One of my favorite parts about my job is that I get to interact with all the volunteers that come to Project Homecoming. It's usually the same questions that come up between us, me asking the volunteers why they came down here, where they are from, what they like best about New Orleans and the volunteers asking me why I chose New Orleans, what exactly is the YAV program and the occasional "do you live at the Village too?" (The answer is no! I do not live in those abandoned trailers with broken windows!) But every once in a while I have a conversation that really sticks with me.
Every morning at breakfast we project a slide on the projector screen that has the menu for breakfast, the weather for that day and reminders for the week. Tonight at dinner a volunteer approached me asking if I could add Happy Birthday to the daily slide for the next day. I told him that would be no problem and we walked over to the projector together. After I found it that it was Keith's 65th birthday tomorrow, this volunteer went on asking me the basic questions - where I was from, what made me come here, etc. When he found out I was from Jersey we launched into the typical Jersey talk - "what exit are you off of?", "yes, I love Wawa!", "where were you in relation to Hurricane Sandy?" The last question I have got before and it usually leads to a conversation comparing and contrasting Hurricane Sandy to Hurricane Katrina. This particular volunteer (wearing a Restore the Shore sweatshirt!) told me how he had helped with Hurricane Sandy right after the storm and was part of a First Response team working on taking the debris out of homes. I told him that it must have been hard seeing the shore in that devastating state so close to when the storm had hit. He replied that it was very difficult but that he had such passion for the work and the people he met that he was glad he was able to be a part of the recovery effort. I then related that to how hard it has been moving here and witnessing the state of New Orleans even 8 1/2 years after a storm and how much work still needs to be redone.
Now this is where the volunteer threw me for a loop. I was expecting him to respond with additional problems in New Orleans (our corrupt government, our bad roads, our terrible school system) or something about how we have come so far but still have a way to go. But I did not get that response. Instead this particular volunteer launched into a discussion about how he thinks so many people his age (60's) think that my generation lacks passion for anything. That we are perceived to have our priorities mixed up, we don't value hard work and that we lack motivation. Older generations don't understand that we are motivated in different ways and that we have different but not necessarily inferior priorities. He said being at Project Homecoming this week had totally knocked those assumptions on their head. He told me that I was brave for moving away from my family and my comfort zone. He told me that giving up a year of my life to serve others, as well as the countless other Americorps and YAVs on staff, is incredible and doesn't get enough attention. He told me that my passion for the work that I do is inspiring and that it nice to see young people getting involved with organizations that do great work. He said I was an inspiration and reflected my "true" generation.
I was absolutely floored by these statements. It's funny how when you tell yourself things like that they go in one ear and out the other. But when it comes from a stranger that has no insight on your insecurities and doubts tells you those same things, it somehow means so much more.
Lesson from the Journey: The unexpected is wonderful.
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