Greetings from Cindy

This morning we woke up to prepare to teach. We were a little surprised to be teaching on our spring break. This truly gave us a sense of the community and how they are adjusting to thier new world.

We doubled up to teach a classroom of about 23 students in a room that was 12 by 20 ft. It was amazing that they could fit everything and everyone in each room. They had recently reduced there classrooms of 35 to 23. Can you imagine that many children in one tiny room? It's unbelievable! This school had just opened this January which meant 4 additional months of no school for these kids. We were told that there are still children who are not in school today. We are all truly worried about them.

Our jobs consisted of teaching from 8:00 to 11:00. The teachers took this time for team building, which they have been unable to do. Each team of two was a bit overwhelmed by the energy of these first and second graders. We all came away with a variety of interesting stories. The number one things we all agree on is that we hope for the best for these children. Each student is very important and deserves an education. These little ones will stay in our thoughts and hearts!

After a morning of teaching we moved on to a half day vacation called a "Cultural Day." This means we were able to cruise around and see New Orleans. We spent the afternoon going out for lunch and looking at the ninth ward. The ninth ward was heavily flooded, reaching water depths of 12 to 20 feet. Can you begin to even image it? Each house was marked with an "X." The triangles within this "X" labeled different information such as; when the house was inspected, who inspected it, and the number of people found inside. Every single home in this area was condemned. There were several homes found in the middle of the street. The spray painted homes displayed the frustration of these homeless people. As we got out of the car to walk around, we could smell the dense mold. Only a few people were living in trailers outside their condemed homes. We were all concerned and surprised with the two children running around outside. They were barefoot and picking up debris from the garbage collected along the curb. At one point we stopped at a Walgreens that had just opened the week before for a snack. The cashier asked us where we were from and could not stop thanking us for coming down and helping. She kept saying, "Bless you!"

Visiting the school and the ninth ward was really an eye-opening experience. I think we are all glad to be able to witness the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and we will remember this for years to come. Hopefully, one day, we will be able to come back to see New Orleans up and running, with clean homes and streets, education for all children, and smiling faces.

Cindy