Our new BFFs

Today started out like all of our other days here in NOLA, but we soon found out we would be making deeper connections and memories to last a lifetime. As we pulled up to our worksite, we saw a group of uniformed kids sitting on a bus. We waved like fools, thinking we wouldn't actually be conversing with them. We walked over to our worksite in anticipation of the school we were meeting, and that's when we realized they were the other kids we were working with. Scott corralled us together when he pulled Kate Halstead over to the "other group," loudly introducing her to our new workmates, students from Chalmette High School in St. Bernard's Parish. We were awkwardly segregated while planting when Mrs. Bennett strolled over. She asked if there were any outgoing students from Livonia who were willing to venture a couple hundred yards to plant with Chalmette students. We paired off in twos and Hannah and Justyn worked with a group of high school senior boys. Chelsea and Kelly ventured over towards two other planters, and, as they put, "planting virgins."

From Hannah's point of view...

Justyn's courageous and outgoing personality made it easy to start up a conversation with the boys. He looked for things that we all had in common. We started talking about music, sports, and even classes. The boys warmed up to us and told us about their summer jobs and their hobbies, which surprisingly turned out to be very similar to our own jobs and hobbies. They asked us about snow, and they remarked that they have only seen snow every several years while we see it almost every day. We moved from talking about our lives to talking more about Katrina, and how the storm affected them. Two of the boys that we worked with lost everything, and their houses were swept away. The other boys we worked with had lost all of their possessions when their houses were flooded. It was so comforting to see that, despite everything that happened to these kids, they were able to laugh and joke with us, and share their experiences with us.

From Kelly's and Chelsea's point of view...

It started off rather quiet. Will and Brandon introduced themselves, but didn't say much else. As Will started complaining, we realized their lack of planting experience (and in our opinion... muscle). Now that we had some common ground, we jumped in to save the trees. Joining together made things less awkward, and soon we were asking multiple questions. While we tied and they planted, Kelly asked the first dreaded question. Afraid to bring up vicious memories, she asked Brandon if he was home when Katrina hit. He told us that he was home, and up in his attic with his family. They were there for one night and got picked up in a boat the next day. They were then taken to the levee and left there for a night. After that, they were picked up by a helicopter and later taken to Atlanta. He was separated from his family for a day. He was with his father and uncle, and unable to contact his mom, sister, or brother. After they met up with each family member, they had to stay in Atlanta for a year. Brandon said that starting at a whole new school was difficult, but didn't comment on it any further. Then we asked Will whether he was weathered the storm or evacuated. He became quite confused and we finally found out that he had left a day before the storm. He came back a couple months after and that was the extent of his comments on Katrina. We planted a whopping twenty-two trees before we moved on.

From Hannah, Kelly, and Chelsea's point of view...

We met up over the "hundred mile trek." The mixed-school group stood in a circle as if we were standing with our classmates. As two trailers of Chalmette students and Livonia students passed us, we could see the segregation still evident. It seemed strange to us because this group of kids we had just met, we couldn't and didn't want to stop talking to. Maybe it was our outgoing nature or our desire to understand, either way we learned a lot about ourselves today. We may live over a thousand miles apart, but if we had switched schools, we would have fit right in. Our efficiency today was lacking, but only because we wanted to learn more than we wanted to work. On the very first day, Scott told us that we weren't here to build trees or houses, but that what we were here for was to build hope. It became a realization today because even though we may talk and look different from some Chalmette students, when 11:15 rolled around, no one wanted to leave. Our plans to meet again on Facebook are going to become a reality when we come home, and until then, we have these memories to talk about from this ordinary day that turned into the best day of the trip so far.