Being my first time down in New Orleans I could not fathom what I was going to see. When we first stepped out of the airport and into the hot Louisiana air I just felt an unexplainable amount of excitement. I was ready to step into the action, get to work and move towards making a change. Everyone was so excited and I just wanted to experience the feelings that they had. Our first morning in New Orleans when we were simply driving to the lower 9th and seeing one side of the road seeing this huge, beautiful Superdome and the other side this house that hadn't been touched since when Katrina hit 7 years ago I was astonished. I didn't really expect the destruction that is still existing within New Orleans and throughout Louisiana. Then when we were walking through the lower 9th and just hearing people say, "There was 15 feet of water here", I could not even begin to imagine how it was. Just my first day in New Orleans really started changing my perspectives on how I viewed the world and how the Hurricane really affected Louisiana.
Coming down to New Orleans I was close with my fellow sophomores and I talked to a select few people in the group. I felt included with everyone in the group but we were not close enough to share certain things with each other and some people I have not spoken one word too. When we arrived in Louisiana any walls between me and the other participants were broken down. I'm freely talking to everyone and we can all enjoy each others presence. It's only second day with this group and usually I'm the person in the group who is very shy and keeps to myself but I've became more outgoing and comfortable with everyone. I'm talking to people I would not necessarily talk to at school. I feel like I've finally found my place and I really belong here.
At reflection tonight around the fire I felt completely comfortable with everyone. Last night when we did reflection I only spoke once but tonight I was able to speak three times. It is not easy to speak in front of 46 people, well at least for me. So speaking three times it was a big deal for me. I love hearing everyone talk about their day and listen to their thoughts on the day. I also really love when someone in the group talks about our group dynamic. Everyone has said this is a great group this year and everything is working out so smoothly. It was awesome to hear a chaperon say they love, care, and respect everyone in this group after two days. It is amazing to be apart of group that has so much respect and love for each other and also that we are working towards one thing.
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