three or four posts in a day. sorry. we had our day off. i had free time. so sue me.
it turns out that maybe the entire nopd is not out to get us, but rather only one officer who is profiteering from a drug ring and has something against common ground. that is what we are hoping.
brandon went to court today. alledgedly, the police description of the charges went something like, "brandon hit a man. his back hurts." which hardly constitutes a legitimate court case and, like so many things that the nopd and govt has done, is downright comical. but, who knows. i don't know if i can believe it.
thats the thing. none of us really know what ot believe. we hear so many things. and we all agree that it is very, very confusing.
maybe the hardest part about all of this is to see once perfectly happy, positive students turn depressed and hopeless in a matter of days. people are burning out. one girl, tyler, said all her optimism has been depleted. one guy, andrew, said yesterday was the most depressing day of his life. and it's all really sad and terrible to see.
and tonight i learned that st marys is a sacred place and i dont know how i feel about staying here anymore.
thirty people died in the floor above us
and in the room across the hall one perosn's dying words are written on a chalkboard
people died here just up the stairs and we are just coming in talking about solidarity lke nothing appenedh
and many people dont even want us to be here
and i just cant take my mind off where we'er living
i don't really know if i can stand this
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7 comments:
I am sorry you are having a rough time, and that it is so depressing....Are you keeping a real journal, aside from this blog? Maybe you should; that sometimes helps me to deal with things, anyway. Keep yourself safe, and try to keep your chin up! I know that is easy for me to say as I sit here in California in my room...Still, I think that although I am sure this experience is leaving you very disillusioned, you will come away from it a better person for it. Keep up the writing, and I will keep up the reading.
Love, Phoebe
in israel, every college student has already been in the army for 2 or 3 years (at least), in england, most schools encourage students to take a year off and travel before college, but in america, MOST freshmen in college dont have a life changing event, or experience that is an emotional maturing zone in between high school and college.
i think this, as hard as it is, will be a very valuable experience to have with you for the rest of college, and your life.
anyway, i hope things start looking up soon, and i look forward to reading more about it.
Hey Richie,
I have to say that I echo Ari's thoughts 100%. And it isn't just a maturing even between high school and college, many people don't experience this their entires lives. How can we dream of change, when we don't even fully comprehend what is wrong?
Your experience, whether you stay longer or go home early, will give you the ability to ground your political and social thoughts and beliefs in stark reality, and use it to strengthen your later endeavors.
Melis
Hey Richie,
This is Sheila and Susannah's older sister, Liz. Dan gave me your blog address and I just wanted to say that I admire what you're doing so much. I didn't even know that all of this was going on in New Orleans and it has been really eye opening reading about it.
Thank you for sharing your experience with the rest of us!
Liz
Though painful for you, out of all of this, the work, the blog, the sharing, can come:
only good
only good
only good
hey, folks
i don't doubt at all that this will be a valuble experience. it already has been, and will continue to be, fulfilling and challenging.
every day has its ups and downs and i was expecting more down sthan i'm actually having...
but there are still downs sometimes. which is to be expected in a disaster zone. and the downs mostly come at night, when i'm exhausted and when our professor tells us about new, usually distressing, developments. and last night i came here and wrote about it, which may not have been a wise move, i was feeling kiknd of dramatic
but yeah, i'm okay, you're okay
and phoebe, yeah we have journals we write in, i havent written too much
thanks so much for reading everyone, thanks
Hi Richie! It definitely sounds like you've had a life-changing experience. Yes, you will look at things differently now. It's good to realize how fortunate we are for sure. We do take many things for granted. Richie, a person who has lived through a war, for example, will have to readjust to society upon their return. Do what you can to help which is what you've been doing. Can't wait for your return. love, mom
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