NOLA   blog 4    
       Well…in just a few hours we will bedeparting on the obnoxiously long journey back to Ewing, NJ.  I have had some great experiences here…but Iam feeling a little homesick.  I didn’tget the chance to see my mother that much during the break, so I am lookingforward to that.  However, I am NOTlooking forward to that 24-25 hour van ride back to New Jersey.
                Overall,I can safely say that I accomplished all of my goals on this trip, namely thatof getting to know my fellow Bonners on a more personal level.  Not only did I make some really good friends,but I found a person that can only be described as my “personalitydoppelganger”.  We share so manyinterests and character traits!  I wouldhave never made this connection to this person had I not gone on this trip.
                Themost shocking thing that I encountered on this trip was the sight of theabandoned Six Flags New Orleans theme park. For me, it wasn’t the fact that it was abandoned and degrading in themiddle of the bayou; instead, it was this huge testament to the fact that somuch has been forgotten in New Orleans. I didn’t even know that the amusement park was there...just like somepeople in the US don’t realize how much damage is left in the New Orleans area.  Just because the devastation is no longer inthe media, New Orleans has been forgotten by many…like the abandoned amusementpark.
                Doingservice here has opened my eyes to the fact that people not only need majorthings (like their houses being re-built), but they also need volunteers tohelp them with smaller tasks…tasks that will help progress in New Orleanscontinue.  At one point on this trip, Iput paint into buckets.  While I ponderedthe reasoning behind the need for volunteers to do this task, I came to realizethat the buckets I was filling were part of the prep work needed to rebuild ahouse.  You need supplies before you canbuild, and if you don’t build progress will remain static.
                As Ireflect, I think of some things on a personal level…
I had an older second cousin, bornand raised in Pennsylvania, named Howard Evans, who passed away some years ago.  I never met him.  He lived in New Orleans and taught mathematicsat the University of New Orleans.  Heliked living there and enjoyed the people from the area. I’m sure that if hewere alive today, he would admire the spirit of dedication that the people ofNew Orleans have, their tenacity to rebuild.
                My heartgoes out to New Orleans.  I know that ourBonner group has helped to carry the load in some way…even if it was just for afew steps in the marathon of restoration it needs to bring glory to this cityonce again.