My first week here is almost over and I am surprised that I am awake, as I have already been up working for eight hours, done PT physical training, and finished my laundry.
I’m just getting used to waking up at 3:30 everyday. Sometimes I kind of regret not choosing the night shift (Noon-8pm). But I’m finding that I definitely don’t waste my day by napping after work. On my first day, I worked a total of 11 hours. The Culinary Corps came to our kitchen and taught us how to cook and clean in the kitchen. The Culinary Corps is a new program that collects professional cooks from around the country and they volunteer to go in to kitchens and cook for groups of people. For free. It was absolutely amazing. I helped make fried tofu and carrot cake. I worked with a chef that was a private chef for a family that lives on a boat and another who is about to publish a cookbook on desserts.
I’ve been hearing a lot of people say how Brad Pitt is all over the news right now for his project in New Orleans. I actually live about 10 miles away from this land of pinkness. So on Tuesday, I went down to the project to take a look for myself. Unfortunately I had missed him by a day…other Corps members actually got to meet him. Booooo. Being here for two months, I will probably be able to see the progress every time I go in to the city.
Yesterday was another 12-hour day of work. I decided to volunteer after work at a school to help organize a book giveaway for teachers in St. Bernard Parrish. Scholastic donated 25,000 books to the school district and all the teachers in the area were able to take a box home with them. It was so great to see how happy they were to just pick out new books for their classroom. I was told that only 5 out of 15 schools in the Parrish are open. One woman was looking through books and there was a book with the title “What You Should Know About Hurricanes”. She said, “I don’t think I want to know anything else. I think I know enough by now.” True.
I think the most moving thing I’ve gotten out of this week was during my orientation on Sunday. The director of Camp Hope talked to us and told us a story of how a man was stuck in/on top of his house for five days during the hurricane. So many rescue boats and helicopters went by him without stopping. This man had lost all faith in mankind and did not believe there was any sort of good in people anymore. Americorps then helped him and after his experience with us he said he now has trust in humanity again. Pretty cool.
Getting Things Done
ILB :0)
