Ack!

I can't believe it's almost been a month since I've been on here.

I'm truly sorry for the delay in posting, and I will get something new up here by Wednesday.

I'm downloading pictures to my computer as I type.

I'm doing extremely well and am excited for my future life in New Orleans.

(Yup, I'm permanently relocating. More on that later.)

Vignettes from Work

"Miss Kara, I have to use it."

I look down at the pencil in my hand and at the piece of paper on the desk, dumbfounded. It? After a moment, I extend the pencil to the child, who looks at me, baffled.

"I have to use it."

"The pencil? Or the paper?"

"It."

It is at this point that I notice the cross-cultural potty dance and take him to the bathroom. Having to "use it" was a phrase I would hear many more times, and while I understood what each child meant, there were times when I'd be working on something else and absent-mindedly ask, "Use what?" This never failed to have the kids looking at me like I'd grown a third eye.


Miss Jackie and I take the kindergarteners outside for fun with jump ropes. We lay them out on the ground like snakes and walk the length of them. We also hop back and forth over them.

Then we get the kids to lay them out in different shapes.

Show us a circle. Most of the shapes are at least round and resemble a circle, so we decide to move up to triangles.

"Who can tell us the difference between a triangle and a circle?" asks Miss Jackie. After a little coaxing, it is established that a triangle has three points.

Show us a square.

"What's the difference between a triangle and a square?" asks Miss Jackie.

One child's face lights up, and he starts waving his arm around.

"Yes?"

He is so certain this is the correct answer that he beams.

"Yellow."

Shortly after explaining the other differences between triangles and squares, we moved onto making imaginary houses with jump ropes.

"Miss Kara, are you married?"

"Heh, no."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Nope."

"Then you and Mr. Chris should get married."

"Okay, Destini, you can plan our wedding."

A smile spreads across her face.

"Well, Mr. Chris is going to need to be wearing a suit, and you'll have to have heels. You should have the babies before the wedding, so they can carry your train, but if you are fat because you're pregnant, I know where you can get a dress for that, too."


One of the first days of camp, a little girl crawls into my lap.

"Can I come live with you?"

"Oh, dear, I've only got one bedroom and no kitchen."

"You got a husband?"

"Nope."

"What about a boyfriend?"

"Nope."

"Who do you sleep with then?"

"No one."

"Oh, well then we can share a bed, and I can come live with you."

During our chalk day, one little girl is making fun of a boy because he has some chalk on his face. I sit down next to them and put some chalk on my own face.

"Miss Kara, are you excited for your date tonight?" Miss Jill asks from across the sidewalk.

I smile.

"Of course."

"Oooh, Miss Kara, you've got a date?" The kids are intensely interested in the love lives of their teachers.

"Yes, I do. Would you like to do my makeup?" I hand the little girl a piece of chalk.

It takes less than a minute for eight hands to start scribbling on my face. I was even told to close my eyes, so they could put my eyeshadow on. At the end of what felt like ten minutes but was probably four, I was judged a work of art and fit for dinner.

Metairie Cemetery

I was finally able to go to a cemetery with mausoleums. Kyle, Justin, Tempi, Weldon, and I piled into the car one hot day about a week ago. We drove past a few other cemeteries on the way to this one, but Metairie Cemetery is Tempi and Weldon's favorite.

After wandering around inside the cemetery for a couple of hours, I can't say that I could currently think of a better spot to be buried. The monuments built to loved ones, although a bit of a pissing contest, were amazing.

One of the first statues I saw upon entering was this one of the angel. It stands on top of a mausoleum about seven or eight feet tall.

This next statue is huge. Tempi laughed about the size of the angel's feet until Kyle explained that the base needs to be that large to support such a tall statue.
The scrollwork on some of the gates was as fascinating as the statues and surrounding architecture.

The group was walking to the psuedo-pyramid when I saw this woman. I wonder what she's thinking about.
Oh, the psuedo-pyramid. When my time comes, I need a promise from someone that I will not be buried in a psuedo-pyramid. Well, I suppose I could make an exception if I was mummified first.

Only one flower in bloom on the rose bush growing out of a grave. Earlier tonight, I watched Aronofsky's The Fountain, and I now enjoy this picture even more.

For some of the statues, I wonder who the unidentified artist is or if there is a statue production center somewhere, filling molds and popping out new statues each minute. I prefer to think that there's an artist out there, dedicated to the beautification of these sites, without a wish for recognition. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. I'm sure the commission for these pieces was not cheap.

Also within the cemetery's walls is a tomb for Confederate soldiers. Resting under a hill is a stone semi-circle with a skylight to let in light. On the way into the tomb is a list of all those buried inside.
Attached to the wall of this mausoleum is a chain with a padlock. I imagine it's used to chain bad kids to it. Well, that's what I would tell my kids if I had any. No, I wouldn't. Eh, we'll see.

This building had one of my favorite stained glass pieces in it.

I got Kyle, Tempi, and Weldon to stand behind the closed gate. Kyle and Tempi are in the foreground, wondering what I'm up to. Weldon is unaffected.

Friday was my last day with the Behrman kids. Depending on what I can get lined up for the fall, I wouldn't mind doing a ten-month AmeriCorps program with the school. There are so many pictures from work that I need to post. I'll try to squeeze it in tomorrow.

On Tuesday, I head over to Schaumburg Elementary, a part of the Recovery School District. The Recovery School District is a group of schools in New Orleans performing so badly that the state took control of them away from the district. I don't know what all to expect since most of my information is secondhand, but kids are kids. While there may be more behavioral issues at my next site, it doesn't change the fact that they are all kids, trying to get the same basic needs met as everyone else.

Tina comes in on Wednesday. Words can't express how excited I am to see her. I'm looking for a roommate for August, and I've got a little under a week to convince her to move here. Wednesday seems so far away.

Last weekend was the Louisiana seafood festival. It's a great opportunity to try things from restaurants that we will not be able to afford to eat at while in AmeriCorps. I was able to try a crawfish and spinach bread bowl, crawfish alfredo pasta, and deep-fried crab balls. There was also live music all day.

To beat the heat a little bit, we went down to the costume shop on Decatur. Kelley, Amy, and I posed together, and I think it's a good look for us. I've been telling some of you that I'm tanner than I've ever been, and here's proof. I think Mom might want to go back and see just how many Native Americans are in the family tree.
This is Kyle Woods, man, myth, and legend. He decided to relocate to New Orleans and drove down from Minnesota on his moped. Its top speed is 45 miles per hour. Kyle brought three pairs of clothes, a blanket, a pillow, and his iPod. He's been here a week and already has a job and a house. (The house is gorgeous, and I'll be posting pictures later.)

I found feather pants. Kelley liked them, too.

I told Kelley to give me her best model face. I think Elvis would approve of her choice of jacket.

Here's Kyle goofing around again. He was dismayed to find that he couldn't actually see out of the mask.

While AmeriCorps is fun, this past week has been extremely difficult. Our first paychecks were half of what we expected them to be. I've got precisely two dollars in my checking account to get me through next week, and I'm saving those dollars to be a McDonalds Dollar Menu-aire one of the days. Of course, I'd prefer to have money, but this is also a good experience. It's the only time that I'll actually (hopefully) experience poverty and make the tough choices about whether to buy gas or food. There's a safety net in knowing that I'm not actually going to starve, but it's still an experience that I know I'll take with me.

I've got a ton of great pictures from work that I'll be posting later. I've got a date today to go to the art museum, so I should probably start getting ready.

Bourbon at Dawn

Everyone down here told us that making until dawn on Bourbon was a necessary experience. Last weekend, we decided to do it. After playing a few games back at the dorm, we left for Bourbon. I think we ended up doing at least a couple of miles of walking that night, but we had nothing better to do. Someone suggested walking to one of the only Arbys in town, but oddly enough, it wasn't open at 5 AM.


We stopped at another food place next door, and started to see one of the first signs of dawn: street cleaners. After the masses leave, city workers with giant hoses drench the streets.

As you can see, there are still a surprising number of people out on the street at 6 AM. (This is also another one of my favorite pictures.)
I really wanted to see the sun rise over the Mississippi River, so we walked a few blocks down to the riverfront.

I think I took about 60 pictures in an hour. The colors were incredible and continuously changing.

We watched as the light filled this cloud, which was originally gray and flat.

Bourbon until dawn. We made it.

Baton Rouge

Sorry for the posting delay, but life has been hectic down here. Right now, I'm taking the time between work and running a roommate to the doctor to talk about Baton Rouge.

Ken had a friend from Rhode Island staying in Baton Rouge, so we took a day trip to check out the town. After New Orleans, it isn't that exciting, but it had its charm. The best part was the dancing fountains.

The little girl below enjoyed running and screaming next to the water, but she showed little desire to run in the water like her sister.

Still considering the wall of water before her:

This is her sister. As you can see, she didn't have the same issue. I don't blame her. Shortly after I shot this, Bekah and I also ran through the water. Totally worth it.

I thought the reflection of the crane on the building was cool. I'm telling you-- this was a highlight of the city.

We also went down by the river, and I spent some time sitting on the concrete embankment, feeling like Sandy from Grease.


One of these days I'll get a picture with everyone in it, but we're getting closer with this one. Cristina has a fantastic camera, and it's fun to see where she chooses to take pictures.

There are many more pictures and stories to come, but I need to get Kelley to the doctor. I think it's food poisoning, and there's not much that they can do, but she's been sick for awhile now.

Earlier today I saw The Hulk with 100 kids in kindergarten through eighth grade. If I was able to still enjoy it, I think that must mean it's pretty good. Check it out.

More when we get back.

Apologies

Sorry that it's taken me so long to update.

I've got a lot to write about and tons of pictures to post, so expect that later tonight.

Thanks for your patience!

Days at the Beach, and a Summary of Life Here

AmeriCorps training went pretty well. I was as pleased with it as I could be about something I was being forced to do. Plus, we got free food.

We also experienced Bourbon Street at night which has been a blast. The first night down there, I posed with a vampire for other tourists. He actually got paid for it. We also went to the Funky Pirate where I saw Big Al perform. After the show I went up to him and thanked him, and he told me I had star quality.

I also paid a woman two dollars to give me a tarot reading on the street. It was pretty neat and for only two dollars, cheap entertainment.

Work has been going well, and the children are a blast. I've had at least one ask if she could come live with me and another child gave me her Honey Grahams yesterday. This isn't to say that the kids aren't also challenging. There are usually quite a few cases during the day where I feel like pulling out my hair.

New Orleans is in desperate need of teachers, so I may stay down here and teach for the upcoming school year. I'd love to teach at a high school level, but I'm also enjoying my time with the little ones.

Lake Ponchartrain is near the school, so we go swimming a few times a week. Here you can see us navigating our way over the busted dock, Bekah leading the way. Um, I'd like to take a moment to give a shout-out to my parents and let them know that this really isn't as dangerous as it looks.
This debris washed up on the beach, and there's something about the intertwined Mardi Gras beads that really symbolizes New Orleans for me.

We went to the beach at sunset the other day, and I'm sad that I didn't bring my camera because it was absolutely glorious. This also works.

Smoking kills.

Another shot of the sky.

Some of the days down here have been difficult, but I keep cataloging all the reasons I love being here. I don't really like talking about home much because those are the times I miss it most. I miss the relationships I have with the people I left behind. How am I supposed to condense 22 years of life experience into a narrative that will allow the new people I meet an accurate idea of who I am? Of course, I'll tell the funny stories from back home, but I find myself a bit more guarded about the serious stuff.

We went up to Baton Rouge last weekend, and if I can find some batteries for my camera today, I'll get those posted as soon as possible.

For those of you following along on Facebook, I don't know why the pictures stopped showing up, but you can visit the actual website http://americorpskara.blogspot.com or my next project is to get my pictures from down here over there.

French Market Deux

After the cemetery, we took a drive to the French Market to check out the shops and find food. Along Decatur, there are a number of shops devoted to uber fashion. Uber fashion is so fashionable, it's actually really ugly, as Rebekah demonstrates below. The picture doesn't even do this dress justice, and there was a whole shop full of similar designs. The store is still open, apparently, so someone must be shopping there.


Apparently Memphis does not corner the market on interesting graffiti, but this is a little less moving.
I want to ask the author if it worked, but the frown face implies it didn't and that it was not a pleasurable experience. That mystery is solved.

After browsing the Decatur Street fashions, we found a Mardi Gras costume supplier. As you can imagine, they don't do too much business in the summer, but the store was amazing. The picture below is actually stained glass in the dressing room.

The store had a number of headdresses, uniforms, clown outfits, and dresses that were at least 15 feet long. Everything was available to try on.


I decided to try on one of the capes. I'll be back later for more. You can see Christina in the background, probably wondering what kind of crazy person is sharing her housing this summer.

After the costume shop, Rebekah was starving, and Ken wanted to try crayfish, so we headed down to a restaurant near Cafe Du Monde. Below is the giant platter originally brought to us before we clarified that we only wanted a pound.If you've never had crayfish before, let me describe the process of eating it. You rip its head off, peel back a few of the sections of its tail, then take out the meat inside and devein it. For added fun, you can squeeze the head and suck out the juice that comes out. It took awhile to get over the original ick factor, but I enjoyed eating crayfish and will do it again, especially because they're coming into season now. (They also seem to bring out the kid in everyone. My tailless crayfish became puppets quickly.) We also sampled gumbo, etouffe, jambalaya, and red beans and rice. All were pretty good, but jambalaya is still my favorite.


After dinner, we went over to Cafe Du Monde, where a hilarious argument broke out between two waiters over who was going to serve us. The little guy in the foreground won but was extremely flustered as he took our order. Hey, that woman even intimidated me!

Below is yet another example of what people around here do for money. It's free to take pictures of them but to take pictures with them costs money. It actually gave me the idea to learn the Thriller dance and dress up with some of the other people here as zombies. I bet we could make quite a bit of money off of tips. Not everyone else was as excited by the idea, probably not understanding I was serious.
Later I'll talk about the Funky Pirate, the vampire on Bourbon Street, AmeriCorps training, and the not-so-funny irony of a missing GPS.