Ok, so our trip has come and gone, and we've been home for a little over a week now. So the whole idea of blogging about our experiences as they happen didn't quite work for me. If you were glued to our group blog, waiting for the updates while we were gone, my apologies for not making a more timely contribution. To tell you the truth, I don't blog and I don't know what to blog, I think generally people share too many (boring) things online. Of course, our trip to New Orleans was anything but boring as you know if you've read my classmates' posts. But as is the nature of online blogging, I don't even know who "you" are, so what do I share?

Well, I chose to spend my spring break working for Southeast Louisiana Legal Services in New Orleans because I saw this as an opportunity to do what I wished I had done since 2005. After Katrina hit I wanted to help. I was envious of my friends who were down there helping the Red Cross distribute food and supplies. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time or money to go. This trip made me realize that the window of opportunity to help Katrina victims isn't closed. Many of the clients we worked with were Katrina victims and are still struggling with housing issues. The residents of New Orleans still face a whole host of problems from the floods and the damage done to the homes. Many homes that are being rented through the Section 8 subsidized housing program are not up to code. (Although inspectors are supposed to make sure they are). I heard frequent complaints about leaking roofs and drafty apartments. One lady told me she could see the sunlight through the crack in her wall. Several people told me their electricity bills were between $300-$700 a month! I saw the proof. And that's for a small apartment!

The Federal Government is subsidizing housing for these people who can't afford to pay full price rent, but what we're subsidizing is housing that perhaps ends up costing them more in the long run. The landlords are able to charge a premium price for their shoddy apartments because the majority of the rent is coming from the housing authority. If the tenant can get an inspector to issue a notice to the landlord that their apartment/home is not up to code they may be able to get the problem fixed, but if not, the housing authority stops paying rent and the tenant gets 'evicted.' I was mostly helping these people in their disputes with the landlords who often refuse to return the rent deposit claiming a breach of the lease. (Although they weren't providing habitable housing).

I know that my one week volunteering probably didn't have a huge impact on too many people. But my individual contribution plus that of my classmates, and the countless other students who volunteer their time at SLLS throughout the year, is sure to lighten the load of the overworked attorneys and we hope that collectively we do have a huge impact. I was overwhelmed by the kindness of the attorneys as well as the clients I spoke with and I know my one week volunteering did have a huge impact on me.

In addition to the volunteer work, the people who came on the trip really made it awesome. I didn't know many of the group participants before the week began, but I wasn't worried. You know that the people who want to work for a legal aid clinic over spring break will be some pretty cool people. And that turned out to be true. I feel thankful to everyone who made this a wonderful spring break- SLLS, my SCU classmates and Professor Abriel. And thanks Wayne for sharing your story and showing us around the Lower Ninth Ward, what an experience.

I know that this was one of those trips that stays with you long after it's over. Just in this past week I've found myself thinking about the trip almost daily and I know that my experiences will continue to develop meaning and will stay with me for life.