Life's Not So Breezy in the Big Easy

I had the privilege to be nominated by a high school teacher to participate in a program called People to People during the summer of 2016. The organization supports students in the travel ambassador program to a variety of locations across the United States, each program differing depending on location. For instance, in Los Angeles, there was a focus on film and art, while in New York, there was an emphasis on foreign affairs and international relations.

Renovating a local playground

I decided to attend the New Orleans program, whose emphasis was rebuilding the community after Hurricane Katrina. I remember having a hard time believing that NOLA was still struggling eight years after the storm until I landed at the Louis Armstrong airport.

As we drove to Tulane University, our home base and home for the next week, the streets surrounding the city needed serious renovation. Buildings were collapsed, grass overgrown to the point of looking like a jungle, and even some you couldn’t tell if one person inhabited the home or if it was abandoned.

Six Flags that has been closed since the storm

Our service projects focused on rebuilding and refurbishing local schools and community centers that children could attend. We constructed and paint two schools and playgrounds of portable schools that were still in use 10 years after the storm. We also helped a local church renovate their bathrooms from a singular porter-potty to 4 stalls inside for both men and women. These smalls acts did not seem like much to us, however, they transformed the lives of the locals and they were so appreciative.

Since the program had about 40 attendees, there were group activities planned every day to offer a break between service projects. When taking a break from clearing out debris from farmland, we stopped at Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours and explored the local terrain and environment.

The boat tour ventured into a swamp and we even spotted a few alligators, who received hotdogs and marshmallows as a token of appreciation for allowing us to peacefully pass from our tour guide.

Honey Island Swamp Tours

One night, we attended a cooking class to get a better feel of the Creole cuisine and culture. From po’ boys to jambalaya and bananas foster, my mouth was watering for the next bite even though my stomach was stuffed.

We were able to explore Big Easy for about two hours on our own per day. The city has such a unique eccentric vibe to it.

Mardi Gras Parade Warehouse

The last stop on our itinerary was visiting the warehouse of all the floats and equipment stored for the Mardi Gras parade in March. There were over 1,000 retired floats and we even got to see blueprints for future floats and parade routes in 2017.

The trip opened up my eyes to the fact that although the media may stop reporting on the subject after a tragedy, there still is damage and people are hurting, even years later. It allowed me to become more appreciative of what I have and grounded me to focus on how I can help my community back home.

Exploring downtown New Orleans