So I haven't updated since Farmington NM (12 days and about 1,000 miles ago) and a lot has happened.
On an important and very tragic note, a leader on the Providence to Seattle Route, Paige Hicks was killed a week ago. She was hit by a truck in South Dakota. This is a horrible thing for me to blog about, I know, but I need to. I didn't know Paige personally, but I know what kind of person she was. It takes a certain type of person to sign up for Bike and Build. On my route I've gotten to know 32 of this kind of person and I love them all. I'm sure that Paige was kind, caring, compassionate, daring, adventurous, smart and overall focused on creating a society that was better for all people in it. Paige's death is a tragedy not just for her family, her friends, and her fellow riders on P2S'10, but for the entire Bike and Build community and the world as a whole. There's and Navajo Native American Proverb I remember seeing in Santa Fe that says "When you were born you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in way so that when you die the world cries and you rejoice". All I've heard about Paige makes me sure that she did this.
I feel like everything else I'll write about in this entry in insignificant compared to what I've already written, but I need to write about it as well.
First, I'm going to talk about defeat. Overall Bike and Build is one giant confidence booster. There are mountains to climb, and we climb them. Its hot outside, and we sweat. We push ourselves mentally and physically every single day and at the end of the day when I look back on what I accomplished I feel so good about it. However, not every day ends in accomplishment. There are two rides I did not finish, and on both those days I felt utterly defeated.
The first was the ride day into Santa Fe. I biked the first 30 some miles to lunch, and then I got in the van. I got in it because I had horrible saddle sores. Saddle sores, as gross as it is, are basically sores on you butt from the friction on rubbing against the seat hour after hour day after day. Everybody gets them. Even Lance Armstrong had some this summer on the Tour de France. On the way into Santa Fe mine were so bad that I was almost brought to tears every time I sat on the seat. I got in the van, and as soon as we passed the first rider on the road I cried. Defeated.
I got in the van a couple weeks later on the day into Jacob's Lake. This time I was sick. I've had some kind of stomach virus, and at only mile 16 that day I knew that I wasn't going to make it 80 miles. The girls I was riding with had asked me several times if I wanted to call the van and I said know, but it got to the point where I couldn't push it anymore. I was sick, and hurting and all I could do was sit on the side of the road holding my stomach in tears and wait for the van. Defeated.
So yes, I've ridden in the van for about 85 miles, but I've biked over 3,000. I hope not to have to get in the van again, but I've accepted that its okay to get in the van. Bike and Build is very hard on your body and if you're really hurting, you need to take of yourself.
Yesterday was the hardest day so far for me. It was 94 miles. We had a really bad head wind that was blowing us backwards, and we climbed a lot. I finished and I was so proud of myself. However, I had no idea how I was going to bike 108 miles today. I did it though, and it was actually a much easier day then yesterday. We had a tail wind for part of it and we only had one major climb, which was a mountain pass. I'm still pretty bad at climbing but I'm slowly getting better.
I'm still having an amazing time on Bike and Build. It is definitely the coolest thing I've ever done with some of the coolest people I've ever met. It has its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, every day, I can't imagine spending my summer doing anything else.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Goodbye Texas, Hello New Mexico
Since I last updated a lot has happened. Two weeks in BnB time is like 2 months in real life. We have finished with Texas, and have entered New Mexico.
The last bit of Texas was fun, and because hurricane Alexander there was a cold front. It was actually chilly most mornings and the temperature only rose to the mid 70s usually. We had a day off in Amarillo, which was fun. I rode sweep into Amarillo which was a long but fun day.
Today I biked my first century (101 miles to be exact) into Farmington NM. New Mexico is my favorite state so far, it is so beautiful! I cannot begin to describe it - I speechless after we go around every corner and get a new view.
We had a day off in Santa Fe - what an awesome city! We spent the day walking around down town and getting new bike things we needed. I ate Tex Mex two nights in a row - yum! Santa Fe was really artsy and reminded me of a soth western Asheville.
Since I last updated I've had my fair share of bike issues. I got my first (7) flats. All of which have been caused by tiny little pieces of glass (except for 1 which was a huge piece that almost instantly deflated mt tube). I also put a new 9 speed chain on my bike... and then I realized the next ride day that my bike was a 10 speed. Obviously this caused some issues yesterday and I could only use 6 of my 30 gears. I finished the ride though! After the ride yesterday one of the leaders put his old ten speed chain on my bike. It shifted a little funny, but overall it worked really well.
Today was maybe my favorite day of BnB (although I say that multiple times a week). It was challenging but really fun. I also found a girl who I can ride with well on hills! I usually ride with Kate realy well, but on thw hills she goes too fast for me (I'm really slow at climbing). Today I rode with Leslie and we stuck together really well! There was a decent amount of climbing, but overall we were descending throughout the day. The final descent was amazing and right next to this huge canyon. I'm not sure how fast I was going since my computer was acting up, but it felt similar, if not faster then when I hit 42 the other day (SO MUCH FUN). Descents like that make the climbs so worth it!
The last bit of Texas was fun, and because hurricane Alexander there was a cold front. It was actually chilly most mornings and the temperature only rose to the mid 70s usually. We had a day off in Amarillo, which was fun. I rode sweep into Amarillo which was a long but fun day.
Today I biked my first century (101 miles to be exact) into Farmington NM. New Mexico is my favorite state so far, it is so beautiful! I cannot begin to describe it - I speechless after we go around every corner and get a new view.
We had a day off in Santa Fe - what an awesome city! We spent the day walking around down town and getting new bike things we needed. I ate Tex Mex two nights in a row - yum! Santa Fe was really artsy and reminded me of a soth western Asheville.
Since I last updated I've had my fair share of bike issues. I got my first (7) flats. All of which have been caused by tiny little pieces of glass (except for 1 which was a huge piece that almost instantly deflated mt tube). I also put a new 9 speed chain on my bike... and then I realized the next ride day that my bike was a 10 speed. Obviously this caused some issues yesterday and I could only use 6 of my 30 gears. I finished the ride though! After the ride yesterday one of the leaders put his old ten speed chain on my bike. It shifted a little funny, but overall it worked really well.
Today was maybe my favorite day of BnB (although I say that multiple times a week). It was challenging but really fun. I also found a girl who I can ride with well on hills! I usually ride with Kate realy well, but on thw hills she goes too fast for me (I'm really slow at climbing). Today I rode with Leslie and we stuck together really well! There was a decent amount of climbing, but overall we were descending throughout the day. The final descent was amazing and right next to this huge canyon. I'm not sure how fast I was going since my computer was acting up, but it felt similar, if not faster then when I hit 42 the other day (SO MUCH FUN). Descents like that make the climbs so worth it!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Everything is Bigger in Texas
Since the last time I updated we have arrived in Texas! The first ride day from Pelican to Carthage was marked online as only being 60ish miles, but the cue sheet ended up being 81. However, the leader who wrote the cue sheet got confused and sent us in the wrong direction adding a total of 10 miles to the already long and hot day. I ended up getting really dehydrated at mile 91 and I got sick, but I finished the last 1.5 miles and ended safely at the home of a former bike and builder's parents.
The next day we biked another 92.5 miles into Athens. That ride was so hard, and I wasn't feeling well in the morning, but I finished. The hills never ended. I almost didn't want to reach the top on them because it would bring upon me a view of hill after hill after hill. Everyone was so exhausted that day, but walking into the church where we were having dinner and having the part of the group that was already there congratulate me for finishing was an awesome thing. The day was long and hot, but looking back on it it was a great day and a huge accomplishment for every BnBer.
That night our group split up for the first time of the entire trip to stay at houses of families in the church. It was really weird, but nice to have my own bed and my own room at the house of some of the nicest people I've ever met. It was one of the girls who stayed at my hosts birthdays, and when we told Gwen, the woman whose house it was she immediately started baking her a cake. It was so sweet!
Jesse, her husband is a vet who works with small and large animals. They live on a huge plot if land in beautiful house and even have cows! One thing that greatly affects their family that I have not been aware of was the harvesting of natural gas. Jesse told us that the government owns all the natural gas, so if they can harvest natural gas on your property they have the right to put as many rigs on it as they want. All they have to pay the people the damage the rig does to the property. However when put on agricultural lands thiese rigs often cause other losses to the property owners in crops they cannot grow etc.
After a delicious egg bake made by Gwen, we left Athens and headed to Sunnyvale, outside of Dallas. Once in Dallas we built for two days with Habitat of Greater Garland. In the two days we were there we put up all the framing for all the interior and exterior walls. It was really great. We got to meet the home owner at a BBQ thrown by Habitat for us. She was a single mother of two who works in an administrative position in the health care field. She was so excited to get her own house, and she couldn't believe when we told her we had framed all the walls.
Today we biked 86 miles into Decatur Texas. I wrote about it in more detail for the trip blog, and that should be up next time we have internet. I'm too exhausted to write about again, haha.
The next day we biked another 92.5 miles into Athens. That ride was so hard, and I wasn't feeling well in the morning, but I finished. The hills never ended. I almost didn't want to reach the top on them because it would bring upon me a view of hill after hill after hill. Everyone was so exhausted that day, but walking into the church where we were having dinner and having the part of the group that was already there congratulate me for finishing was an awesome thing. The day was long and hot, but looking back on it it was a great day and a huge accomplishment for every BnBer.
That night our group split up for the first time of the entire trip to stay at houses of families in the church. It was really weird, but nice to have my own bed and my own room at the house of some of the nicest people I've ever met. It was one of the girls who stayed at my hosts birthdays, and when we told Gwen, the woman whose house it was she immediately started baking her a cake. It was so sweet!
Jesse, her husband is a vet who works with small and large animals. They live on a huge plot if land in beautiful house and even have cows! One thing that greatly affects their family that I have not been aware of was the harvesting of natural gas. Jesse told us that the government owns all the natural gas, so if they can harvest natural gas on your property they have the right to put as many rigs on it as they want. All they have to pay the people the damage the rig does to the property. However when put on agricultural lands thiese rigs often cause other losses to the property owners in crops they cannot grow etc.
After a delicious egg bake made by Gwen, we left Athens and headed to Sunnyvale, outside of Dallas. Once in Dallas we built for two days with Habitat of Greater Garland. In the two days we were there we put up all the framing for all the interior and exterior walls. It was really great. We got to meet the home owner at a BBQ thrown by Habitat for us. She was a single mother of two who works in an administrative position in the health care field. She was so excited to get her own house, and she couldn't believe when we told her we had framed all the walls.
Today we biked 86 miles into Decatur Texas. I wrote about it in more detail for the trip blog, and that should be up next time we have internet. I'm too exhausted to write about again, haha.
Friday, June 25, 2010
The Last of Louisiana
Tomorrow we cross into Texas, so I thought this would be a good time to sum up my last week in the great (but very hot and humid) state of Louisiana.
We left New Orleans last Sunday and biked into Baton Rouge. We stayed at a church gym for two nights, and that was really fun. They had basketball hoops and balls and almost our whole group played countless games of knock out (a high paced bball shooting game - so fun). We built in White Castle, a town outside of Baton Rouge on Monday. I was part of Team Truss (a group of girls who picked up all the trusses and put them on the top of the house to be nailed in. It was really hard actually, but really fun. After all the Trusses were lifted to the roof I got to get up on the roof and nail them in. I like working on the roof a lot even though it can be a little scary at times. It was nice to be working with a branch of Habitat again at a more organized build site.
On Tuesday we biked out of Baton Rouge and made our way to Melville. The morning on the way out of Baton Rouge was great! We got coffee, biked around town a bit and went to the State Capital Building (which was a beautiful sky scraper). We got to go up to the tower and look down onto the Mississippi river. Melville was a really small town, and we stayed in the civic center there. We stopped on the way in to get 1 dollar sno balls, which are essentially snow with sugary flavored syrup on it - so good after 60 miles in the heat on a really scary busy road (there was actually a point we a cop escorted us over a 4 nile bridge because there was no shoulder and he, a cyclist as well, had actualy gotten hit on it before).
After Melville we went to Alexandria. The ride into Alexandria was much calmer, but I am learning to hate some of LA pavement jobs. The road we were on was really bumpy. We stopped at a small side of the road store on the way and had coffee and talked to the owner a bit. She was really nice and it was crazy how she knew every other person who came into the store while we were there. There seems to be something really cozy about small town life.
On Thursday we biked into Natitoches (spelling?) - its pronounced Nackitash but is spelled realy oddly. Natitoches is where Steel Magnolias was set and filmed - I havent seen that movie but now I realy want to. Its a pretty cool small and historic town founded originally in 1714 (2 years before New Orleans making it the oldest permenant settlement in the Louisiana Purchase) by a French Canadian making his way from Mobile Alabama to Mexico.
It was first a fort on the Red River. When we were on our way into town we stopwd at a life size replication of the fort which was pretty cool. The ride that day was excellent on a well paved road with some rolling hills and beautiful scenery. We had lunch at Magnolia Plantations, and although the main plantation home wasn't open we did get to see the slave homes and the cotton gin.
Today we biked a short 34 miles (the shortest day of the trip by far) into Pelican LA. Pelican is pretty much a camp town which none of the locals on Natitoches have ever heard of. The ride was okay but SO HOT because we spent the morning hanging out in Natitoches and didn,t get on the road until 11:30 or so.
One every important note: my odometer for the trip hit 1000 miles on the way into Alexandria!! Exciting.
I'll try to update more regularly in Texas, but BnB life is so busy that it is really hard to keep up!
We left New Orleans last Sunday and biked into Baton Rouge. We stayed at a church gym for two nights, and that was really fun. They had basketball hoops and balls and almost our whole group played countless games of knock out (a high paced bball shooting game - so fun). We built in White Castle, a town outside of Baton Rouge on Monday. I was part of Team Truss (a group of girls who picked up all the trusses and put them on the top of the house to be nailed in. It was really hard actually, but really fun. After all the Trusses were lifted to the roof I got to get up on the roof and nail them in. I like working on the roof a lot even though it can be a little scary at times. It was nice to be working with a branch of Habitat again at a more organized build site.
On Tuesday we biked out of Baton Rouge and made our way to Melville. The morning on the way out of Baton Rouge was great! We got coffee, biked around town a bit and went to the State Capital Building (which was a beautiful sky scraper). We got to go up to the tower and look down onto the Mississippi river. Melville was a really small town, and we stayed in the civic center there. We stopped on the way in to get 1 dollar sno balls, which are essentially snow with sugary flavored syrup on it - so good after 60 miles in the heat on a really scary busy road (there was actually a point we a cop escorted us over a 4 nile bridge because there was no shoulder and he, a cyclist as well, had actualy gotten hit on it before).
After Melville we went to Alexandria. The ride into Alexandria was much calmer, but I am learning to hate some of LA pavement jobs. The road we were on was really bumpy. We stopped at a small side of the road store on the way and had coffee and talked to the owner a bit. She was really nice and it was crazy how she knew every other person who came into the store while we were there. There seems to be something really cozy about small town life.
On Thursday we biked into Natitoches (spelling?) - its pronounced Nackitash but is spelled realy oddly. Natitoches is where Steel Magnolias was set and filmed - I havent seen that movie but now I realy want to. Its a pretty cool small and historic town founded originally in 1714 (2 years before New Orleans making it the oldest permenant settlement in the Louisiana Purchase) by a French Canadian making his way from Mobile Alabama to Mexico.
It was first a fort on the Red River. When we were on our way into town we stopwd at a life size replication of the fort which was pretty cool. The ride that day was excellent on a well paved road with some rolling hills and beautiful scenery. We had lunch at Magnolia Plantations, and although the main plantation home wasn't open we did get to see the slave homes and the cotton gin.
Today we biked a short 34 miles (the shortest day of the trip by far) into Pelican LA. Pelican is pretty much a camp town which none of the locals on Natitoches have ever heard of. The ride was okay but SO HOT because we spent the morning hanging out in Natitoches and didn,t get on the road until 11:30 or so.
One every important note: my odometer for the trip hit 1000 miles on the way into Alexandria!! Exciting.
I'll try to update more regularly in Texas, but BnB life is so busy that it is really hard to keep up!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Last Night in the Big Easy
Tomorrow morning (wake up is at 5am) we are leaving New Orleans and heading out on an 81 mile ride to Baton Rouge LA. It is sad to leave here, but I'm excited to get back on the saddle.
New Orleans has made a huge impression on most of our group, people keep saying they would love to live here and I agree. We had some issues when we first arrived since our host didn't have a kitchen or air conditioning and was in an area of town that a lot of the group felt uncomfortable staying. We ended up moving to a house run by the organization we were building with, and then after they couldn't host us anymore we moved to someone's home.
The house we are staying in was built in the mid to late 1800s and has all the original stain glass windows - its beautiful. More importantly, the people we are staying with are amazingly generous and nice (seriously, who lets 33 young adults stay in their home for 4 nights?). They even made us an awesome dinner tonight. They love this city so much, and they want to help anyone who comes here to help the city the love.
New Orleans still needs so much help. There are still so many abandoned houses, and you can tell that its just a fraction of the city it once was. Biking in and seeing all the empty foundations and demolished neighborhoods was definately an eye opener. The city has improved a lot since Katrina struck in 2005, but it still has a long way to go.
All the people we've met are so strong and willing to help us. I think, like John and Elaine (the couple letting us stay in their house), that most people from New Orleans have so much pride and love for this city that they will do anything for people who are here to help.
Aside from building during the day, I've spent my time seeing the sites of the city. The night we arrived a good portion of the group went out to Bourbon Street - that was an experience. Then on our day off we walked around the French Quarter and looked in the shops and ate beignets at Cafe Du Monde. I also saw three nights of live music. We went to Snug Harbor and saw a singer named Charmaine with a jazz band - which was excellent. Then I saw Passion Pit (as I already mentioned in the last entry). Last but not least I saw Kermit Ruffins and his jazz band on Thursday night. Kermit Rufins is an amazing trumpet player who also plays himself on the HBO show Treme.
Needless to say I had an amazing and eye opening experience here. I'm excited to continue with the journey, but leaving New Orleans definitely feels like crossing a major milestone.
New Orleans has made a huge impression on most of our group, people keep saying they would love to live here and I agree. We had some issues when we first arrived since our host didn't have a kitchen or air conditioning and was in an area of town that a lot of the group felt uncomfortable staying. We ended up moving to a house run by the organization we were building with, and then after they couldn't host us anymore we moved to someone's home.
The house we are staying in was built in the mid to late 1800s and has all the original stain glass windows - its beautiful. More importantly, the people we are staying with are amazingly generous and nice (seriously, who lets 33 young adults stay in their home for 4 nights?). They even made us an awesome dinner tonight. They love this city so much, and they want to help anyone who comes here to help the city the love.
New Orleans still needs so much help. There are still so many abandoned houses, and you can tell that its just a fraction of the city it once was. Biking in and seeing all the empty foundations and demolished neighborhoods was definately an eye opener. The city has improved a lot since Katrina struck in 2005, but it still has a long way to go.
All the people we've met are so strong and willing to help us. I think, like John and Elaine (the couple letting us stay in their house), that most people from New Orleans have so much pride and love for this city that they will do anything for people who are here to help.
Aside from building during the day, I've spent my time seeing the sites of the city. The night we arrived a good portion of the group went out to Bourbon Street - that was an experience. Then on our day off we walked around the French Quarter and looked in the shops and ate beignets at Cafe Du Monde. I also saw three nights of live music. We went to Snug Harbor and saw a singer named Charmaine with a jazz band - which was excellent. Then I saw Passion Pit (as I already mentioned in the last entry). Last but not least I saw Kermit Ruffins and his jazz band on Thursday night. Kermit Rufins is an amazing trumpet player who also plays himself on the HBO show Treme.
Needless to say I had an amazing and eye opening experience here. I'm excited to continue with the journey, but leaving New Orleans definitely feels like crossing a major milestone.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
New Orleans Continued
At the group meetings we always have to say both our high and our low for the week, and this week I have two. The most fun I had was last night seeing Passion Pit at the House of Blues. I don't really know the band that well, but it was one of the best concerts I've ever been too. They had an excellent stage presence, and the energy in the crowd was awesome. The House of Blues itself was also great on its own.
On a more serious note, my other high would be building in New Orleans. I think that it is this experience, maybe not as enjoyable as a concert, that will stick with me and help me better understand this city. Today we worked at the same build site in the eastern part of the city that we've been working at all week.
Our group is split into 3 smaller groups of about 10. The other two groups have had trouble finding places with enough work for them to do. It isn't that there is no stuff that needs to be done, but that with the Episcopal Dioceses of New Orleans the home owners have to provide all the materials needed to fix the house, and instruct the volunteers (to some extent) on what to do. The other houses our group was supposed to be working on I think the homeowners are just at a loss of what needs to be done and what materials need to be provided in order for any progress to be made.
The Episcopal Dioceses of New Orleans used to provide every build site with a instructor and they had a warehouse of materials, but because of budget restraints they've had to cut both of these aspects of the program. These cuts greatly reduce the productivity of the program. It doesn't matter how many able bodied volunteers you have if you don't have the materials of the instruction needed to complete the task at hand. Its just another issue that affects the affordable housing crisis since the people who are utilizing this organization to help them fix their homes do not have the money to supply all the best tools and materials, and also more often then not don't have the knowledge of construction that is needed to refurbish a home.
Yesterday the owner of the home we're working on, Jeffrey, came by to work with us a bit a see what materials we needed. He is a really nice guy who looks like he's probably in his late 20s or early 30s. He grow up in the lower ninth ward of New Orleans, which is a fairly economically deprived area. He said his dad died when he was 11, and then he was raised by his grandmother (who he claims is the best cook in New Orleans).
His story behind why he has asked the Episcopal Dioceses of New Orleans for help is a really sad but hopeful one. He was living with his family in the lower ninth ward until 2005. They had decided to save up and move to the east side of the city to be in a safer neighborhood after one of their twin sons what shot and killed in the lower ninth ward. The boy was only 3, and the shooting was apparently a stray bullet.
Ten days after moving into the house that he owns now, hurricane Katrina hit. Jeffrey and his family left the night before the storm with basically just the clothes on their backs. Because they had only lived in the house for 10 days, the insurance would not pay for any of the damage on their house (I think he said it required the live in the house for 30 days). His family ended up settling in Texas, and he said that he never planned on returning to the city.
However his grandmother hated Texas, and she moved back. He said that she moved into her same house in the lower ninth ward, and that there are still only 3 occupied houses on her block which used to be in a very full and energetic neighborhood. His grandmother was diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer about a year ago, and so his family returned to help look after here (he has a 9 year old son and a 3 year old daughter). Upon returning to the city, he starting trying to fix up the house.
He said that he hated asking for help, but with his and his wife's limited income, paying rent on an apartment, mortgage on a house and being in school (he is getting his bachelors degree in elementary education) he just couldn't fix the house himself or afford to pay someone to do it. It is really a sad, but inspiring story. He has faced so much tragedy in his life, but he still puts on a happy face and works so hard to get what he and his family need. He is so happy that we're here helping him, and we are happy to be here as well.
On a more serious note, my other high would be building in New Orleans. I think that it is this experience, maybe not as enjoyable as a concert, that will stick with me and help me better understand this city. Today we worked at the same build site in the eastern part of the city that we've been working at all week.
Our group is split into 3 smaller groups of about 10. The other two groups have had trouble finding places with enough work for them to do. It isn't that there is no stuff that needs to be done, but that with the Episcopal Dioceses of New Orleans the home owners have to provide all the materials needed to fix the house, and instruct the volunteers (to some extent) on what to do. The other houses our group was supposed to be working on I think the homeowners are just at a loss of what needs to be done and what materials need to be provided in order for any progress to be made.
The Episcopal Dioceses of New Orleans used to provide every build site with a instructor and they had a warehouse of materials, but because of budget restraints they've had to cut both of these aspects of the program. These cuts greatly reduce the productivity of the program. It doesn't matter how many able bodied volunteers you have if you don't have the materials of the instruction needed to complete the task at hand. Its just another issue that affects the affordable housing crisis since the people who are utilizing this organization to help them fix their homes do not have the money to supply all the best tools and materials, and also more often then not don't have the knowledge of construction that is needed to refurbish a home.
Yesterday the owner of the home we're working on, Jeffrey, came by to work with us a bit a see what materials we needed. He is a really nice guy who looks like he's probably in his late 20s or early 30s. He grow up in the lower ninth ward of New Orleans, which is a fairly economically deprived area. He said his dad died when he was 11, and then he was raised by his grandmother (who he claims is the best cook in New Orleans).
His story behind why he has asked the Episcopal Dioceses of New Orleans for help is a really sad but hopeful one. He was living with his family in the lower ninth ward until 2005. They had decided to save up and move to the east side of the city to be in a safer neighborhood after one of their twin sons what shot and killed in the lower ninth ward. The boy was only 3, and the shooting was apparently a stray bullet.
Ten days after moving into the house that he owns now, hurricane Katrina hit. Jeffrey and his family left the night before the storm with basically just the clothes on their backs. Because they had only lived in the house for 10 days, the insurance would not pay for any of the damage on their house (I think he said it required the live in the house for 30 days). His family ended up settling in Texas, and he said that he never planned on returning to the city.
However his grandmother hated Texas, and she moved back. He said that she moved into her same house in the lower ninth ward, and that there are still only 3 occupied houses on her block which used to be in a very full and energetic neighborhood. His grandmother was diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer about a year ago, and so his family returned to help look after here (he has a 9 year old son and a 3 year old daughter). Upon returning to the city, he starting trying to fix up the house.
He said that he hated asking for help, but with his and his wife's limited income, paying rent on an apartment, mortgage on a house and being in school (he is getting his bachelors degree in elementary education) he just couldn't fix the house himself or afford to pay someone to do it. It is really a sad, but inspiring story. He has faced so much tragedy in his life, but he still puts on a happy face and works so hard to get what he and his family need. He is so happy that we're here helping him, and we are happy to be here as well.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Welcome to New Orleans
I have been so busy lately (hence the lack of journal posts). Since I last updated we biked from Mobile Alabama to Long Beach Mississippi and then into New Orleans. To be honest I don't really remember the exact mileage, but I think it was about 75ish miles each day.
New Orleans is an amazing city. We have already built 3 out of the 6 days, and it has been a great experience. Here we are building with the Episcopal Diocese of New Orleans. They take the houses owned by the people and then help them fix them up. It runs very differently then Habitat but it still seems like a great organization, although it is underfunded and therefore the resources are limited.
I don't have time to update more now though since I'm heading to the house of blues to see Passion Pit.
New Orleans is an amazing city. We have already built 3 out of the 6 days, and it has been a great experience. Here we are building with the Episcopal Diocese of New Orleans. They take the houses owned by the people and then help them fix them up. It runs very differently then Habitat but it still seems like a great organization, although it is underfunded and therefore the resources are limited.
I don't have time to update more now though since I'm heading to the house of blues to see Passion Pit.
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