Posted by: Pamela Burns in New Orleans, 2010 on
Oct 31, 2010
N'warlins....
Our final destination.
Our Slidell hosts took us right to the door of an art gallery owned by a Rotarian......... we left our cases and had time to enjoy the art before being picked up and taken for lunch. This was followed by a stroll around the French Quarter and a visit to Mardi Gras World....a large warehouse where floats to be used at the the next carnival were in different stages of completion...they were spectacularly huge. I think Nat particularly enjoyed this visit as her degree is in Scenic Arts.
Early evening saw us at a Spelling Bee competition. Dr Gourmet, one of the Rotarians had sponsored our team entry and the "Gourmet Grizzlies' braced ourselves to take on the might of the Americans. Now read the next bit carefully.....We Won.......even without reverting to our agreed strategy of saying 'this is how we spell it in England...and it is right'.......
.....unfortunately the prize wasn't a return trip.....
The following day was a vocational day. Haydon was fire servicing, Neville went to visit an organisation which supports the police, Nat went Down Town economicing, Kate went to Habitat for Humanity.....and I spent the morning at a teaching hospital working with the Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience and it was absolutely fascinating, and the afternoon with the Executive Director of The City Of New Orleans Human Relations Commission.
Our farewell party was that evening and at the end, we all went our separate way with our hosts...mine took me for coffee and Beignets at the original coffee house of N'warlins.....and the following morning we left for home.
*****
It's now 8.00 am. I'm home.....but most importantly, our team is home safely and in one piece.....so for now my job is done.
....but.... before I even start to unpack my suitcase, I want to write the final chapter.
Posted by: Pamela Burns in New Orleans, 2010 on
Oct 29, 2010
Slidell.........
Will ever be remembered for the Ronnie Kole concert........New Orleans will ever be remembered for the Ronnie Kole concert.......
Champagne reception at his home.....boat trip....beautiful dinner.....warm companions......excellent hosts....... and piano music to take your breath away.....
I have two cousins who play piano and I just wished I had a magic link up so they also could have been part of it......thank you Ronnie and Gardner for inviting us to your home and thank you Slidell for organising it for us....you created a lifetime memory.
Vocation activities were good. I went to a court room, talked to Probation Officers, Drug Intervention Officers and Judge James....James being his forename and visited a child intervention agency...our team did Down Town, Police and Fire Service visits...
...this was followed by lunch and fashion show in aid of cancer research.....the boys passed on this
Posted by: Pamela Burns in New Orleans, 2010 on
Oct 27, 2010
By now I know my name and where I am....but haven't a clue what day it is, what date it is but I do know it's still October.....so there is a glimmer of light...so stick with me...
Ocean Springs......a town every bit as beautiful as its name.
We were there for the weekend so again it was very difficult to organise formal vocational days.....I guess we could have pretended that we were all budding chefs and that all the food we were eating actually had a 'scientific value' ...but we weren't.... so we just ate....and ate...and it was delightful.
Throughout our stay, different people gave us different tours and all had their different stories to tell.......
The more places we visit, it actually becomes more difficult to imagine what it was like immediately after the storm......I'm learning that people use the word storm rather than Katrina....and they use the word 'stuff' rather than possessions. Both seem to be neutral and allow individuals to remain detached from the emotions that the words Katrina and possessions evoke.
Just take a minute to reflect how you would feel if you lost every photograph that you had of your parents or your children growing up.....what you would feel like if the engagement ring or the jewelry that your Grandmother left you had just disappeared.....that the painting or the table you were hoping to pass on to your children had gone....just wasn't there in the house....because your house was gone....and you didn't know where it was... everything.....lost forever.
********
Nat celebrated her 24th Birthday on the Saturday and our hosts had arranged a birthday cake with icing of the American and British flags.....really good fun.
On the Saturday, we all did a 5k evening run organised by our host club. I pushed a wheel chair with an 87yr old in it and because she crossed the finishing line first....technically, I was beaten by an 87 yr old.
On our last night, I was taken on a Bayou boat ride......but then we turned into the Gulf and went out to sea.....I swear the birds overhead were Vulchers waiting to eat me when I drowned......
Posted by: Pamela Burns in New Orleans, 2010 on
Oct 25, 2010
Our very first Photograph.....The White House
Posted by: Pamela Burns in New Orleans, 2010 on
Oct 22, 2010
OK.....have you got a cup of coffee...
Hattiesburg....a town with a Shopping Mall called Turtle Creek.......how good is that......beats Brent Cross hands down....not for the shops though.....
Posted by: Pamela Burns in New Orleans, 2010 on
Oct 20, 2010
At last I can show you some photographs of the beginning of our visit.....
Posted by: Pamela Burns in New Orleans, 2010 on
Oct 18, 2010
Ok Guys and Guyesses....our story continues.....
We arrived in Algiers ready to participate in the District Conference.....and it was really good.
You know it makes such a difference when you're listening to individuals speak who are passionate about their subject and Sustainable Development and Preparedness are obviously topics which everyone in this area holds dear to their heart. The Keynote Speaker was Lt General Russel Honore US Army retired and he was a hoot and a half. Delivering his account of events with humour, in no way lessened his message but really enhanced it by telling it as it was.....and you know, even in the saddest of times....life has its humorous moments and he capitalised on these.
On the Friday evening we went to the Food Fest.......every club in the district prepares food or drinks specific to their area and everyone wanders around having a little bit of this and a little bit of that and this is where I tasted Alligator. The guy who made it gave me his Business Card so if you ever have a spare Alligator you want to cook....I know the very man to help you.
We performed our Cabaret song in the interval and we lived to tell the tale....in fact we lived to sing it again the following day at the end of the Conference lunch time session....
At night we were taken to the famous Bourban Street in New Orleans and listened to music emanating from every window and doorway of every bar ....even alleyways were singing and ringing and if these were full...people just stood where they were and sang, played instruments or just tap danced and it was magical.
Now I don't want to make you all feel sick with jealousy so that's all I'm going to say about that...
On the Saturday afternoon Nat had a migraine so was unable to participate in our big presentation but Haydon covered for her and he was excellent....
On the Sunday morning, we had the dedication and formal opening of City Park. Along with everything else, this was completely ruined by Katrina but with the help of Rotary...in particular Hitchin and Tilehouse...it was restored. Unfortunately Nat didn't make the presentation... and this time I covered for her .... very much feeling like an imposter because it was her Sponsor Rotary Club....so anyone from Hitchin and Tilehouse reading this...I apologise....when the photographs come through...just pretend it's Nat you see.
Posted by: Pamela Burns in New Orleans, 2010 on
Oct 16, 2010
On the evening of October 15th 2010 Pamela ate her first Alligator and it tasted just like.........chicken
Posted by: Pamela Burns in New Orleans, 2010 on
Oct 15, 2010
Bay St Louis
Described by our hosts as a 'sleepy town'
Well.....given the level of devastation they suffered as a result of Katrina and how far they have come in the prevailing 5 years....believe me, 'sleepy' is not the word I would use to describe them......
However, out of deference, I have to save my stories of what happened until I see you.....I'm very conscious that the 'people' are trying hard to forget and to rebuild their lives and the last thing they want to do is to read this blog and be reminded....so for now....all I'm going to say is... as I was being driven around the area....conversation was difficult....I kept saying to myself that I should say something but all I wanted to do was to look and be still....
....but I took photographs and listened and wrote and I will tell you all about it.
OK... day one found 'our Neville' with a sprained ankle....fortunately no bones were broken and after a couple of days of hopping and skipping he was fine. As usual, Pamela found the funny side to this - in that for safety reasons, at no time are our GSE Team to be without a Rotarian....well on this occasion, there must have been 25 of us .....and Neville got hurt playing frisbee with the children.....so what hope is there I ask if 25 of us together can't be trusted...
Our vocation days were good....Neville went out with the Sherriff and his gang, Haydon went out on a call with Firefighters and Kate and Nat separately and together visited community groups. I spent the day with NVision .....a GPS organisation. They present geological and demographic data in a useable, friendly format which can be used by Emergency crews following incidents or disasters. I've condensed what they do into one sentence so my apologies to their President and CEO......
I did say that if they were stuck on some technological problem just to give me a call and I'd show them how to solve it.....
Did I tell you I was going to be a Grandma.
We also went to see plastic bullets being tested for use by the American Military. They are a fraction of the weight of the brass bullets currently being used and if they pass all safety and other requirements they will lesson the weight which the troops have to carry....Neville fired the test round to show us how it was done.....
...and during a visit to the library, we were shown a film of the aftermath of Katrina
One of the Rotarians worked at the Stennis Space Centre and on our last day, we were privileged to be granted a visitors pass....fascinating... awesome.....
From Stennis....we were picked up and taken to Algiers which is where I am now writing this. It's the District Conference weekend and we'll be kept pretty busy......
.....and so for now it's goodbye y'all from N'warleans...and
Did I tell you I was going to be a Grandma....ouch....that hurt..
Posted by: Natalie Sullivan in New Orleans, 2010 on
Oct 15, 2010
We have now arrived in the West Bank to get ready for the District Conference this weekend.
We have just come from Bay Saint Louis which has been the first place that we have visited where you could visibly see the effects of hurricane Katrina 5 years on and there are still steps leading to where a house used to be in some places. People there are still working hard together to improve the area and it is looking great. The other areas that we have visited that have been further north have been where people evacuated to and some who evacuated to there didn't go back, so those areas are dealing with the increase in population whereas down in Bay Saint Louis they are dealing with losing alot of their population.
