Shopping for 8

My beautiful housemates and our pot roast dinner!

Sharing a food budget with seven other women might sound impossible (it did to me when I first learned that was how I would be eating for the next year!) but it's not! Although it has proven to be challenging, it has been awesomely challenging. I have learned an incredible amount about budgeting and although our system is far from perfect, I think we are finally getting the hang of it. Some tips I have learned along the way...

1. You cannot buy the off brand of every product. Although it might be cheaper than Cheerios, Rollin' Oats might possibly be the worst cereal ever. Just think milk soaked cardboard and you're basically there.

2. With most of our schedules requiring early mornings with hasty breakfasts, chewy bars have become a safe haven for something quick and easy in the morning. Buying in bulk is a must for certain items and saves us a bunch of money. We must go through close to 40 a week. Thank you Sam's Club!

3. Leftovers are awesome! Apparently 8 women living together in a house is a magnet for leftover food. I cannot tell you how much delicious salad, bread, pasta, meat, and cake (actually a lot of cake) has been given to us after occasions. It rocks.

4. We cannot keep anything sweet in the house. I'm pretty sure the box of donuts that someone so graciously brought home was gone in less than 2 hours. I know this because I was too late and left with crumbs.

5. My housemates can cook! So far I have been treated to home made bread, breakfast casseroles, pasta, pot roast and some chicken dish that Hannah threw together (still have no idea how she created such an amazing flavor with what I thought was the most random combination of spices). Although it's hard to coordinate 8 schedules, I value any time some or all of us can share a meal together.

I knew that this year would be about learning but the things I have learned about have been so surprising! Confident as I am, I thought food shopping would be the least of my worries - I've been food shopping for myself for the past year - but when its for 8 people on a tight budget it's not the same. I am also enjoying growing in my intentional community. I have never had a space with my peers where I can openly contemplate my relationship with God and my spirituality. I am truly blessed to be sharing this journey with such awesome women.

Lesson from the Journey: Don't doubt your roommate when they start mixing every spice in the house, butter, salad dressing and god knows what else into a pan with chicken...they are onto something.

Volunteer Week by the Numbers

I cannot believe our first group of volunteers at Project Homecoming have already came and gone. It was such a joy meeting folks who came all the way down from Brigantine, NJ and Murrysville, PA to help rebuild this week. They did some amazing work on three awesome sites: Colapissa Street, Terpsichore Street and Annunciation Street (you can click on the street name if you want to learn more about each!)

One of the best things about my job is I get to talk to the volunteers and hear what made them decide to come down to New Orleans. One of the volunteers from NJ, Stan, expressed that although he was excited to help rebuild homes he was most looking forward to learning about storm recovery. Stan was affected greatly by Hurricane Sandy and expressed his struggle to rebuild his home and offer assistance and support to other residents in his town. This really struck me because I had never thought of the knowledge mine that New Orleans is when it comes to storm recovery. People here know what works and what doesn't and have the experience to back it up. Stan and his group are hoping to bring back information to help their town recover and I found that such an interesting and admirable reason for service.

Homeowner Wendell leading "This Little Light of Mine" at Neighbor Night at the Village!

While I was reflecting (and because I am a numbers oriented person) I transformed this week into numbers to give y'all a feel of everything that goes on to make a week of volunteers successful and fun. I definitely have room for improvement (especially when it comes to knowing how much food to buy for large groups of people!) but these groups honestly rocked and confirmed that I am in the right place doing the right thing.

So this week consisted of...

630...total volunteer hours completed
76...scrambled eggs
52...hours I spent at the Village
21...total volunteers
15...meals eaten at the Village
10...amazing work site managers
6...loafs of banana bread
3...work sites located all over New Orleans
2...states from which volunteers came from
1...beautifully decorated chalkboard

The volunteers beautifully decorated our chalkboard!

I love my job, I love the people of Project Homecoming, and I LOVE the work that we do here. It is hard to describe how awesome it feels to be a part of such an amazing organization. I'm already counting down the days until the next group comes! (22 days!)

In the month that I have been in New Orleans there have been ups and downs and many days where I have cried but it's times like these - when I step back and see the big picture - that I realize the minor hiccups are going to be unrecognizable specks when I am done with this journey. What I have and will learn will help paint the picture of my experience and that is worth remembering.

Lesson from the Journey: I am apparently very talented at baking banana bread...I made some for the volunteers on a whim and they asked for more!

Homeless Ministry

Alex and I ready to go with our bagged lunches!

Yesterday morning I volunteered at First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans with the homeless ministry. The previous day, our YAV community worked together to create 100 bagged lunches that included a sandwich, chips, granola bar, crackers, raisins, banana, scripture passage and a water. Based on weeks previous, we were expecting anywhere from 60-85 homeless to show up at the church at 9am Wednesday morning.

This was not the case.

There was a record 120 people there to receive lunches, toiletries and clothing. It is one thing to recognize that there is need in a city but when it is staring you in the face asking for Doritos it is quite a different feeling. When Fred, the pastor of First Presbyterian, realized that we were short lunches ran out to the store and quickly made another 20 to satisfy every single person who walked through the door. Old and young men, woman, girls, children, black, white, tattooed and fully covered up, homelessness doesn't just have one face.

Pastor Crawford reading a story during the worship service at First Presbyterian Church.

First Presbyterian Church has a lot to offer the homeless and I was really honored to be a part of it this week. When you check in, you get a lunch voucher (good for one bagged lunch), a toiletries voucher (good for 2 toiletry items), a clothing voucher (good for 2 items of clothing) and a Salvation Army voucher (good for one nights stay where you receive dinner, breakfast and a safe place to sleep). Although I articulate that I feel "honored" to be a part of this ministry, that doesn't mean it was easy for me. I think it's easier to sympathize from a far, not to get too close. It is extremely hard to look people in the eye who have little to nothing when you have everything you need and more. Once again I feel this tension of emotions - happy that I am able to help with a worthwhile cause but devastated on the need of people in the city I now call home.

I honestly look forward to the next time I am able to go.

Lesson from the Journey: Dealing with my privilege has been an ongoing yet important internal struggle that has been amplified in significant ways throughout my time here in New Orleans.

Swamp Tour

Machanc Swamp located in Freneir, LA

When one thinks about a work retreat the first thing that comes to mind is probably not a swamp tour. This past Friday, I found myself leaving the office at 2221 Filmore Avenue and driving a car full of coworkers to the Cajun Swamp Tours. We took a tour of the Machanc Swamp located in Frenier, Louisiana. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the gators, wildlife and the history of the swamp. He even told us the story of Julia Brown and the storm that hit the swamp in 1915. It goes as follows:

By 1915, much of the property around Frenier was owned by one woman, "Aunt" Julia Brown. A woman of color she may have been but she was wealthy and wise. She was also a witch, or a Voodoo priestess and many of her neighbors enjoyed passing by her home. Aunt Julia was a songwriter, you see, but the songs that she wrote and sang to herself were scarcely the stuff from which comfortable dreams were woven.

"One day I'm gonna die," she sang, "and I'm gonna take all of you with me." Or sometimes, "on the day I die, I'll take Frenier with me." Different tellings conjure different lyrics, and nobody seems to have bothered writing down the rest of the song. It doesn't matter either way because she was right. She did. 

The Great West Indies Storm hit the United States on September 29th, 1915. Modern equipment would allow us to know that i was a category three storm, with sustained winds near its center of 115mph. Down in New Orleans, the newspaper had been warning of its approach for a couple of days now, although the only way you'd know that would be if somebody aboard one of the passing trains dropped a copy off - Frenier had no newspaper of its own - it didn't even have a grocer's store. 

So there was a storm coming, but to be honest, more people were worried about Aunt Julia's song that paid any heed to a bit of wind. Well, she died breathing her last on the same day that the storm first came into view. But Frenier had a funeral to attend. Aunt Julia may have unnerved people, but they admired her as well and the whole town seemed to be pouring out to pay their final respects. But the storm wouldn't wait. 

The wind blew the windows of houses in and carried livestock, the living and anything else it could gather down the bayou. Frenier was floating down the bayou along with Aunt Julia Brown just as she had predicted. 

Grave site where victims of the 1915 storm are buried.

Creepy story, huh? But I was in for another surprise out on the swamp...I got to hold an alligator! I was so surprised at how smooth the skin was and how beautiful they are up close. It was a great ending to an awesome tour. 

Me holding a 2 year old female gator!

Lesson from the Journey: Alligators really like marshmallows. 

Project Homecoming

I have officially survived my first week of work as Village Manager at Project Homecoming. It's exciting to finally be doing what I came here to do instead of just talking about it! After a month of various orientations and using up every interesting fact about myself I could think of in icebreaker exercises, I can say that work this past week was extremely exciting.

As a Village Manager, I am responsible for recruiting volunteers and the operations at the Volunteer Village where volunteers stay during their week in New Orleans. My first week consisted of reading up on the procedures, getting to know the facility and ordering food for our first group of volunteers! I was also in charge of less glamorous things such as sweeping up cockroaches, cleaning out expired mustard and mayonnaise from the fridges, and spraying several wasp nests. Whenever I deal with insects and such inside a house or building I always wonder...if the great outdoors is so great, why are all the bugs trying to get inside? Truly a paradox.

The Volunteer Village: to the left are offices, community space and kitchen and to the right are the dorms. The signs along the walkway were made by volunteer groups to commemorate their time here.

Project Homecoming is a faith-based community development organization that is building resilient neighborhoods in the greater New Orleans area. Even 8 years after Hurricane Katrina, many neighborhoods still remain vacant with damaged properties and countless families struggling to rebuild their homes. Many of these families have received funding from various sources to help rebuild but still don't have completed homes due to contractor fraud and banks pressuring them to pay off the balance on their mortgage. The goal of Project Homecoming is to bring neighborhoods back by building homes for these types of families and completing community projects to promote strong neighborhoods with the help of volunteers. The most recent statistics show:

• Less than 60% of residents are back in the neighborhoods that Project Homecoming works in
• 35,000+ homes remain blighted in New Orleans, serving as refuge for crime and pestilence
• 100,000+ residents are still living somewhere other than home, 8 years after Katrina

Through the work of volunteers, Project Homecoming has helped many families once again call New Orleans their home. I am so excited to be a part of this organization and be a part of the homecoming for families over the next year. I am surrounded by people who are passionate and committed to the work of Project Homecoming which is so refreshing and inspiring. My position as Village Manager allows me to interact with the volunteers directly and get them ready to do great work. So far Project Homecoming has accomplished a lot:

• 32 neighborhoods include homes worked on by Project Homecoming
• 200+ homes completed for families that would still be living elsewhere without the help provided
• 380,000+ volunteer hours contributed to bring back families and revitalize communities

Above is the official logo of Project Homecoming. The triangle at the top and the horizontal line at the bottom represent the houses that Project Homecoming has helped to repair and rebuild. The Fleur de Lis is the most prominent symbol in New Orleans and recognizes Project Homecoming as a New Orleans based organization. The yellow "V" stands for volunteers which Project Homecoming relies on to make their mission a reality.

I am so grateful to be working for such a noble and influential organization in this amazing city. Our first group of 30 volunteers arrives on Sunday, September 22nd so that's when the real work begins. If you want to read more about Project Homecoming and their awesome work, click here.

Lesson from the Journey: You know you have been doing too many orientations when you start making up interesting facts about yourself....I told my coworkers at our work retreat that I live next to a llama farm. This is not entirely accurate.

I Heart New Orleans

It's crazy to hear the words "I love New Orleans" come out of my mouth so early into my time here but it couldn't be more true! I have felt nothing less than extremely welcomed in a city that is bursting at the seams with energy, history and many, many quirks! I decided to list a few things that have really struck me about the city thus far...enjoy!

1. Being from New Jersey where sports affiliations are always split between Jets and Giants, Mets and Yankees it is awesome to be a part of the city that can't imagine anyone being anything but a Saints fan! Saints gear is sold everywhere...and I literally mean everywhere: grocery stores, restaurants, bars, on the street...you name it! Everyone in the entire city adjusts their schedules to be able to watch the game and cheer on their team. Tomorrow is the Saints first game of the season and I cannot wait to watch it with such die hard fans.

I found this picture online - church goers all wearing their Saints gear before the 2010 Superbowl game! Dedication!

2. The cemeteries are above ground! Since most of New Orleans is located below sea level, the water tables are very close to the grounds surface. This means that people cannot be buried under ground because it would affect the water tables. So instead of tombstones (which is what I am used to a cemetery looking like) cemeteries in New Orleans house large marble "houses" in which to bury their dead. It gives the entire cemetery a completely different feel and I was excited to learn that the difference had a purpose!

3. Live music is a huge presence in New Orleans - most restaurants and bars feature live artists almost daily. Last night I explored Frenchman Street with a few of my housemates and work friends. We went to three different bars and experienced three different types of music! The first bar featured a 5 piece band with a rock and roll feel who did mostly covers of old songs. The second bar housed a 7 piece mostly band (or 8 if you count the fan that started playing his trumpet along with them!) that had a jazzy/swing feel to it. The lead singer could tap dance and even had a choreographed dance with a young woman that blew me away. All the instruments got a chance to do a solo throughout the set including trumpet, trombone, clarinet, trumpet, drums, bass and guitar. We ended the night listening to a reggae/funk type band which solidified how diverse the night had been musically. I don't know any other place where this kind of night could even be possible! It was truly awesome.

Lesson from the Journey: Going out and exploring with no expectations has proven the best way to get to know a new place.

The Bayou

Our house of eight took a break yesterday from the city scene and travelled outside New Orleans to the Grand Bayou. It was a day filled with multiple sunscreen applications, fresh shrimp and crab, a boat ride, new friends and uncontrollable laughter. After attending an early 8:30am service at First Presbyterian of Bayou Blue and meeting pastors, Dick and Kris, we drove out to meet their friends Donald and Teresa, Native Americans living in the Bayou area. They greeted us with freshly caught and cooked shrimp followed by a wonderful tour of the Bayou on Donald's boat.

The best way I can think to describe the Bayou is a beautiful disaster. As you can see from the pictures below, the Bayou is gorgeous - all you can see is green and blue for miles and miles but as you take a closer look and listen to the stories, you quickly realize that these wetlands are rapidly being destroyed by the oil companies who over the years have caused massive amounts of erosion resulting in extreme land loss. The biggest problem with this land loss is that pipelines rest on this land and if the water submerges the land, the pipes will be under water and more easily break and leak into the Bayou. It was a battle of emotions for me - being both awestruck by the beautiful scenery and devastated that what I was looking at that day would never look like that again.

Our crew boarding Donald's boat for the tour of the Bayou!

This waterway used to only be about 3 feet wide due to erosion it is now more than 30 feet wide.

A rainbow appears in a rain cloud across the Bayou

I keep getting told by many people that I am going to make a difference this year and I have been reluctant to how true this statement is until yesterday. Dick told us that Donald is usually extremely quiet and reserved and that he was even surprised on how much of his story he shared with us. By coming down to the Bayou and listening to the history of the land and the stories from the people who live there we give them a voice. One of the most striking things that I found out was that Donald actually has 3 boats - one for shrimping, one small two seater and the one we went on. Dick explained to us that the boat we went out doesn't really have a practical use except for taking out people like us who want to witness and learn about the Bayou. We become witnesses that give them confidence to help change the state of their land. That was so powerful to me. I had made a difference in someone's life by just lending my ear.

Lesson from the Journey: Being present is the first and often most powerful step to foster change.