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Friday, March 24. Posted
by Udara Soysa.
I woke up for another morning in Katrina-devastated New Orleans.
This was our last day of clearing up and cleaning up in the city.
All of us were fired up to do our best at the site! We had to finish
the new site we started work on yesterday.
However, after arriving at the site, we were told that Catholic
Charities wanted us to have a day off on this Friday. They took back
all our tools too.
We were very disappointed. I feel Jonathan and George were the
most disappointed of all of us. We had two options: either go to the
Common Grounds relief camps and help them, or to help a friendly
neighbor on the same street with cleaning up his house.
We opted for the latter as the Common Ground option would require
a considerable amount of time to plan.
Although the situation was chaotic, many in the groups had their
spirit up! Amber, Cynshen, Ben, Jonathan, Clinton, Duo, Maki, George
and Mario . There were at least two feet of mud in the house, yet
Amber, Cynshen and Ben worked non-stop clearing out the areas.
Jane was helpful to us in many ways, from providing cough
medicine to taking us in and out to do shopping to buy what we
needed. It was great having her around.
A significant happening today was when we meet this little girl
who was the daughter of the homeowners. She was mentally scarred by
the Katrina devastation. But I feel the warmth of our group opened
her up, as she spoke endlessly with most of us. And she also made a
very creative thank-you note and gave it to the group. I noticed
that this incident almost brought tears to some in the group. It was
self-satisfaction at its best.
At the end of the day, we went to one of the best restaurants in
New Orleans for dinner, which was enjoyed by all! I think food is a
big factor which has made New Orleans a great tourist destination.
Seafood prepared in New Orleans is very similar to how it's
preparedin the Sri Lanka/ Indian region, and some special rice
dishes taste a bit like the famous Pakistani "buryani rice" which I
tasted in Karachi last summer.
At the end of the meal, we headed out to listen to music at one
of the best jazz clubs in the city. Although we were unable to stay
and enjoy the music for long due to our late arrival at the club, it
was a great experience.
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