Wednesday, January 11 , 2006
 Lindsay McCook, School of Architecture
This trip has been nothing short of amazing. Every day I’ve been fortunate enough to do something different, and yesterday I helped at Xavier University. Justin and I helped a man named Joe work on the auxiliary convent. He has already gutted the downstairs and is reworking the insulation, sealing the wood, and doing general brunt work. Joel and Madeleine sealed the wood yesterday, Joe continued to put up tar paper, and we were given a different assignment. Our work consisted of cleaning the exterior of the house.
During our drives around New Orleans I had wondered just how they would go about removing all the watermarks on the exterior of all the buildings to erase evidence of the flooding. Now I know -- it’s simply elbow grease and a lot of bleach. We worked all day there, and returned to Xavier Prep early in the afternoon for our “shower appointment” at Country Day. The other groups cleaned trophies, went to the unveiling of the new city plan, and helped with demolition. They finished the house we had started two days ago, but when they went to the second home, they were unable to do anything because it was structurally unsound.
Last night was our free evening and a lot of people went into the French Quarter to have dinner. For most of us, it was the first time on the trip and in our lives that we’d seen the area. I loved it. Being an architectural history major and seeing one of the most historic districts in the country was wonderful.
I really only have good things to say about the people we’re here with and the things we’re doing. Although most of the time it’s overwhelming and emotionally hard to grasp, the work we’re doing is making a difference in at least a few lives. You’ve got to start somewhere, right? | 
