Hey ya’ll! Possibly the most foreign place I’ve ever blogged from, this post comes all the way from New Orleans, Lousiana! That’s right! Instead of splashing around in the ocean in Panama City Beach, or hanging with honeys in Fort Meyers, or even
My fraternity brother Zeno working in our mission kitchen.
lounging around in my boxers at home, I headed South for the spring with a group of fellow Wallies on a mission trip to rebuild houses in the lower 9th ward of New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, an outpouring of volunteers flooded to the hardest-hit areas to offer their assistance. However, 7 years later, other tragedies have caught the world’s attention, even though there is still an unbelievable amount of work still to be done on the Gulf Coast. I’m hoping that this week is one that will open my eyes to the blessings that I have, and give me the chance to really, REALLY do some good for a fellow human or too. Not to mention the gumbo.
A cool part of my trip is the chance to spend a week on the 
coast with a group of friends, brothers, teammates, and new Wallies to meet. After a 15 hour car trip from Crawfordsville, along with our first day of work, I already feel like I’ve met a lot of new faces pretty well! For starters, my Phi Delt brothers Juan Nguyen ’13 and Zeno Joyce ’14 are both along for the ride, so the Phi’s are well-represented! I already live with them, so this isn’t anything new. It’s also
Me and Stazinski found a furry friend.
worth noting that my track teammates Jared Burris ’15 and Chris Stazinski ’16 are both along for the ride as well. Both J-Burr and Chris were in my building group today, when we worked on remodeling a rotted-out bathroom.
On the first day, we woke up at 6:30AM, ate breakfast, and headed out to the work site. A special surprise was the all-female group that also showed up to work. Like a tall drink of water on a hot day. Like 20 tall drinks of water on a hot day. Anyways. We worked and wandered around the lower 9th until 4:00, got pretty sunburned, met a cat, and had a lot of fun. I’ll try to post a blog almost every day, with plenty of pictures! I think it’s going to be a heck of a break. Until tomorrow Wallies!
Hugs, not drugs,
Bode
MORE PICTURES BELOW!
Jared takes a snooze during our 15-hour car ride to the South.
Just posing in front of some public defacement.
Jared sawing on some wood.
Chris Stazinski hammering away on a new bathroom wall.
