Hello dear friends,
The third week of my New Orleans adventure is coming to a close. I apologize for my infrequent posts - apparently computer chargers die in humidity. Luckily I live across the street from the Loyola library so I've been using the computers here.
A few comments on work and friends (as per Brian's request):
Work
I work at a non-profit organization called NHS which serves a number of functions. First, NHS teaches gives homeownership counseling and teaches financial fitness classes. Second, NHS does construction management and real estate development. Finally, NHS has a Community Building Initiative (CBI). That's the department I'm in.
My supervisor also has a Masters in Planning and he's really cool, as is everyone else at NHS. So far we've done a survey of 1200 housing conditions in the Freret neighborhood. On Monday Eddie Izzard (the comedian) did a benefit concert for NHS. We are also working with a group of architects called Design Corps, who are designing and building a new bus shelter for Freret street. My job involves attending a lot of community meetings and giving a lot of presentations. Tomorrow I'm starting a more independent project. NHS recently bought a building which needs to be renovated. I'm going to do some renderings of the re-designed building for a capital campaign. I'm also creating urban design guidelines for Freret Street.
Friends
One other student from my program is down here this summer - my friend Matt. He is working for NORA - the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority. There are a bunch of interns working for the city who I've met and hung out with once or twice. I've also hung out with the Design Corps kids a few times. They're all in their Masters program too and pretty cool.
Moving to a new city is a fun adventure, but, as I'm sure you all know, it takes a while to really settle in and make good friends. Weekends have been fun so far - bars and bands and good times, but lots of small talk and mingling. This Saturday I'm heading to the beach with Matt and some others. It should be a good time.
Life in General
My average day involves going to work, coming home, eating dinner, running, cold showering and then reading. I've read "The Moviegoer" by Walker Percy and "Old Men at Midnight" by Chaim Potok. I just started "Women in Love" by D.H. Lawrence. It's a quiet life. I like the independence and the free time to think. But, conversely, and necessarily, it's a bit lonely.
I actually went to church last Sunday - First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans. I think I'll go again this Sunday but I'll try a different church. I think I'll dabble in Catholicism since New Orleans is such a Catholic city.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading.
-k
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
First Impressions
I'm writing from my new apartment in New Orleans. There's much to say about this town and I don't quite know where to begin. I wrote a few thoughts in my sketchbook yesterday so I'll start there:
This city is more beautiful than any other I've ever encountered. The trees are majestic and magical, the houses are unique and hospitable. The city emanates a charm which is sincere and unpretentious. Life ambles amiably - not concerned or even aware of the pace at which the rest of the world travels. 'Folks' smile when you pass on the street and make conversation when you sit next to them on the streetcar. Nola is an anomaly. It engages and delights all of your senses without overwhelming them (like a Wes Anderson movie compared to Baz Luhrman). Surely heaven must feel a bit like this place.
But beneath this surface so lovely (and legitimately so) lurks a deep well of sorrow and fear. NO's history seems to divide into two eras: before the storm and after the storm. (One food writer for the Times-Picayune dated his article June 10, A.D. 3 - After the Deluge). It's difficult to even reference the city without placing it in one of these two contexts. I wonder if people get tired of talking about it. I wonder if they just want to forget the disaster that so thoroughly destroyed (and continues to destroy) this place. But the levees still aren't rebuilt properly and a new hurricane season has arrived. Friends who left BS have yet to return. Lives and homes and businesses were lost and never regained. So much devastation - the equivalent of which this country has rarely seen - takes far more than three years to repair.
I read the newspaper today and the main three articles all pertained to Katrina. A to-do list for planning for your family's evacuation took up a whole page. The Army Corps of Engineers remain the bad guys as the levees they're currently building leak. The Corps assures the people that it's fine, but that's what they said last time... There's little trust in the government. Even after three years, the mayor doesn't have a citywide evacuation plan. He says everyone should have their own evacuation plan. Well that should've been the case last time too, but if people are poor and don't have cars they're out of luck. How hard is it to plan to mobilize a mass bus fleet? A few friends and I discussed this yesterday and realized the three of us could probably comprise a feasible plan in a few hours. Bureaucracy is ridiculous.
It would be hard to rebuild a life here if you're not sure it won't just be destroyed again.
But all this sad stuff is balanced by the good that's going on. People are empowered here. They attend neighborhood meetings, they want to know what the city government is doing, and they want to hold the city accountable. Before the storm, folks didn't know they could have a say. Now they're saying it. It's astounding how many efforts bubble up from grassroots. New Orleanians are truly indomitable. They fight for rebirth because there is so much to save here.
My one regret is this: Despite the genuine hospitality and kindness of New Orleanians, an outsider can never become one. Perhaps after many years you can work your way in, but people will always ask "Where you from?" Obviously I don't expect to call myself a local after only a week. But if I did move here for the long run, I wonder if I'd ever be fully accepted. I don't begrudge the locals for it - being "from here" is a point of pride that I wouldn't like to share with outsiders either.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regarding my life, I work about a mile from home. I walk or ride my bike to work. There's a lovely park right near my house - Audubon Park - where I go for runs and bike rides. (I biked 8 miles today and ran 5.6 Woo hoo!) There are a bunch of cafe's and shops and a Whole Foods on Magazine Street which is also close by. When I want to go downtown I ride the streetcar on St. Charles Street. My apartment is on the second floor of a house in Uptown. It has high ceilings and I have two roommates. The girl goes to Loyola for jazz saxophone and has a puppy. The boy is an mba student from Duke who's interning with a hospital. There's plenty of space for visitors :) It's hot down here but I haven't melted yet. July may be a different story. The food here is amazing. You would love it.
I miss you. Come see me.
-k
This city is more beautiful than any other I've ever encountered. The trees are majestic and magical, the houses are unique and hospitable. The city emanates a charm which is sincere and unpretentious. Life ambles amiably - not concerned or even aware of the pace at which the rest of the world travels. 'Folks' smile when you pass on the street and make conversation when you sit next to them on the streetcar. Nola is an anomaly. It engages and delights all of your senses without overwhelming them (like a Wes Anderson movie compared to Baz Luhrman). Surely heaven must feel a bit like this place.
But beneath this surface so lovely (and legitimately so) lurks a deep well of sorrow and fear. NO's history seems to divide into two eras: before the storm and after the storm. (One food writer for the Times-Picayune dated his article June 10, A.D. 3 - After the Deluge). It's difficult to even reference the city without placing it in one of these two contexts. I wonder if people get tired of talking about it. I wonder if they just want to forget the disaster that so thoroughly destroyed (and continues to destroy) this place. But the levees still aren't rebuilt properly and a new hurricane season has arrived. Friends who left BS have yet to return. Lives and homes and businesses were lost and never regained. So much devastation - the equivalent of which this country has rarely seen - takes far more than three years to repair.
I read the newspaper today and the main three articles all pertained to Katrina. A to-do list for planning for your family's evacuation took up a whole page. The Army Corps of Engineers remain the bad guys as the levees they're currently building leak. The Corps assures the people that it's fine, but that's what they said last time... There's little trust in the government. Even after three years, the mayor doesn't have a citywide evacuation plan. He says everyone should have their own evacuation plan. Well that should've been the case last time too, but if people are poor and don't have cars they're out of luck. How hard is it to plan to mobilize a mass bus fleet? A few friends and I discussed this yesterday and realized the three of us could probably comprise a feasible plan in a few hours. Bureaucracy is ridiculous.
It would be hard to rebuild a life here if you're not sure it won't just be destroyed again.
But all this sad stuff is balanced by the good that's going on. People are empowered here. They attend neighborhood meetings, they want to know what the city government is doing, and they want to hold the city accountable. Before the storm, folks didn't know they could have a say. Now they're saying it. It's astounding how many efforts bubble up from grassroots. New Orleanians are truly indomitable. They fight for rebirth because there is so much to save here.
My one regret is this: Despite the genuine hospitality and kindness of New Orleanians, an outsider can never become one. Perhaps after many years you can work your way in, but people will always ask "Where you from?" Obviously I don't expect to call myself a local after only a week. But if I did move here for the long run, I wonder if I'd ever be fully accepted. I don't begrudge the locals for it - being "from here" is a point of pride that I wouldn't like to share with outsiders either.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regarding my life, I work about a mile from home. I walk or ride my bike to work. There's a lovely park right near my house - Audubon Park - where I go for runs and bike rides. (I biked 8 miles today and ran 5.6 Woo hoo!) There are a bunch of cafe's and shops and a Whole Foods on Magazine Street which is also close by. When I want to go downtown I ride the streetcar on St. Charles Street. My apartment is on the second floor of a house in Uptown. It has high ceilings and I have two roommates. The girl goes to Loyola for jazz saxophone and has a puppy. The boy is an mba student from Duke who's interning with a hospital. There's plenty of space for visitors :) It's hot down here but I haven't melted yet. July may be a different story. The food here is amazing. You would love it.
I miss you. Come see me.
-k
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Happy Summer everyone!
I'm writing from dear old Michigan. I apologize for my absence - since school ended I tried to take a break from the computer. (My eyesight is officially worse as a result of my last year. Boo.)
These last few weeks have been full of good things. I had tons of fun in Philly before flying to Chicago for my sister's graduation from medical school. We had a party there with all my cousins including bocce ball and running bases. To use a phrase from old days: "good times." Since getting back to the D I've met up with old friends and just generally chilled out. I love Detroit in the summer and am sincerely sad that I can't stay longer. Alas, adventures await.
I forgot to mention I got a job. Although it was so late in the game, it was worth the wait. I'm going back to New Orleans for the summer. Hurray! I leave at the end of this week. So if you need a vacation come stay with me. I promise it's the most magical place you'll ever visit.
What will I be doing there? I'm working with Neighborhood Housing Services through the Rockefeller Foundation. We'll be in a neighborhood with some pretty diverse residents (very wealthy and very poor) so our job will be to build consensus among these different stakeholders to create plans which benefit everyone, and ultimately prevent gentrification. Rents in New Orleans are actually pretty high (on par with Philadelphia or Chicago) due to the low supply, so another part of my job will be to track down the owners of abandoned or vacant properties, convince them to sell to NHS, and then rebuild those houses to give back to displaced residents. Finally I'll be doing some urban design work as well as general design stuff in CS3. So that's cool. I'm psyched.
Despite my overwhelming love for that city, I'm a little wary of spending a summer there. It's currently a mild 90 degrees, and it's only May. July's heat and the swampy mosquitoes might make it a city less pleasant than the one I visited in March. Oh well. When I talked to my boss about job specifics he asked if I was bringing a car. I said probably not. He said it might be a good idea "for groceries, or when it rains, or for evacuation purposes." Oh yeah. Hurricanes. I forgot about that. I naively feel like the worst hurricane already hit New Orleans. They can't get any more for a while right? Duh.
Anyway, as Isaac pointed out, I'll have to think of a clever interim name for my blog seeing as I won't be in Philly anymore. Suggestions appreciated.
I hope you're all having wonderful summer breaks, vacations, adventures, or at least learning a lot in studies and/or work.
Much love dear friends,
-k
I'm writing from dear old Michigan. I apologize for my absence - since school ended I tried to take a break from the computer. (My eyesight is officially worse as a result of my last year. Boo.)
These last few weeks have been full of good things. I had tons of fun in Philly before flying to Chicago for my sister's graduation from medical school. We had a party there with all my cousins including bocce ball and running bases. To use a phrase from old days: "good times." Since getting back to the D I've met up with old friends and just generally chilled out. I love Detroit in the summer and am sincerely sad that I can't stay longer. Alas, adventures await.
I forgot to mention I got a job. Although it was so late in the game, it was worth the wait. I'm going back to New Orleans for the summer. Hurray! I leave at the end of this week. So if you need a vacation come stay with me. I promise it's the most magical place you'll ever visit.
What will I be doing there? I'm working with Neighborhood Housing Services through the Rockefeller Foundation. We'll be in a neighborhood with some pretty diverse residents (very wealthy and very poor) so our job will be to build consensus among these different stakeholders to create plans which benefit everyone, and ultimately prevent gentrification. Rents in New Orleans are actually pretty high (on par with Philadelphia or Chicago) due to the low supply, so another part of my job will be to track down the owners of abandoned or vacant properties, convince them to sell to NHS, and then rebuild those houses to give back to displaced residents. Finally I'll be doing some urban design work as well as general design stuff in CS3. So that's cool. I'm psyched.
Despite my overwhelming love for that city, I'm a little wary of spending a summer there. It's currently a mild 90 degrees, and it's only May. July's heat and the swampy mosquitoes might make it a city less pleasant than the one I visited in March. Oh well. When I talked to my boss about job specifics he asked if I was bringing a car. I said probably not. He said it might be a good idea "for groceries, or when it rains, or for evacuation purposes." Oh yeah. Hurricanes. I forgot about that. I naively feel like the worst hurricane already hit New Orleans. They can't get any more for a while right? Duh.
Anyway, as Isaac pointed out, I'll have to think of a clever interim name for my blog seeing as I won't be in Philly anymore. Suggestions appreciated.
I hope you're all having wonderful summer breaks, vacations, adventures, or at least learning a lot in studies and/or work.
Much love dear friends,
-k
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)