Hard Work in the Big Easy

(In case you haven't seen it yet, here is the editorial I wrote in the most recent The Manitoban)

On Friday, Feb. 9, 2007, 47 students and I left for the Big Easy, New Orleans, to help with the reconstruction effort. Our group was the first Habitat for Humanity Global Village tour originating from Manitoba. The plan was to help build five new houses in the St. Bernard parish. As the week unfolded, our plans changed dramatically.

We arrived in New Orleans early Sunday morning and consequently, we didn’t get a chance to see much. For that reason we organized a tour later that day with two local New Orleans residents to show us around.

Before leaving for the Big Easy, my assumption along with many others was that for the most part, New Orleans was in good shape. The tour we took Sunday morning was a surreal eye opener. To my dismay, I saw a city in ruins.

Driving through districts such as St. Bernard Parish and the ninth ward, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was in a ghost town. I’ve been fortunate in my life to visit many places, however, nothing prepared me for what I saw.

Close your eyes and take an imaginary walk with me. Picture Winnipeg abandoned, houses destroyed. Wendy’s, Kmart, Taco Bell and so on, closed. Throughout the tour, I was patiently waiting to be pinched. In my Manitoba world, nothing of this magnitude exists. The tour was nothing less than emotional.

Following our tour, I felt as though I needed more depth, and decided to do my own exploring. I went for a walk through St. Bernard Parish hoping to meet some locals. There was one person that I met whose story I will remember forever.

Walking down the street I noticed an older gentleman with a smoldering cigar in his mouth working on his house. I felt compelled to talk to him. We introduced ourselves and started conversing as though we had met before.

Irwin and his wife had been living in the same house since they were married. The home was originally built in 1904 and in year 2005 it was still in pristine shape. In the spring of 2005, Irwin had just enough money for him and his wife to retire and they did. Tragically, six months after Irwin retired, hurricane Katrina hit. There was water up to the roof of their house. Irwin and his wife lost everything but the clothes on their backs.

Today Irwin is working hard on his house. My friend will probably be doing this for the rest of his life. This story is so important because this is one of many sad stories that stem from Katrina. Many didn’t have proper insurance when Katrina hit; consequently, almost everyone lives in a FEMA trailer.

Monday morning we got to work on the new homes for Habitat. We worked in four groups of 12 people. The tasks we tackled were roofing, siding, painting, and some landscaping.

Early Tuesday morning, tragedy struck once again. Adding insult to injury, a tornado hit New Orleans. Our team knew right away that we needed to help. It felt as though providentially we were put in New Orleans to help with the tornado assistance effort.

We loaded the bus and headed out to a district called the Black Pearl in New Orleans. There we stood in another devastated neighbourhood in New Orleans. Houses with roofs blown off, bricks scattered like sprinkles, and hydro poles snapped in half.

Upon arrival at the site our team immediately got to work. We tried to collect all the garbage and place it in piles so that front-end loaders could easily pick it up.

I learnt a great lesson that morning: don’t ever give up. Just a few hours after the tornado struck, I looked up and saw people rebuilding their homes once again. When final exams come this spring, most students will complain and many will think about quitting. However, to overcome this temptation, just think about the people from New Orleans. Did they quit?

After spending time at the tornado site, we returned to Musicians’ Village to continue our project of building new houses. Luckily for the remainder of our trip no more disaster struck.

Our mission to New Orleans was filled with sympathy, pride, and inspiration. It was a great honour for me to serve with 47 other hard-working Manitobans. I’ve learnt that like myself, most students want to give back. The sensation that’s emitted from a charitable act is euphoric.