Having fun

Back Home!

Students -

I just want to thank you for being so awesome on the trip. You all worked hard and understood the importance of what you were doing. All of the chaperones were super proud, and I know your family is as well.

Remember what was said while we were finished working each day? The biggest thing you can do now that you are home is to tell other people about your work and the work that still needs to be done in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. A small group from Chicago can make a difference!

Enjoy the rest of your summers!

-Ms. Waldock

From Olivia Garza

It's been a very long 5 days here in the amazing city of New Orleans.  We've walked the French Quarter, got a taste of some Cajun food, learned some history, and even sailed down the Mississippi River.  All of those things were fun, but the main thing is that we helped out the people of the city of New Orleans.  Restoring the shorelines will help them out a lot with any future storms.  The work we did down there brought us a great feeling of success, and accomplishment. To come down here again was a great opportunity.  I was also glad that a lot of this years SEE Teamers got to come down here as well, and help out the city, and people. We got to stay in dorms, get woken up by Mr. Holt parading down the hall with frying pans, get some nice sunburn, and swim in the Gulf of Mexico.  It seemed that everyone had an awesome time, and got a lot out of the experience.  Our time down in New Orleans is something to never ever forget, and we won't ever forget it. Let the good times roll!

From Emily Cain

After a long trip to New Orleans, I feel great that I was able to help the people there but mostly I feel tired. Going to bed at 11pm every night and waking up at 6am every morning really drained me. I felt that this was a great experience and I can't wait to share it with my family and friends back at home. Our bus driver, Vernon, lives in New Orleans and told us that he thinks that it is volunteers who have helped the city rebuild. He said that the government did absolutely nothing to help the people in need. Hearing this made me realize that even though the work made us want to hurt somebody it really made an impact on the people of the city. Everywhere we went people asked us if we were here for a school trip to tour the city, and we told them that we were actually helping to rebuild. All of the people were so grateful that someone cares about them and wanted to help when in need. In my opinion, the US should step in to help those who can't help themselves, and that's exactly what we did.

Heading Home

Hello Readers  - 

Thank you for all of the lovely comments.  I have shared them with the group and we all enjoy hearing the praise you are giving.  This trip has been AWESOME and I know the kids have really enjoyed themselves.  They will remember this forever.  

I wasn't able to upload pictures last night but I will try to once I am back in Chicago. Keep reading this blog even though the trip will be over.

We have to finish packing up the room and then off to Mardi Gras World.  See ya at O'Hare, parents!

-Ms. Waldock

Pizza and Ghost Tour

After a hard day of work, we were able to have some free time. First we relaxed in the hotel; some kids enjoyed the pool and others took much needed naps. Later in the afternoon, small groups went shopping around New Orleans. At 5:30 PM, we gathered to head over to a local pizza place. After dinner, we met up with our tour guide for our Haunted New Orleans Experience. We were all a little spooked! We concluded the night with a stop at the Voodoo Store, where many of the kids dressed up in feather boas and funny hats. 

Workday 3: City Park Botanic Garden

Today we woke up, ate a quick breakfast, and drove right to City Park, in the heart of New Orleans. City Park is larger than Central Park in New York, and it is a place of comfort and relaxation for the people of this city. They once had a staff of 385, but now they less than one hundred employees. This would be a small number in good times, but they are now left to deal with the devastation that was done by Katrina. They rely mainly on volunteers. We worked in the beautiful Botanic Gardens today. It is an area that was overgrown with weeds and needed a great deal of maintenance. Our crew persevered through the intense heat, and, in just three hours, we managed to do the work that it would take three employees four days to complete. The park employees were incredibly grateful; they couldn't believe that a group of students from Chicago were willing to spend their first days of summer vacation sweating in a garden. Many visitors to the park actually stopped to thank us for our hard work, and the kids should be very proud!