We're heading back home tomorrow and there are some things I'm definitely not ready for. Once again, I doubt I'll know how to convey to the people back home how much of an impact the trip had on me, and I'll probably speak to some people who will never understand why I feel the way I do. I'll have to do my laundry and watch the entire trip fly past my eyes as I wash dirt and saw dust off of my clothing, remembering the events that put them there. I'll walk into my hallway the first morning of school and be astonished to find that there isn't a line of 5 people waiting to use the bathroom, and I won't have bunk mates to talk to before bed at night. The service learning trips always feel like an eternity, because you would never expect to make so many personal changes or friendships in so little time. Yes, I'm excited to go home to my loving family and tell them all about the trip, but I also can't wait until we go back to school so I can see my second family together again.

- Ally Waxman

Last Day in New Orleans

Coming into this trip, I didn't exactly take this group seriously. I dreaded meetings some days, and others I was excited to socialize with friends who were also in the group.

Today really did hit me hard, though. I went to "Lemonade Parade" (an awesome place for smoothies and lemonade, by the way), and helped install drywall in the ceiling of their basement, which they plan on using part of for a mentally handicapped relative's apartment. In reflections, and just about everywhere else, we always talk about "southern hospitality," but Mike and Lori, the owners, went far beyond that. During our breaks, Mike and Lori served us a total of; 3 gallons of lemonade, 4 or more hot dogs, and free smoothies for all after the day was done. Lori would not stop hugging and thanking us, and all their kind gestures were unnecessary, yet appreciated. After what must have been Lori's eighth thank you, Tyler said something that changed everything for me. Tyler told Lori that we should be thanking her and her husband (who worked pretty hard despite his sickness), because we do receive far more joy from helping them, then they do from knowing someone cares or having their home rebuilt.

I owe a major part of myself to United Saints, the City of New Orleans, all of our wonderful chaperones, and of course, Mr. Kane.

Collin Amadon

As I lay here in my bunk, I'm all too aware that the week is rapidly coming to a close. 

My first reaction was sadness. I didn't (and don't!) want this week to end. There is so much more to do, so many more people to help, and so much that I haven't learned yet. But I guess the funny thing about time is that it will still go on no matter what else you need or want to do. I felt grief because this week is ending, and that the time I've spent working with 48 wonderful people is going to end. My second reaction was fear. I was scared of going home. Having everything that we built up, the relationships and bonds, be shredded the second we step foot back in Massachusetts. That everything will end. 

However,  our reflection  tonight reminded me that it doesn't need to end. But nothing has to go 'back to normal'. Normal is a relative term where we built our comfort zones around. That we can go home and being our experience back with us. Everything that we learn here can be applied into all our lives back at home, and that's a great thing.

And so, my third and final reaction is excitement. I'm excited to go home  and be the person I have become over the year and over this trip. I think it's going to be a wonderful experience. But I still have one more day left, and I tend to make it as hardworking and fantastic as the rest. And while there will be tears shed, there's an important quote that was said tonight that I'll do my best to reflect on in these last couple days. Mr. Kane has said it many times before, and it's all too relevant now. "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." 

Meredith 

Fences

Today I signed up to go to Mrs. Daisy's house for half the day and then move on to a project at Mrs. Jannettes house. However, after we finished at Mrs. Daisys it started pouring and we had to leave. We went back to United saints and started working on a fence for them. While we were working on the fence more and more group starting to come home from the work day. No one hesitated to join in and help us with the fence for even a second. Everyone here is so willing to help and genuinely kind. The fence eventually got finished and all the four square games were resumed  
The fence just served as a reminder to me of this groups compassion. No one here helps because they have to, they really do help because they want to. As we finished painting the fence, a sad song came on the radio and I started thinking about how much I'm going to miss it here. Leaving makes me more sad than anything else and I really don't know who I'm going to be back home. New Orleans has become a piece of me and I'm so grateful to everyone who helped make that possible.

On Wednesday, I volunteered to work at a brand new job site, just a short walk from our apartments. I was excited to begin a new job where as the previous two days I stayed at the same site, and our job was to begin the painting Ms. Jennet's house. It was more than just painting it was all the process that one had to undertake to finally paint. We had scraped, sanded, and set up our ladders, a huge process in its own way. Ms. Jennet was a woman who had given so much back to the city of New Orleans, she is the saint in a city of saints. She manages and maintains a dozen or so community gardens throughout New Orleans, specifically in the lower ninth ward, where she designed and built public gardens in vacant lots, where before Hurricane Katrina shot gun houses stood. Ms. Jennet spends most of her time helping others, that she does not have time to care for her own home, and that is why we we volunteered to paint her 120 year old house, she would rather of spent her time helping others than herself. She was only home for 10 minutes, before she went back to work on another garden, but in that shirt time she really showed her appreciation and her happiness about the work. And also in that short time she unknowingly showed how truly and naturally amazing she is. The world needs more people like Ms. Jennet, who put others before themselves. 

-Tim M.

So today Wednesday the 22nd I was able to work at Mr. Matthew Webbers home, we had the job of siding his house, we took the job and ran of the wood for siding in about an hour. So Twiggy our site manager decided to head to Home Depot to get some more wood for the job at hand. I was gifted enough to be able to drive with Twiggy, just Twiggy and I. This whole trip I have been looking for an experience that made me realize something important, Twiggy gave me that experience. He had come down to NOLA as soon as they let me, and he has tried to leave but only got to Maryland before he could not stand not being here to help. He mentioned to me that he no longer has any contact with his family because he has been away for son long and that now The United Saints is him home and that he loves the people here like his family. It made me think about how much I love every single person on this trip. These people are my family away from home, they make me feel at home here in New Orleans which is really something special. This group of people is my 2nd family, here and when we go back and I hope that we can all stay as close as we are on this trip because I would not like to loose someone that I now consider as close as family.                      

A Day With Mrs. Daisy

Today a group of 5 other students, Trish and my self ventured to Mrs. Daisy's house to finish siding and painting part of the exterior of her house that was riddled by termite damage. Working on ladders, we finished siding the top of their house in a few hours. At the same time a small group finished painting the steps. At around 11 we were generously invited into Mrs. Daisy's to eat lunch that she prepared for us. The food was excellent and her hospitality really reiterated the term "southern hospitality." She told us her Katrina story; How her son so bravely steered his make shift boat (a front door) down river, pulling his family along with Him. The story was sort of NOLA epiphany. I realized the full extent of my presence here. It was amazing talking to Mrs. Daisy and it was evident that every one was changed by her stories. We worked until around 3 and only have a few trim jobs left along with painting the wall we sided, spackled, and sanded.

~David