's fine because we ended up painting the entire front and side patio. Some of us beg to differ; the yard had hardly any paint on it. Some of us ended up with more paint on our bodies than anything else. The majority of the day had excellent weather and some of us got a little sunburnt...or a lot. This also resulted with most of the group getting covered from head to toe in white paint that wouldn't even come off in the shower. Some girls were a little upset about our new white paint highlights in our hair, but we quickly all forgot our troubles because we remembered it was Tuesday and everyone knows what that means: TACO TUESDAY. Abby, Kristy, and Bianca made tacos. The tacos were so amazing, mostly because we set around the table eating them family style. At night, some of us shared old high school and prom pictures. It was a great end to a long day. Oh, and everyone is slowly learning to appreciate Neko Atsume- The virtual cat game. It rocks.
But on another not-virtual-cat note, the day was rockin' and sleep is calling our names soooo....peace out—until 6 am.
-NOLA #1
Day 5: A Mail Box and an Address Number
Today we started our day bright and early again as we headed back to the same habitat house that we worked at yesterday. A good portion of our day was spent working on painting eggshell paint on walls, trim, shelves, and doors. A few of us were left with the job of trying to get paint off the floor leaving them a bit lightheaded but still working hard. After lunch and a little cat nap in the car, we took on the task of filling the attic with insulation. Mike suited up for the job in a white jumpsuit and air mask and headed up to the attic while Erin, Justin, and Kristy helped out as well. They spent three hours working with the pink fluff and when they were done they were exhausted and Mike was covered head to toe in sweat. In the mean time, the rest of us had the fun job of assembling and installing a mailbox for the family and adding house numbers to the front porch. We all enjoyed spending the day putting some of the finishing touches on the house. By the end of the day we were all able to take a step back and see how the house is finally coming together. After we headed home and took much-deserved showers, we headed to a fun restaurant called Deanie's where we treated ourselves to a delicious meal full of seafood and po-boys. Mikaela enjoyed her bowls of free potatoes and Mel decided to start sniping pictures of everyone across the table. We had a great time talking, laughing, and joking and are looking forward to heading to bed and getting a good night sleep.
-Carey Madonia
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