The first day of construction was incredible. While mudding is not the most exciting task, it was still a lot of fun to learn because it is a skill I never thought I would use. Tanya and Cam, our site supervisors, are really laid back and extremely helpful. I would like to say that I am pretty good at mudding now, but I don't think I have the mudding touch just yet. Sanding was a rather painful experience. It is really difficult to see through the fogged up glasses, although I learned the trick is to keep them lower on your nose (kudos to Dom for this one). Since the start of construction, I have really enjoyed working on this project with my fellow Bonners. I have grown closer with a lot of people that I have never really spoken to before.
Aside from the actual construction work, I have also been able to speak with more natives of New Orleans by random chance. We were at Wendy's for our lunch break on Tuesday and I was sitting at a table with some of my team members. There was an elderly woman next to us and when I happened to glance at her, she asked, "High school or college?" I told her and we proceeded to have a very nice conversation. Her granddaughter is currently in Italy studying abroad. This woman informed me that her original house was destroyed by Katrina and never rebuilt. However, the current home she is in was rebuilt. I wish I had more time to speak with her. Part of what has made my experience so wonderful is speaking with the New Orleans residents and understanding why our work really matters.
On a different note, today is my birthday. I have never had a better and more exciting birthday. Everyone in Bonner is like family to me, so being with everyone made me incredibly happy. Not to mention the ice cream from the creamery we went to was delicious! All in all, looking forward to the rest of what this trip has to offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment