Work Day 4

Our Day 4 bloggers are Claire Miolene, Harrison Davis and Margaret Simpson:

Claire:

As we started our Friday morning at the work site we all had a lot to do, and were all immediately assigned to the various tasks by our site supervisor Ben. Activities ranged from old and new from constant painting of doors and walls, pouring more concrete while also taking on the new and at times very difficult tasks of grading the backyard to hauling lumber out of containers. The day was long and sunny, as most of us forgot what it was like to work a full day after our luxurious half day of work on Thursday.

 However, there were multiple bright spots in our day starting with the delightful surprise of four boxes delicious Krispy Kreme donuts, hot chocolate, and coffee graciously given to us by Jim, our Rhino chef.  (He was concerned because it was only in the 50's this morning).

Another exciting moment was the surprisingly satisfying and hilarious destroying of scrap wood with a sledgehammer, which started as a simple means of breaking apart the wood but turned into a circle of laughter and shouting as each one of us took turns in letting out our frustration with things we hated while bringing down the sledgehammer amazingly strong hits.

It's not easy to sledge and look at the camera at the same time!  

Go Lexi!

Geralyn opted for the eyes closed technique.

It was actually quite beautiful to see us as a group come together in a long and tired day for a moment of silliness and relaxation. It, along with the rest of the day, will not be forgotten. 

           

Harrison:

Although, as Claire mentioned, the workday had its share of lax and playful moments, in retrospect it was the most physically and mentally draining day of the week thus far. Everyone was on hyper-drive, actively seeking jobs and completing them almost as fast as they were distributed. By the end the drive home seemed more like a funeral procession than a triumphant return. Nevertheless, after quick showers and changes, we preceded right from the hotel to the streets to witness the beginning of Mardis Gras. Miraculously, we managed to find a parking space and secure a spot on the curb to watch the parade with no trouble, traffic, or hassle at all. Jesus was with us (always a good thing). Even more miraculously, the buzz hovering in the air from the pre-celebration preparations acted like a spark plug, restoring energy to the corpses that had only just finished working before. By the time the floats were drifting by our station, everyone was jumping, clamoring for the beads pelted down on us from the sky, and dancing to the incessant music from the passing marching bands. The place was electric, and shocked everyone back into the present, reminding us fiercely of the life that permeates every corner of this great city, the life that we have spent our week fighting to defend and support.

Oh, and shout out to Matt, the “Bead King” of the evening.

Margaret:

As much as I hate to admit it, our work week is slowly coming to an end. Today was our last full day at the work site, and it was jam packed with physical and mentally exhausting tasks. Being outside under the blazing sun for hours really drains all the energy from your body. It is also a perfect recipe for a sun burn disaster. If there is one thing that all of us are bringing back to Stamford, it is sunburn. Except for maybe Bobby who covered her entire face with SPF 100. Other than that, I think we have all taken so much from this trip. We have all shed blood and tears during the past week and devoted all of our time and effort into helping rebuild New Orleans in any way that we can. It is a trip that I will definitely remember for the rest of my life, and the experience has been unforgettable.