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Friendly Faces

 

Meet miss Debrah- an outgoing women from who truly showed us what southern hospitality was really like.  Through out the day you could hear her shouting at us, encouraging us.  We laughed with her and cherished the time we spent working side by side her.  Not only once, but twice did she cook for our entire crew.  She was a firecracker of a women to say the least.  She spoke her mind freely and was a ball of entertainment for us. Story after story we heard about the neighborhood we were working in, what it was like to live in the 9th ward before and now after Hurricane Katrina.  It seemed most people who left after the Hurricane soon found their way back in the same neighborhood.  I can understand how it could be difficult to travel anywhere else, knowing they will never understand what they went through.  Despite neighborly differences they all share one common ground, the hurricane. No one can take away that experience, that tragedy from the people of New Orleans.

Meet Miss Ashley!

Here is a photograph of Taylor one of my closest friends from UMF and my new friend Danielle who happens to be Debra's granddaughter.  The first day I spoke to her she wouldn't speak to me, one worded answers and I was given the cold shower. But by the end of the second day I discovered a lot about Danielle. She was a talented bright young girl who had many dreams, her number one goal at the time was to become a CNA.  I then explained to her that I happened to be one and I will never forgot the look on her face. Her eyes lit up and I was asked question after question. We shared many commonalities such as both of us being good students, but struggling to want to actually be at school.  It was her senior year and I as well struggled with that too.  I didn't realize our small pop in conversations meant so much to her until I went to say goodbye.  We held each other for a few minutes, crying tears of happiness and sadness. Miles away, Danielle and I had a sisterly connection.  Debrah even hollered as I left, "Come back my second daughter- she's missing her twin already!" 

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