welcome to NOLA
Today we met the city of New Orleans and for some of us it was our first introduction to this magical place. A morning walk was interrupted by an intense and short-lived rainfall...one of several toady. Our bus tour of the city included oak-lined streets, huge screened in porches, people of all kinds, music, food, cemeteries, and the much-anticipated French Quarter.
Before the bus picked us up to take us back to campus, we saw Jason Mraz and Peter Fonda lead a peaceful protest about going green and then clapped along with a drum and dance performance steeped in old Louisiana culture.
After dinner we heard from folks from Tulane University Community Health Center about how they have built a mobile medical care program that has impacted tens of thousands in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. That program is still growing and has plans to renovate the building that used to house the headquarters of the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse chain.
And finally, a talk by Tom Piazza, author of "Why New Orleans Matters" both educated and entertained us. As we left the auditorium tonight we picked up our NOLA t-shirts and they will be worn on Sunday as the final community service hours of this program are performed.
Today was the perfect introduction to a city that has endured so much devastation. It was a brilliant way to create a bond between the people on this program and the city and people we are here to serve.
Tomorrow…we get dirty!