New Place!

Finally finished moving into my new place and it looks great! I saw my first cockroach last night which apparently is just part of living in the south. Even the cleanest places have them! Thank goodness I have boy housemates who took care of it for me....I would just rather not deal with them :)

Doby, one of my housemates dog, is the sweetest little thing and I think she really likes having a girl in the place. I have a pillow that I don't use so it is now her bed and she likes sitting with me in the air conditioning and trying to get my attention. She is only 10 pounds and the cutest little thing ever. SO happy I get to play with a doggie! And I have the added bonus of not being responsible for her which is always nice.

I have decorated my place and only need a few minor things (extension cord, another lamp, nightstand) and then I will be all set. I finally have a big girl bed!! It is so cool. I love it. My first real place :)

Work is going well. I will definitely miss making the funny videos but we won the Pepsi Refresh grant!! That is so wonderful, but deep down I always thought of it as ours so although it was great to actually win, I can't say I was surprised. A big BIG thank you to everyone who voted! You are helping us do some really great things.

Stuff is going well here and I am enjoying settling into my new place. I definitely need to scrub the bathroom/kitchen......that probably hasn't been done in some time. My room is very big and has plenty of room for visitors!!!!

<3

Can't Sleep

So its later then I have been staying up during the work week and I can't sleep. I moved most of my stuff into the new apartment today and I am getting nervous. My room is great and beautiful but the apartment itself needs a good scrub down. I am concerned about living with these guys that I don't know/living on my own. Since my bed is coming tomorrow I am still staying with the family I have been staying with and I don't want to leave. It is so comfortable here and tomorrow is just another step in the big journey and one that I am hesitant to take. It is hard because I don't have much of a support system down here yet and I don't want to let go of this family that has been so generous and taken me in with open arms. I am just worried.

This past week was really intense. At every Welcome Home Party I cried. I think I might cry at all of them, but after working a full day and having to do it all again the next day, it gets to be draining. I just feel so much love for the families we help and the work that we are doing. I am glad that I am not in client services because I don't think I would be able to go home and have a life knowing that there were applications we had to deny and worrying about those people. On this end I get to see the success stories and help make them a reality and I think that is a better fit for me. I get too attached.

Along those lines, getting too attached is one thing that I love about myself. I think that it helps to restore my faith in humanity, and I hope it allows others to feel the same. Sunday I was stressed out having worked a long and tiring week, sick of the rain and not being social, and trying to get some last minute things for my place. My anxiety was high, and talking to my mom on the phone I just heard my own voice complaining. After walking around Magazine a bit in the rain, I decided on my way home to stop in and buy an umbrella to keep in my car. There was some road work being done and there was a man directing traffic, in the pouring rain, standing there in a drenched tee shirt with a small white towel over his head. I went into the store and bought two umbrellas, one for me and one for him. I walked over to him with the umbrella opened and asked him if he would like it. He just sort of looked at me, I think maybe trying to figure out if I wanted money or something in exchange. I just smiled and said "Have a nice day!" and walked away. One of the other construction men shouted out to me "Hey girl, that was real nice!". I was grinning from ear to ear the whole way home.

The point of sharing this is not to toot my own horn, but to encourage everyone to try and pay it forward. I was having a crappy day and saw that a $5.99 umbrella would not only cheer this man up but cheer me up as well. I care too much and rather then try to turn that off and change I am going to embrace it and hope that other people will benefit from it. Do something unexpectedly nice today, and maybe when you need it, someone will be there to do the same for you.

Lots of love, always

Quite Content

I love my job. Even though this will be a 60 hour week with lots of stress and moving still in the back of my mind, there is nowhere else I would rather be. I am so lucky to work for such an incredible organization and to be in New Orleans for a truly remarkable commemoration of Hurricane Katrina.

www.stbernardproject.org

<3 Laura

Working Woman

Sorry for the lack of updates but I have been busy!! This week I started my job with the St. Bernard Project as a volunteer coordinator. Lots of training and building, since the organization is all about rebuilding houses. I spent yesterday and half of today and Tuesday cutting and hanging drywall in the very hot summer in Louisiana humidity. I think that tomorrow will be my first full day in the office and I almost feel like a real adult. I am so excited about my fellow Americorps State members that I am training with and the different jobs that we will have throughout the organization. There are site supervisors, a photographer, electricians, plumbers, and other office workers all coming together as young adults who want to learn and help out an amazing cause. It is really inspiring and great to get to know all of these very cool people.

Next weekend is the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and will be a very busy time for us. I am interested to see how the rest of the city reacts to the event, but might not have time to attend other events since we will be working on a 50 hour build!! Can't wait to be a part of it. We are also trying to raise funds to expand our free mental health services and provide jobs for those affected by the oil spill. You can vote every day from now until August 31st by going here. It is an amazing cause and worth your five seconds of logging in and clicking the "vote" button.

I haven't gone out much or explored the city in my free time, because I have been so tired. Transitioning to work is a big adjustment and I am sure once I get the hang of it I will be out at night. There are some really sweet people who we are so lucky are here to help us. The Church of the Bretheren hosts a "Taco Tuesday" dinner for all SBP staff. Free. Every week. Are these people angels or what? Delicious food for people who work hard but make very little money. I am seeing so much generosity from the people of New Orleans and am feeling really inspired by everyone.

I am moving into my new apartment in a little over a week and am so excited for that. My first place! I will be sad to say goodbye to my incredibly generous host family. Their sweetness, dogs, children with dramatic high school lunchtime stories, and fully stocked kitchen will most certainly be missed.

This post sucks, I'm sorry. But I am tired (duh) and only wanted to share my excitement with you all.

Lots of love <3

Welcome to Nawlins, Baby

My first two days here have been a blast. From the second I got into the cab Wednesday morning and met Rhonda, the sweet-as-sugar cab driver who drove me to the SBP offices, I knew this was the right place for me. She struck up a conversation and when she asked me what I was doing here and I told her, she thanked me and opened up about her experiences with Katrina. It still amazes me that the people I have come across and very willing to share their memories of such a horrific time. Rhonda was wonderful and a great introduction to the city!

At SBP I met the staff and got a feel for the relaxed but hard-working environment that I will soon be a part of. I learned that I will be a volunteer coordinator for colleges and high schools, so if you know of anyone in that group who wants to volunteer then send them my way!

After I left Chalmette I bought a map and drove around the city to get a feel of neighborhoods. I fell in love with Mid-City, obviously, but it is so far out of my price range. Cool cafes and restaurants, so close to the fairgrounds and city park, and my commute would be cut in half if I lived there instead of Uptown. I think my best bet is to keep checking Craigslist and hope that someone is renting a room in a house there. I met with a broker who was great but there isn't too much in my price range, so I think this is going to be more on my own.

My hosts, the Martinez family, put hospitality on a whole other level. They are so kind and generous and have really made me feel like a part of the family. Their oldest son took me to the Maple Leaf Bar last night and we heard some amazing music. Tonight we are going to explore Satchmo, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Festival that is on Frenchman's street this weekend. Last night was great, but he said that was nothing compared with what I will be hearing tonight!!

I decided that I will try everything here (except maybe pig's feet). I had crawfish which was delicious and am going to check out Guy's on Magazine, which supposedly has the best po boys in the city. What kind of an adventure would it be if I stayed in my comfort zone? I spent most of yesterday and the day before driving around, looking for "for rent" signs, and calling them up. Most places are looking for someone to move in September 1st, and I need something sooner then that, but what have I got to lose? I have tried everything....the JCC, Tulane, coffee shops in areas I like. Feel free to offer some apartment-hunting suggestions because I am open to anything!!

Bottom line, I am having a great time getting accustomed to my new home. The humidity is intense but not unbearable (apparently this is fairly cool for this time of year, so I might be changing my tune very quickly). I will feel so much better when I have a place of my own, but I am feeling so much love from the Martinezes that I really could not ask for a better situation.

Love,
Laura

The Beginning

So. Tomorrow (or actually, today) I leave for my big adventure. After all of this time planning and researching, I really don't know what to think now that I am getting my stuff together for the plane ride down there. This is such a huge transition for me, and on top of that cleaning out the house I have lived in my whole life (a task that I tried my best to complete, despite everything else going on) has been really difficult. I am so lucky that a very lovely, wonderful family (with two dogs!!) is letting me stay with them until I find something of my own, which hopefully won't be nearly as frustrating when I can actually see the places in person. Hopefully, I will find a place and be moved in by the time I start work on August 16, but I will keep updating. I have really been like 90% excited and 10% nervous....something very shocking for me but it is also reinforcing my feeling that I made the right choice and that this is the right city and job for me. I don't plan on sleeping much tonight, since we are leaving for the airport in 4 1/2 hours and I am nowhere near tired, but hopefully I will sleep through the plane ride and wake up just as we are landing in my new home of New Orleans!!!

Flight is booked!!

It's official. August 4th I make the big move (with my car and things being sent down earlier....how will I function without a car!?!)! Talking with some of the team members that I will be working with. We are all just so excited to get there and meet each other and get to work! Still looking into places to live but it will be so much easier once I am down there and can see things in person!

Feel like celebrating with me? Party like the saints! WHO DAT!