April- Goodbye

This post is more difficult to write than any of the previous ones for a few reasons, the biggest one being that I always have struggled with goodbyes, and have not enjoyed transitional phases in my life, similar to the one I am now entering as this program concludes. I have enjoyed my time living, studying, and volunteering here in New Orleans more than I thought I would, and I have to credit both the other students in my program as well as the program administrators and professors for that. It's been really nice to have felt so at home in this new city and I feel lucky to have met the people I did.

 This month, I volunteered with SOUL Nola mulching trees the organization has previously planted. I thought this was actually a really nice way to finish my volunteering, as I have previously volunteered with this organization planting some of the very trees we mulched, so it felt like things were coming full circle as I was able to witness some of the progress I actually have made by volunteering.

April Hours: 3
Spring Hours: 31
Total Hours: 64

March

This month went by really quickly as well, because we had our Shelf exam so much of my time was spent studying. I did manage to volunteer over 14 hours this month, at the Top Taco Fest, as well as for Edible Schoolyard's An Edible Evening. At Top Taco Fest, a few friends from the program and I were responsible for coordinating with the vendors and making sure they were stocked. This was fun, but pretty tiring as much of my tasks included moving ice from one tent to another.

With An Edible Evening, proceeds from this event went to support Edible Schoolyard' an organization that I have volunteered with several times over the last year, at Open Garden Days, Sweet Potato Fest, and Iron Chef. At An Edible Evening, I volunteered with a few friends from the program, and we were responsible for sorting the compost, trash, and recyclables. I actually learned a lot about what items are able to be sorted into specific categories, and I really enjoyed being involved with an organization I knew I enjoyed giving my time to. I would say all in all, I had a really fun month with my volunteering, and I look forward to my next month.

March Hours: 14
Total Hours: 28

February

Wow, even though February is the shortest month, I did not expect it to go by quite as quickly as it did! This month was very different from the rest as Mardi Gras fell in the middle, so much of my time during this month was either spent out of town or just out of class. I can't say if I particularly enjoyed this break in my routine to be honest- I find myself enjoying my schedule quite a bit and quite frankly Mardi Gras left me speechless. Seeing the way this city changed for the week of Mardi Gras, and filled up with people from all over the country was something I can't even describe. As a first-timer I loved the parades and really enjoyed learning another aspect of the culture that has grown on me so much since moving here. Unfortunately, this short month also meant I wasn't able to volunteer like I usually enjoy doing so I will have to make up for lost time in March! I am very excited to get back into things for these final months and hopefully get involved with as much as I can fill in to my free time.

February Hours: 0
Total Hours: 14

January

After a brief break during December, it's great to be back in New Orleans, volunteering and blogging, with 2018 off to a good start. This month, just like the ones prior, seemed to fly by and I actually cannot believe tomorrow is the start of February. This means that there is officially less than 3 months left in this program, which I still feel like I just started last week. In class, we're coming close to the end of Med Pharm, which means we're also coming close to our Shelf Exam, and I think I can speak for the rest of my class when I say that it's a little nerve-racking. Currently, we're finishing up the end of the Mind, Brain, and Behavior block, which as a Psychology major, I have really enjoyed. It's been a little bit of a review after months of brand new info so I've appreciated it.

Volunteer-wise I attended two very different events this month. The more traditional volunteering I did was for SOUL Nola planting trees along the side of the road on a very chilly Saturday morning. This was actually so fun but also so exhausting- I exercised muscles I didn't know existed and was sore for a few days. The second event I did was definitely more memorable- I was able to attend the Saints final home Playoff game volunteering with the 50/50 Raffle selling tickets- of which the proceeds were going to the UNCF. This was a great experience as during the last quarter we were able to watch the game, and we were at the very bottom. 

January Hours: 14
Total Hours: 14

November

     This month actually flew by with a full week of November being spent on Thanksgiving break. Every other weekend in November I actually spent volunteering, which was such a nice routine to be in. My first volunteering opportunity was at the Crescent City Fall Classic 5k with Youth Run Nola. Basically, my job consisted of a variety of things including set-up, checking running buddies in, general helping with the Youth Run Nola heads, and clean up. This actually ended up being one of the most fun ways I could've spent my Saturday despite having a call time of 6:30 A.M. I actually got to interact with so many kids and even though I wasn't personally participating in the 5k, the enthusiastic adrenaline from all the runners made the entire atmosphere really lively and energetic.
       The next week I was able to participate in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Uncork the Cure event, serving food to guests. Though I don't personally know anyone affected by the disease, this event still felt special to contribute to as many of the guests in attendance had cystic fibrosis or their loved ones did. That same weekend I also volunteered with the Edible Schoolyard at their Open Garden Day. For the first few hours or so we were responsible for moving mulch to the garden area. After that we got to plant garlic bulbs in the ground- all of which was much more tiring and energy exerting than I had expected so in addition to volunteering, I was glad to also get a small workout in.
    The next weekend I volunteered with Edible Schoolyard again at their Iron Chef event held at Samuel J. Green Charter School. I helped Chef Victoria make shrimp tacos using our secret ingredient of papaya and to both of our surprise they actually turned out pretty well. I really enjoyed this event as well because we were working with seventh graders who all had pretty hilarious personalities and, like me, all started out pretty apprehensive about most aspects of the cooking, but by the end were all having a great time and were really proud of what they had made together.

November Hours: 20
Total Hours: 33

           

October

Each month seems to go by even quicker than the last, and October was no exception. This month I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Sweet Potato Fest hosted by Arthur Ashe Charter School, and it was probably the most fun thing I did all month- definitely due in part to all the great food I got to sample, all including sweet potatoes, of course. I helped setup and cleanup, but the parts I enjoyed the most were digging for sweet potatoes (note my own haul in the photos, which I am very proud of), and helping with the smoothie station, where people used a blender powered by the pedaling of a bike to make sweet potato smoothies. Moving forward, I definitely would want to get more involved with volunteer opportunities like this one, getting to interact with happy kids was actually a real mood lifter and was a nice break from what can be an otherwise monotonous student life. All in all, I would say this month was a good one, and I am ready for November, mainly because the weather is finally cooling down and I could not be happier about it.

October hours: 5
Total hours: 13

  

September

This month I was finally able to get started on my volunteering, and I really enjoyed the experience. I spent one Saturday working with Habitat for Humanity, helping with painting the exterior and putting floors down inside. By the end of the day I was completely exhausted, but had such a positive experience and wanted to do it again as soon as my schedule would allow.

I was really surprised by my experience, as I have never worked with Habitat before, and did not really know what to expect going in. I assumed we would just be helping with smaller tasks, not really being held accountable for much, but we were really encouraged to get as involved as possible, and I even had the opportunity to use a power saw to cut pieces of hardwood floor- something I never thought I would do. At the end of the workday, being able to look at all the work I had put in throughout the day and see tangible results was really gratifying, and was definitely worth waking up early.

All in all, I would say my first experience volunteering in New Orleans was a very positive one, and I am very excited to continue doing so throughout the rest of this semester.

September Hours: 8