By KELLY PFEISTER
Photographer
Gigi Diffenback is a junior at Saint Rose who is leading the New Orleans Alternative Spring Break Trip with sophomore Natish Davis. Chronicle photographer Kelly Pfeister sat down with Gigi to talk about the trip and her experiences last year when she went to New Orleans.
KP: How did you first find out about the New Orleans trip?
GD: I found out about the New Orleans trip through a friend from the Geology Department who went when I was a freshman. I followed up on it when I was a sophomore by asking as many people as I could. Eventually I got put in touch with Chelsea and then my life changed forever.
KP: What was it like driving for the first time through the parts of New Orleans that were damaged by the hurricane?
GD: That feeling is really hard to put into words. It had to be the most surreal experience I have ever had. I wouldn’t consider myself a sheltered person by any means. Usually things I see or read in the media or in some cases in person, is not shocking to me.
When we landed, we ate at a cool BBQ and it took us about 15 mins to get to the actual place we were staying so I was still in the excited stage “Ooh look the super dome!” “Ooh look at the architecture of that building.” My mood took a complete 180 degree turn when we finally started driving through the areas affected by Katrina. When we drove through the lower ninth ward, my mouth dropped open. I could not believe the destruction that was still present after 5 years. There were houses with boarded windows and even empty foundations. It looked so bare and solemn from the outside. One thing the media can capture is images, but what it can’t capture is feeling. The feeling I got driving through the area we were going to work in was more than heartbreak. That time in the car is when I knew I chose the right way to spend my spring break.
KP: What was your first service project there?
GD: My first project was a task called mudding. It’s what you do if you have a hole in the wall and you need to fill it in. the first day we worked all together in the same house doing the same task. I was a little frustrated because I didn’t pick up the skill as well as everyone else did but it was so much fun. The group we worked with, Common Ground, were a great group of guys. They made the work day a lot of fun. They told us the background of the house we were working. We found out that it had been broken into so many times because copper pipes were installed, for this reason they had to keep doing interior work. Since there was nothing to hook an alarm to, the only form of security they had was to put a caged Pitbull next door. This story really helped set up the week.
KP: Did you have any culture shock?
GD: I did but didn’t. I didn’t go down with expectations of what it was like down there because I wanted to go in with an open mind. I’ve heard sirens all my life. I’ve lived in Brooklyn for most of my life which helped a lot with some of the culture that was seen. The only thing that was interesting was how friendly everyone was. I mean everyone. Even the stereotypical (which is something I hate to say) “thug” (again hate to say that but it’s the only visual I have in my head) was welcoming us to the neighborhood.
KP: What was a normal day like in New Orleans?
GD: Each day, aside from Mardi gras Tuesday, we worked. We were up early and went to bed pretty late. We did everything together, though sometimes throughout the day we were split up for small projects. We all cooked together, ate together, shared one bathroom, traveled together, it was just a together fest. At the end of the day we would participate in the reflections which were a great way to wrap up the day and really talk about what we took out of the tasks given to us. We all were able to grow in a different way each day which at the end of the day, even though we all grew in different way, it all fit together like one unique puzzle.
KP: What impacted you the most emotionally while you were there?
GD: The day we went to Ash Wednesday was by far the most emotional day I had there. I cried that entire night. I am very religious so I jumped at the chance to go to mass. We went to an African American Catholic Church. Not everyone went, which was sad because we experienced something so amazing. The church was one of the most elegant and beautiful places I have ever been. During the section of mass where you give the sign of peace to your neighbor, where in most places I’ve been you just shake your neighbor’s hand, this church actual gets up, walks around and hugs their neighbor. Because it was a group of a few girls that went, the priest came over to us and of course assumed we were there for Mardi gras. When we told him that we were there spending our time in the Lower Ninth Ward, he mentioned us to the entire congregation. He asked us to stand up and everyone in that church clapped for us, not a fact “I’ll clap because you’re clapping” a real genuine applause. I lost it and started balling and it wasn’t because I was being praised, I just felt so honored to be in their presence. It was such a beautiful moment. Then people individually came up to us, hugged us and thanked us for being there. That night changed my whole life.
KP: What was your favorite moment of the entire trip?
GD: One specific favorite moment was with a little girl I met. She lived next door to the volunteer house and she formed an attachment to a few of us, and for some reason me specifically. I didn’t even say too much when I first met her, but when I spoke to her she called me “Miss Gigi”. She hugged me so tight when she saw me and I had only spoken to her for a few minutes the day before. She was so inspiring for an 11 year old. She has had such a tough life yet she was so excited about everything. Playing football with her and her cousins was probably my favorite moment if I really had to choose one.
KP: How has volunteering in New Orleans changed your life?
GD: I found a love, passion, and drive to work with others. I don’t like using the word help because yes, essentially that is what I am doing but I don’t want to just go somewhere and do a few things. I want to work with others and build something whether it is helping to rebuild a community or build one from the ground up. I just love this more than words.
I am a lot more confident about being on my own and making my own decisions, I know what I am capable of. I didn’t let anyone stop me and I’m so glad I found that in myself.
Also, the people I have been able to meet from this experience have been wonderful. To know there are so many people out there that want to make a change in the world for the better is wonderful.
I am also more appreciative for the way I was raised. Volunteering in New Orleans made me feel, for the first time in my life, that I was really doing God’s work and being able to make a difference. I know I’m on the right path and I hope to do more work like.
KP: How would you describe the service trip overall to other people?
GD: You know when you see this incredible movie or concert and a friend asks you how it is the day after and you are so over excited about it all you can say “IT WAS AMAZING”? That’s how I am about New Orleans all the time. I’ve never been someone who has had trouble expressing how I feel except when it’s something really important to me. I guess in a way that statement is really hard to understand but it’s true. I feel that if I try to put it into words that I’m not doing it the justice it deserves. The service trips that I have experienced have opened my eyes and heart to so much. It really is a learning experience that you have to be ready for. It’s so gratifying and it brings joy to your heart. I don’t do it for the gushy feeling you get afterward, but it’s an added bonus to feel that way. I just love working with different people and learning new things, and if that is something you like, a service trip is for you.
KP: Why are you going back?
GD: Simply put, I’m going back because I feel like I belong there. I fell in love with the city of New Orleans. I feel like I was put there for a reason and its part of God’s plan for me to be there. It felt right when I was there and I have never been happier in my life then when I was there. The people are beautiful, the place is beautiful and the feeling I have being there is beautiful.
Also, I was asked to co-lead the trip. Not only was I absolutely honored but, I wanted to make sure I could help someone have the same (yet different cause everyone reacts different) experience I had. Even if I wasn’t asked to lead the trip I would apply to go again because there is still so much to do and so much to learn.
The Community Service Office is still accepting applications to go to New Orleans. The service trip will take place on March 4 – 10, 2012.
Love this.