A weekend with my favorite people, Son Servants, and more

A subtle message in the French Quarter.

Another crazy week, and very little time to write about it. My folks came last weekend! Unfortunately, I was doing homework while they did the typical riding the street cars and museum visiting, so I don't really have any new exciting things to report. However, we had a great time eating, relaxing, eating, relaxing, eating, and eating.

Saying hi to Faulkner. "Caddy smelled like trees. . ."

Dad becomes introspective in the alley.

Hanging out by the Mississippi.

Giggling in front of heart graffiti. Awww.

With great effort and concentration, Mom destroys a pound of crawfish. Seriously, it was amazing.

How I spent Sunday afternoon: doing homework at a coffee shop on Royal Street. Note the silver people outside, who I can only assume are the Tin Man's grandchildren. I had a good time talking to them while pretending not to notice that they were silver.

This week was fairly crazy, given that my coworker Clifford was on his much-deserved honeymoon. In order to deal with the 30-volunteers-a-day week, I drew up a detailed schedule of clients last Friday, which helped a lot.

Just as with the week before, this group of Son Servants was incredible. I felt so lucky to be able to work with such kind, engaged, and motivated people. At the end of the week, they had cleared about 11 yards, painted at two houses, installed a faucet at one house, drywalled half a basement, and grouted an entire kitchen. Aside from that, they were so much fun to hang out with.

One of our clients whose yard they cut needed her fence painted, but didn't have the funds to buy the paint. One of the Son Servants groups (they were in three groups of ten) went by Home Depot and bought it for her. Tears came to my eyes when they put the paint can on my desk. Every change in New Orleans now is so incremental, so individual. In a place that has been largely forgotten by its government and its country, the compassion and thoughtfulness that it takes to pick up a can of paint means so much. The client was thrilled, and the group returned to paint her fence the next day.

Son Servants fence-painters goofing off. Love these folks.

Two Son Servants guys and a mysterious mustached man in the middle.

As for other work projects, the Lower Ninth Ward Beautification Campaign is going pretty well. We've set up dates on which we'll be servicing most of the residents; the only problem is getting in contact with the last five or so. The newsletter is undergoing some major changes, but I think I can get it out (or at least a template for it) by the time I leave.

NENA had a party to say goodbye to Lubaina and Jessica (two Architectural Design interns who are students at Berkeley). I thought it would be a tiny little thing, but the team really joined together to get pizzas, wings, drinks, salad, and a big, decorated cake. It was a really nice party; I think everyone really needed to have a little fun. Later that night I went out with coworkers Burke, Ken (both in Architectural Design), and Wanda (Economic Development) to say a final goodbye to Lubaina and Jess. I'll miss them a lot. At the same time, I'm really happy to be getting to know the rest of the NENA staff so well. In part, I came to New Orleans because I thought I was lucky: I have a healthy, happy family, a great education, and I've obviously never suffered a disaster like Hurricane Katrina. But I realize now that my luck hasn't run out: I get to work with some of the most amazing people I've ever met every day.


































A sad goodbye to Jess and Lubaina, two of the most hardworking people I've ever met. You two will be so missed. Here's to hoping we meet again.