"Who Dat? Who Dat? Who dat say day gona beat dem saints?!" Is the chant we hear all day when the saints are going to play at home or away game, it does not matter, the pride in this city wells up and seeps out of everyone! From the bus drivers uniformes to the Sisters who work at THC, almost everyone has back and gold on. The Saints played an away game on thursday. I have been told that for away games everyone tail gates all over the city, in every parkinglot and garage. We wantto the local sports bar and bandwagoned with the best of them! It was a pot of fun to be around such team spirit, even if they didn't win.
This city looks big on the map but it is one of the smallest cities i have ever explored. Although the city pride is the strongest i have ever felt and it get stronger with every day i am here. From the festivals and parades to the bikes and houses everyone has a sense of pride for this city. I have never been in a place with such love and community. Now it is not all rainbows and butterflys here but there is a sense of interconectedness and support that runs through many people i meet. No school or club i have ever been involved in even gets close to the feeling this city has!
Having grown up in an upper-middle class family, when i have visited city's in the past the majority of the time i spend is in what would be conciered that cities upper-middle class areas. Which is normal for families and social class groups, it just makes sense. Once you have spent a signifigant amount of time in a city you get to know other areas and meet more people who make up the city (although not everyone vertures out of there comfort zone). Here in New Orleans all of the JV's have entered into the city with a different perpective. I am workig with people who i would not nessesarly see if i was a tourist here. I am spending time in parts of the city that visitors avoid and using public transportation that only locals know about. I only just recently went into the upper class neighborhoods. I had almost forgotten they exist in NOLA. The homes are beautiful, well kept, and look like an amazing place to raise a family. It has been huge eye opener and life changer. But more importantly it has shown me how important all parts of a city are. The poor, the rich, the big, the small, it is the combination of everyone together that makes a city what it is. I have enjoyed learning from my new perspective and come to appriciate more and different quilities this city has. Another part that has added to my new perspective is my minimal living expences, simple life style, and community home.
It was a week of learning. I got a much better sense of the city itself and the people in it. I also had a new experience at work. Not to say every day teaches mensomething new, good and bad, just this week was a bit more powerful. This is a sort of sad story but it's apart of my experiences here and I want to share as much as I can with you all. This week I was on showers, which I'm pretty sure is my favorite position because of the interactions I can have with the guests. All week I was learnig more names and rejoicing when I remembered someones name. Everyday I was waiting to see mark, inpeticular. He is one of the guests I have gotten to know. He always has a smile on his face and likes to joke with me. Last Friday he was having a hard day... I sat and talked with him for some time. He kept saying things like how he would get two step up lifes ladder and it would break on him. There was nothing going right and no reason to be here. No reason to live any more. I didn't know what to do really except listen to him and let him know someone cared. Annie and I are not trained for situations like this but then again is anyone really. We are at THC to be friends with the guests and give them people to care about them. So I treated mark how I would treat any of my friends having a hard day. Long story short, he talked with the doctor who was in that day and talked with me some more then left. I was hoping to see him on Tuesday (after the long weekend) with a smile on his face again and full of jokes. But he didn't come Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Thursday, or Friday. It was a hard week with mark in the back of my mind. But i learned that we are at THC to be there for the guests as their friends and help them with anything we can but we are not therapists, doctors, or specialists of any kind and cannot live their lives for them. We are apart of their lives but only for moments and so we have to be able to give without expectations and help without too much attachment. Most of you know how hard that is going to be for me but it does not mean I'm going to stop giving the guests everything I can; from kind words to toothbrushes and shampoo, I'll be there for them as much as I am able to.
Love you all so much and keep in mind those who are gone from our lives but are still so very loved (especially because it is 9-11 today).
P.s. It's bee between 75 and 80 all week here with no humidity! Enjoying it so much.
1 comment:
Thank you for writing out even the difficult times. That was a sad story and as you've figured out we learn each and every day how fragile we all are. I know you touch lives every day now and I know you're making a difference with those you come in contact with. I believe Mark was happy to have you in his life, I know this because I share that same happiness. love mom
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