Things that make u smile in New Orleans
Anything remotely happy will make me smile now, be it a little boy named Anton I met yesterday who just asked me why I was as small as he was... he was so cute. He was trying to play a toy guitar and asked me to show him - 'how do'ya'll hold this'old guiiitar?' I went to Common Ground Relief, where I've offered to help out in the distribution centre in exchange for a patch of ground to lay by body at night and a way into the community to do my research. They were happy to have me... However... the distribution centre is an abandoned house that has been reinforced so it won't cave in (picture an old gutted out terrace house), and my patch of floor is at St Mary's Elementary School. It's a now abandoned school with shattered windows, graffiti everywhere, smashed desks, chairs and lockers (think... to sir with love - the movie with Sidney Portier with the school hall scenes). Classrooms are filled with very dodgy makeshift bunk beds and mattresses covered in plastic to stop them getting wet and mouldy, it stinks of mould and sweat. It's dirty, he stairs are falling down and the showers and toilets are makeshift out in the school yard. I got a sleeping bag.
It was started by an ex black panther. Very interesting! Here's an account of what has been going on... and a few pics. I'm ok... I'm glad the national guard has arrived as the murder rate has dropped by 30%. Someone was murdered in a trailer park yesterday and it was a bit hectic. There's an average of 4-5 murders each month... and apparently it's getting better, but touch and go. We have 8pm curfew and everyone obeys it. I'm alone now... my boss bailed back to Melbourne... he doesn't research like I do. I kinda have to embed myself in the community. I'm in a buddhist temple now, working with the Vietnamese Community for the nxt 8 days, then will head to CommonGround distribution centre to work there.
I'm trying really hard just to absorb everything. My head is spinning. There are tourists here who have no idea! I hear 'oh, it's all ok... ' but as soon as you head out of the french quarters, it's literally a war zone. I have to be very careful. Everyone is very suave and cos I have to talk to people for my research, and I'm exceptionally friendly and have a smile on my face, I tend to have trouble beating off these black boys who 'dig my accent'.
It's all a bit of a head fuck, mainly because I see this carnage and I'm trying hard to roll up my sleeves and work as well as research... then I see the destruction around the world... what's the use? My job, my passion... my work... my life revolves around cleaning up the destructive forces of both humans and nature... or perhaps, it's just us not appreciating or understanding nature or each other. It's humbled me. It's made me think really hard about my loved ones and I just want to give everyone a huge hug. I haven't cried yet, but I reckon I'm gonna need to see a shrink after this. The people are strong. Their government sux. I'm going to fight in Australia... I'm going to fight to keep every right we have, because they are slowly slipping away from us - the right to welfare, the right to education and health care.
I'm hearing these horrific stories of nurses who had to make life and death decisions during the hurricane when the secondary generator failed. Elderly patients being taken off life support because there is no electricity. People fighting for life saving drugs. AIDS patients dying, cancer patients unable to get chemo, elderly and sick and mentally ill people who don't even know what medication they are taking - 'please give me the blue and pink pills I have to take every day'. Nurses beating off hordes of people desperate to be rescued from the roof of one of the Baptist hospitals.
There are stories of students stuck in dorms, foraging for as much food as possible and trying hard to get out, begging to be rescued and fighting others to get a seat in a bus or a flight out or to be picked up from the roof of a house. There are stories of hope as well. Stories of people salvaging school buses and driving around just before the hurricane, picking up anyone they can. I met a girl who got into her car and drove with her two dogs, as far as she could go up north and being rejected from motel, hotel everywhere she went, because there was literally no room to stay. There are tales of people fighting to get petrol at gas stations as it runs out and gas station owners inflating the prices so no one can afford to buy the fuel... only the fittest of the fit - or I guess in this case, those with the most resources and knowhow - money, cash... could get through. Even those with cash, who couldn't get it out cos they had their money in local bank accounts that shut down... their debit cards not working and no way of accessing their funds. People would literally hold up others at gun point to get a ride out, get fuel for their cars, get water to drink.
The looting was a myth. Yes, people literally emptied stores of their food and fresh water, but it was purely to survive. I don't know if I could do it.
It was started by an ex black panther. Very interesting! Here's an account of what has been going on... and a few pics. I'm ok... I'm glad the national guard has arrived as the murder rate has dropped by 30%. Someone was murdered in a trailer park yesterday and it was a bit hectic. There's an average of 4-5 murders each month... and apparently it's getting better, but touch and go. We have 8pm curfew and everyone obeys it. I'm alone now... my boss bailed back to Melbourne... he doesn't research like I do. I kinda have to embed myself in the community. I'm in a buddhist temple now, working with the Vietnamese Community for the nxt 8 days, then will head to CommonGround distribution centre to work there.
I'm trying really hard just to absorb everything. My head is spinning. There are tourists here who have no idea! I hear 'oh, it's all ok... ' but as soon as you head out of the french quarters, it's literally a war zone. I have to be very careful. Everyone is very suave and cos I have to talk to people for my research, and I'm exceptionally friendly and have a smile on my face, I tend to have trouble beating off these black boys who 'dig my accent'.
It's all a bit of a head fuck, mainly because I see this carnage and I'm trying hard to roll up my sleeves and work as well as research... then I see the destruction around the world... what's the use? My job, my passion... my work... my life revolves around cleaning up the destructive forces of both humans and nature... or perhaps, it's just us not appreciating or understanding nature or each other. It's humbled me. It's made me think really hard about my loved ones and I just want to give everyone a huge hug. I haven't cried yet, but I reckon I'm gonna need to see a shrink after this. The people are strong. Their government sux. I'm going to fight in Australia... I'm going to fight to keep every right we have, because they are slowly slipping away from us - the right to welfare, the right to education and health care.
I'm hearing these horrific stories of nurses who had to make life and death decisions during the hurricane when the secondary generator failed. Elderly patients being taken off life support because there is no electricity. People fighting for life saving drugs. AIDS patients dying, cancer patients unable to get chemo, elderly and sick and mentally ill people who don't even know what medication they are taking - 'please give me the blue and pink pills I have to take every day'. Nurses beating off hordes of people desperate to be rescued from the roof of one of the Baptist hospitals.
There are stories of students stuck in dorms, foraging for as much food as possible and trying hard to get out, begging to be rescued and fighting others to get a seat in a bus or a flight out or to be picked up from the roof of a house. There are stories of hope as well. Stories of people salvaging school buses and driving around just before the hurricane, picking up anyone they can. I met a girl who got into her car and drove with her two dogs, as far as she could go up north and being rejected from motel, hotel everywhere she went, because there was literally no room to stay. There are tales of people fighting to get petrol at gas stations as it runs out and gas station owners inflating the prices so no one can afford to buy the fuel... only the fittest of the fit - or I guess in this case, those with the most resources and knowhow - money, cash... could get through. Even those with cash, who couldn't get it out cos they had their money in local bank accounts that shut down... their debit cards not working and no way of accessing their funds. People would literally hold up others at gun point to get a ride out, get fuel for their cars, get water to drink.
The looting was a myth. Yes, people literally emptied stores of their food and fresh water, but it was purely to survive. I don't know if I could do it.
posted by littlemissdisaster @ 3:17 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
hey babe, i'm so glad you've posted this stuff - and just another reminder that you're doing amazing stuff, and that what we do is not just "clean up" - even little things like recording these voices on ur blog so that more people can read them is important.
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