I step out of our cockroachinfested, termite-lovin', doubleshotgun home, set atop a gutted out and mold-ridden lower apartment to walk the streets of my neighborhood. Looking around at the ever-present piles of trash, boarded up entryways, shattered stained glass windows, teetering homes and stray dogs, I try to allow the images and the encounters of this journey to work their way into my being. More often than not, however, I find myself, sometimes unconsciously, shutting my eyes and ears to the destruction and despair, the stories of immeasurable loss and suffering. There are days when I ride my bike down the streets of New Orleans and barely fl inch at the devastation that surrounds me; sometimes I become wholly desensitized to the violence and destruction that is so prevalent in this city. Overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of need, I retreat, shut down a piece of my self, all in hopes of retaining some semblance of functionality.
I, like many other volunteers, came to New Orleans with a mission. Conditioned to think that my success was solely measured by how much I could do, what I could accomplish with my hands, and what results I would achieve, I set off to rebuild the city.
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Alisa Bright (2007 Krista Colleague) graduated with a degree in Political Science and International Studies. She served with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps at The Harry Thompson Center in New Orleans, providing aid to homeless and displaced persons directly affected by Hurricane Katrina. In her spare time, Alisa enjoys Bhangra, Afro-Haitian, and Hip Hop dance classes.
