| Over my two weeks in New Orleans, my family
more than quadrupled in size. Not many people can say that’s
what happened during their J-Term 2006. The homeowners of every
home we worked on, and the entire class of students I traveled
with, have all now become like family to me. One of the homeowners,
as he came on the bus to say goodbye at the end of our last
work day with him, announced, “Now you’ve all got
kinfolk here in New Orleans, and we want you to come back and
see us!” I probably never would have met any of these
people, in New Orleans or Ashland, who are now so dear to me
if I hadn’t taken this course. Now that I have met them
I can’t imagine my life without them.
My experiences this month have impacted my life and touched
my heart. I know that no matter what my future brings I will
never forget anything about this trip—that includes
the smiles, laughs, and good times, as well as the stinky
smells, cold showers, and hard times. It was a leap of faith
for each of the 32 of us to sign up, pay hundreds of dollars,
and hop on a bus to venture on this trip together. And though
none of us really knew what to expect, I don’t think
anyone could say they were at all disappointed with the experience.
We gave so much of ourselves—our time, money, energy,
emotions. In doing so, we all learned or reaffirmed our belief
that in giving you always receive. I know that received more
bountifully than anything I could have ever given on this
trip. I gained so much more than what I gave up or lost. I
may have broken a hammer, lost a crowbar, ruined a screwdriver,
and fractured a finger...but I made 28 best friends, got to
visit 4 states I'd never been to before, had some of the best
food of my life, and grew and learned in ways that I never
could have if I’d stayed in Ashland for J-Term.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to participate in
this course and all that has come of it for me. While we did
make a huge difference in many lives in New Orleans, there
is still decades of work left to be done there. I can’t
wait until I get another chance to go work there again. New
Orleans is a very special place to me now. A city that I never
knew a thing about before is now, at the risk of sounding
corny, truly a part of me. My time and experiences there have
changed me, and I’ll never forget a moment of it.
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