Humidity

I've been recovering from an upper respiatory infection that came on a week ago with a high fever, cough and sore throat. Even with anti-biotics it took three days for my fever to break. I've been staying at Georgia's house and staying away from the kids at the school until I'm all well. I miss being at the library and seeing their faces. But, Hands On got on the ball and got some volunteers to cover for me this week. At Georgia's house I have a room to myself and my own bathroom AND a remote control and TV. It's been nice catching up on Law & Order and American Idol. It's very humid right now and I'm sweating buckets.
Three of the staff members at hands on live in a house they rented and have offered to rent me a room for $100 a month. I'm taking it and moving in this weekend. It's more like a large walk in closet but I am thrilled. March promises to be at full capacity all month long.
I finally finished my application for teach nola, a program designed to get teachers here in NO who are not certified. They offer an intensive training this summer and a mentorship program for next school year. Plus, they pay you! with benefits. I really hope they accept me into the program. I have worked for days on my personal statement and between my friends Jenny and Georgia and my sister Suzanne I think it came out really well. Today I hit the "submit" button. Yippeee.
I'm getting really bored staying here even though it's been great to relax. I'm getting restless to get back into the volunteer stint. Something new is always going on. My friend Hans York who has been touring the cafes of the US singing and playing his music is coming to NO this weekend. I hope to get a group together to hear him.
Outside of that I'm also attending a presentation from another volunteer group called Phoenex where my friend Lindsey volunteers. She loves it there and has been bugging me to join her. I told her I would if they would let me continue to work at least twice a week at the library.
I've got to wash this sweat off of me now.

The Zulu Ball-pictures

More Pictures. I wish I had taken more but again I didn't have my camera situation squared away. But still grateful for what I was able to capture. Click on the photo if you want to see the album.

Zulu Ball

Before the Big Parade on Fat Tuesday-pics

Here are pictures I took before the parade began early in the morning. Click on the picture to see the rest.

Mardi Gras 2007

Making Mardi Gras Masks at school-Pictures

I took a group of 12 volunteers to the local school I volunteer at. We went to several classes all day creating masks, valentines, poems and crowns. Click on the picture to open the album.

Fun Friday at the schoolFeb 9th 2007

Reflections a week after Mardi Gras

I'm in the process of recovering from an upper respiratory infection that had me out with a high fever for days. I'm staying at my friend Georgia's house as she has a guest room where I can rest in quiet. I'm feeling much better and anxious to get back to the library. I'm pretty much caught up on television-there was a Law & Order marathon which was really fun to watch. At the bunkhouse there is only a TV in the upstairs lounge, usually occupied by dudes playing video games and it is also a filthy room. I hadn't seen the news in a long time though I don't think I've missed any news. It seems be playing the same days news from last December. Like a soap opera.

On the last day of school prior to Mardi Gras I received an invite to the Zulu Ball. I was talking to one of the teachers about Mardi Gras and she asked if I had been invited to any of the balls. I said no and she asked if I would like an invite to Zulu. You can only go by invitation so I felt like Cinderella. I had one day to find a good but cheap gown and all the trimmings. My friends all helped and while I felt a little ackward at the ball, being solo and not knowing anyone....it was still an amazing experience. Keith Sweat and Donny Hathaway?? or someone like him...drawing a blank at the moment....sang at the ball. I was asked to dance by one of the former kings-what a flirt! It was fun to dress up but I have to say I feel so much more comfortable in a pair of jeans.
Marid Gras day was amazing. All the parades and celebrations leading up to it paled in comparison. The pictures I sent to friends did not do it justice as all these pictures were taken before the parade began. Stupid new camera!!...silly me not bothering to read the manual!!!
The best part was Mardi Gras night. I didn't go to the French Quarter to see the whole "girls gone wild" stuff you see on MTV. I went to Frenchman Street. It's a small street with ten or so clubs on it-mostly jazz and blues. Music and people were poring out of each crevice-dixieland, Latin and brass band funk. I went to Cafe Brazil where Soul Rebels played. You COULD NOT NOT DANCE. Impossible. Nearly everyone was in costume and strangely I was not.

The next day I spent resting, doing laundry and helping my bunk mates clean up the rooms. I was glad that the mardi gras days were over. It was time to get back to the tasks at hand. I had a busy day at the library on Thursday-several kids brought books back in, checked new ones out-asked about their research projects and I helped a few (don't laugh Nelson-ha ha) with their math homework. Yes, I can help with 4th grade math! I asked the kids if they got lots of mardi gras beads and they said yes they did and some of them sold their good ones. Sad, I guess. It is hard to conceive how poor these kids are. I don't think they know how poor they are. Apparently you can sell your beads though they are so cheap to begin with-they must mean the collector beads.

So I came down with an upper respiratory infection-had a fever of 104 for 2 days before it came down. I had to go to ER as my throat and face were in so much pain. When I got there at 7am Saturday morning there were many other adults with the exact symptoms as I had. One man next to me was weeping in between coughing. Another woman was wailing. It was a mess. Apparently this infection is spreading rapidly around NO so I'm glad I've been shut away at Georgia's house. My temp is normal now and I feel nearly all well but will wait a day or two more before heading back. Meanwhile I'm working on my "personal statement" for an application I'm doing for Teach Nola. A program for getting teaching certification here in New Orleans that is fast and puts you to work right away. Oh, yeah. I'm thinking very seriously about living here for a while. Can't afford to be a volunteer forever but I still want to do something that will satisfy that do-gooder part of me. Smile. If only it was that simple I would just put money in parking meters. I need a job and strangely enough I like kids (other than my own!) surprise surprise.

Post Valentine's blues

It's not Valentine's day that is making me feel blue. A few students came by and gave me candy and I received several sweet hugs. I've just been feeling low-low energy and my spirit is feeling low too.
Luckily I have a long break starting tomorrow and ending Wednesday. President's day and Mardi Gras. I'm in need of a break and plan on spending the night at Georgia's house tonight. She has offered to me her guest room complete with cable TV. One of the best parades, The Muses, is going on tonight. It's very cold outside and I'm already half asleep at 1:30pm. Perhaps a quick nap will be all that I need.
I'm feeling burned out on community living-tired of carrying the weight of the library and arts project and generally feeling that my time at Hands On is over. I won't make any decisions until I'm rested and feeling like myself again.
It's quiet and weird at the base. There are only 15 people left now-a week from now there will be over 100. Still, even with 15 people some still insist on playing music at full volume until 10pm in the bunkhouse-the football games indoors and just a general lack of quiet and alone time prevails. Perhaps I feel it even more now that there are fewer people and it's still not relaxing.
I just haven't been able to smile for days now---well, sometimes I do when I'm here at the library and the kids just do something or say something so precious or so funny, I can't help myself. Though I have to admit it took all of my will to get here today. Last week one of the volunteers Trisha asked all the fourth graders to write a full page on Hitler and the Holocaust and told them if they did by next Wednesday (yesterday) they would get a special prize. She and her group have already left -damn it-leaving me to handle it. First off, some of the teachers were very upset stating the the subject matter was inappropriate for 4th graders and that this is black history month and that is what they are working on.
But yesterday 19 students came into the library with their reports to hand in. I told them I would look them over and give out prizes tomorrow. Since they all did exactly what Trisha had asked for they all deserved a prize. Most of the kids copied the same article off the internet but since Trisha didn't set any rules, they are not to blame for that. Two students went above and beyond by writing long reports in their own voice. So this morning I walked to Walgreens, bought 19 Hershey's chocolate bars. I bought a disposable camera and warm gloves for the two students who earned triple star. Now I'm like a real teacher man. Going out of my own pocket!
Well, I'm going to present this to the class at 2:30. I have to track down a 1st grader who is going to be in a Mardi Gras pageant this weekend and was looking for donations. I asked her how much people usually give and she said, "I don't know. Maybe 10 million?" See what I mean? I just can't help but smile.

Getting over the Wednesday hump

I'm writing this offline as our wireless is disabled for some reason. The library project is coming along. We presented part one of the proposal yesterday and will finish up today. Yesterday because of the amazon wish list around 10 packages arrived. I was so excited-it was like Christmas. The most amazing thing was that one of the books was the Time Life book on Katrina-full of pictures. One of the kids wanted to look at it and I was hesitant because I had not looked at it yet and knew that there would probably be a few pictures of dead people. But we looked at it together and suddenly this hard to reach girl was telling me her stories of Katrina. Soon a group of kids gathered around and started talking about it. They relayed thier stories of being rescued by boat, of waiting for 4 days on a bridge without food and water, of being in the Superdome or some other shelter, or relocation and how they were treated. They didn't edit or dramatize their stories all making these stories so more powerful. One girl in particular was so articulate and was able to describe different events in such heartfelt detail. She obviously needed to tell her stories as she would wait until one kid finished and she would begin again. I asked her if she had written any of this down. She hadn't and I asked if she would like a notebook to start with. She did and asked if I would help her. So she plans to start writing and come by the library so that I can look it over. I wished so much that I had a video camera attached to my head as she spoke. It was so powerful.
I've been going to bed early each night-8:30 or so. The bunkhouse is nearly empty at that point because everyone is going out to hear bands and go to events. There is never a lack of things to do in New Orleans and coming this Friday, the first night of Mardi Gras, it will be very crazy. We are basically shutting down operations and just doing in house stuff. We can't logistically get around the city as so many streets will be blocked off. I will still continue my work in the library. I can wait to see the parades. I think most people associate Mardi Gras with crazy drunken frat boys and while I don't doubt that will be the case, I intend to see the more eccentric parades that happen outside of the French Quarter.
I'm coming down with a cold and trying to fight it off. I need all the alertness I can muster to work with the kids. It's one thing to be sleep deprived and go and gut a house. That is easy compared to being challenged by a sharp 12 year old. They sense weakness and your ass is grass.
I'm feeling some stress and burnout here. I think it's the bunkhouse living, not being able to leave the area by myself and not having transportation. Getting a bicycle will help that but I really feel the need to change my living situation and that is tricky. There is a pecking order here as to who is up next for a more private area outside of the bunkhouse. Supposedly we are moving into a new location but I don't see that happening soon. It will be ok during Mardi Gras because our numbers here will be very low. We aren't accepting any more volunteers during that time so it's only long term volunteers who wil be here. But right after....we will be booked up for months and I just don't think I can take that any longer. So what to do?
My friend Georgia has a room in her house in exchange for work in it's maintenance. I feel red flags with that. I can't afford to move into an apartment without a job and I'm getting to that point where I'm ready to get a job and an apartment. Yet, I'm not willing to let go of my committment to the children at the local school.


…..later in the day. Wednesday 3:30 pm. Exhausted. Good presentation. Had one pre-K reading in the library-fun. Then two 2nd grade classes-a little harder. Then two 4th grade classes back to back-arg. So hard. And one girl working in the library today was so hung over that she was more of a hinderance than a help. Using the library computer for her MySpace. She is only 18 so I try to give her some slack.

February 1st-The Library

Alive and well in New Orleans....



Yesterday was great at the library. The school gave us a brand new out of the box computer! It has been on our wish list for a long time. Tomorrow we kick off Fun Friday with library orientation, readings and mardi gras mask making. I'm excited about that.
Yesterday I put together an Amazon wish list. Please check it out! Go to amazon.com, click "wish lists" and put in Hands on New Orleans. We have only 6 African American history books and in a school where the 99% of the students are African American-well, this must change. We added books about Katrina that are age appropriate and DVDs in science and other subjects as the teachers need this resource. I feel so passionate about doing what I can but I'm also trying to step back and let the other enthusiastic volunteers do their thing. I have more experience with kids and I think I know more but I also realize that I can be cynical and closed minded. These younger volunteers have more idealism and I have to open my mind and listen and learn.
Right now it's pouring rain outside and most of the volunteers are on these huge gutting houses projects and de-molding. The de-molding is the worst part as it is so pointless (in my opinion) to de-mold in the rain. It just doesn't make sense. But there is a huge corporate group here and they are only here for today.

I would love nothing more that to take a nap right now-it's that kind of day. Yesterday I received "When the Levees Broke", Spike Lee's HBO documentary that came out last August. I have been wanting to see it for so long and the one copy that someone here has just keeps disappearing for weeks so I just broke down and bought it. Wow! It is very powerful and I highly recommend to all of you to see it. I was surprised at how well Spike Lee stepped back and gave a voice to many opinions and experiences-allowing the viewer to draw their own conclusions. Seeing all the little children being rescued out of buildings-air evacuated-small little ones seperated from their mothers-lost and confused-so many of the kids that are at this school have been through so much. Some remember not having food for 5 days and how they waded through water-broke into a store to find food and still feel bad about that.

Kids are so tough but what is the long term effect of having your family split up?Losing a year of school? All of the kids I have talked to lost a family member or family friend during and soon after Katrina. Mainly, grandparents who could not survive dehydration, heat and stress. Working in the library is such a small thing....but it is a positive thing.
I thnk I will move to New Orleans and teach here in the public schools-IF I can muster the courage. It scares me to be so far from my family and friends-
I don't know if I can really do this.

That's it for now friends. Soon I will have a camera again and be able to add photos to this blog. Send me an email as I haven't received many lately and I need to hear what is going on with you. :)

Back in the Library

I don't have a lot to write about today but then again....I'm back at working in the library. Today the school gave us a computer! Brand new-right out of the box. The past two days I was down with a fever and just started feeling ok last night. It's 1:30pm and I'm expecting a first grade class to come in for a read time. I did that this morning and was a bit unprepared. I chose a book that was a little complicated and the pictures were unclear. Then I read "Green Eggs and Ham."

I will not eat them in a house.
I will not eat them with a mouse.

I got them to say mouse with me but one girl kept saying, "rat". Funny. The teachers laughed with me.

I'm overwhelmed with putting the proposal together. More so, I'm finding it hard to concieve how to put together a music program. i need someone who has done it before to help me.
Well, it's looks as if the 1:30 class isn't coming in after all. I was excited to read, "The Little Engine That Could".

Sunny Thursday

This morning I woke up early before the music was turned on. It's my birthday and I went outside to blue skies. Yeah! I needed that.
Yesterday I worked damn hard. I team leaded a crew of 7 to move about 35 school desks, filing cabinets a couch....tried very hard to find a school or church to come and pick them up and it was raining. I haven't walked down there this morning but I really hope someone got them. In my crew there were four MBA guys here for their volunteer requirement. Nice guys but 2 of them are very bossy and thing they know what they are doing and tell me what to do-funny. Instead of getting the job done they stand around debating about the proper procedure. A task that takes an hour takes hours. But I kept them in line-hee hee. The saying goes-get'er done!

We finished early and I asked for another job to give them. They sent us out to a finishing gut on the house from hell in the 9th ward. This house looks as if should be demolished. The structure is compromised and these guys were upset that we were working on it. We pulled out he remaining nails and cleaned it really well. I tried to explain to them that 80 percent of all homes in NO should be torn down but that the cost of rebuilding 80 percent of the homes from the ground up is an impossible feat. Besides on this particular house we had a very bad incident. Back in December we sent out a huge crew to gut it and they took out a wall to the outside or the house. Stupid! We made this historical house worse off than it was. We have to replace the wall and the project manager feels that because of that we will do all we can to restore it. I didn't feel like debating this with volunteers who have been here all of 3 days. So I took them next door to look at a house that hasn't been touched since Katrina and has a spray painted note on the front that says "one dead body." In it was all their belongings molded. That is how most first day guts look-its dirty and disgusting work. They were quiet then. They stopped bitching.
Today I have a meeting with a local principal about implementing a art/music program and also making the library work better in their school. Tonight I'm hosting the talent/no talent show we have occasionally here. The church gave me permission to hold it in the santuary which is great because it has amazing acoustics.
I may go out later to an open mic. I plan to sing at the talent show but have no idea what I'm going to sing. I haven't practiced in so long-oh well-it will be ok.
Well-another year older. It's just a number right?