Flyby on Spring Break: New Orleans

New Orleans on St. Patty's Day By Nian Hu

I've never been to the South before. The "south-est" I've gone is D.C., and I don't think that counts as Southern living. Through PBHA however, I found an opportunity to explore the South and do something worthwhile and meaningful over Spring Break. As a part of the Alternative Spring Break program, I am co-directing the freshman service trip to New Orleans.

It's been amazing since Day One. On the first day, we landed in the airport at 4 p.m. and immediately took off our winter jackets– I instantly felt liberated (I'm looking at you, Cambridge). After setting down our belongings at Dillard University, where we were staying, we took a walk and explored Frenchmen Street. I then saw the Mississippi River and got a hearty dose of delicious Southern comfort food later that evening. We had dinner with Harvard alumni at The Praline Connection and I gorged myself on fried catfish, mac n cheese, and collard greens.

The alumni we met with taught us about the work they were doing in the city: some were involved in education, teaching in various schools around the city, another was a part of Grow Dat Youth Farm and was heavily involved with food justice and agriculture in New Orleans, and others were more involved in the politics of New Orleans, helping to rebuild the civic community that had been greatly weakened after Katrina hit. It was an inspiring way to begin our journey.

The next day, we began work. We had a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, grits, and biscuits at Dillard and set off to embark on our service project. We worked to build garden boxes for two local churches, which would help support the community by providing a community center, as well as giving the residents fresh fruits and vegetables to eat. We learned how to use a drill, and together we assembled six boxes from planks of wood. Then we painted the boxes brown, and coated it with clear polyurethane. It was hard but meaningful work. What kept us going through the sweat and heat was the thought that our labor would one day benefit the community. 

The next day (St. Patrick's Day!), we woke up bright and early and went shopping at Lowe's for fruit-bearing plants, vegetables, and herbs that we planned on planting in the garden boxes. We broke for lunch at Dooky Chase, enjoyed a scrumptious buffet lunch consisting mostly of red beans and fried chicken, and even met Leah Chase herself, the famous chef who owned the restaurant. Then we went back to another church, where we worked on building more garden boxes, painting them, and trying our hand at hammering and using a saw machine. At the end of the day, we walked away with six more freshly painted garden boxes. Since it was St. Patrick's Day, we went to see the parade on Bourbon Street. Considering it was a Tuesday night, it was way more fun than Harvard's most exciting Friday night. People were throwing multicolored beads from the street cars and balconies, music filled the air, and revelry abounded. It was a fantastic sight, and not one to be missed. By far, the best St. Patty's Day I've ever experienced. The trip is far from over, and we still have so much more work to do and so much more of New Orleans to experience, but so far, it's been an absolute blast. The best way to spend Spring Break, hands down.