Down on the Bayou

Hello from Pearlington, Mississippi! I do not know where to begin this blog post since so much happened since our arrival on the 3rd. We are going to New Orleans tonight, again, and hope it is as fun as last time around. I doubt it will be as crazy because the BCS Championship Game is over, and even though it is Carnival, it is not exactly Mardi Gras. Not to worry, I intend to stroll the streets with a Hurricane from Pat O'Brien's in hand, observing whatever there is to observe.

Pearlington itself is rural. When we arrived on the 3rd, I almost cried. It was freezing cold, and our beds consist of plywood and a thin prison mattress. Not kidding about the prison mattress, people!! Our restrooms are outhouses and the water smells like rotton eggs. Imagine bathing in hot, smelly sulfur water. All the water we drink is bottled and expired (who knew bottled water could expire!!!) or from Anheiser Busch, sans beer ingredients. I ended up in 5 layers that evening, avoiding tears and somehow sleeping through the night. The next morning, we woke up and began our work here. We are going door to door, seeing who is back after the Hurricane, assessing mental and physical health needs and inviting people to our health fair (which is where I am doing my knitting circle). People's experiences of the storm and throughout the past 2 years are vastly different. A lot depends on resources before the storm and a lot depends on attitude.

I have to run, but I will update more as soon as possible...pictures to come...the explaination of a chicken drop (yes, it involves chicken poop), kareoke with a saxiphone and the joys of New Orleans the night before the BCS Championship en route.