Wow

I've been home from Biloxi for a while now, but I can't stop talking about it. I know my friends have got to get sick of listening to my stories from Biloxi. It was just so amazing though, for many reasons. Not only did I get to spend a week with amazing people , but I got to help people who really needed it with those people. My group built a deck, with a ramp and roof over it. It looked so good when we were finished. I couldn't believe we built it. We built it for a woman who had a stroke a few years ago and she was so appreciative. It felt really good. I was really glad we were able to help her. However, it was really sad seeing how some of the people down there had been mistreated. For instance, at the same house we built the deck the house had shingling falling off and many parts of the house, inside and out, were uneven. My intial reaction to the inside of her house was wow this is nicer than mine: then i walked across the hardwood floors. I sunk down about a foot and rose back up during this walk. We also met people from Habitat for Humanity who were working across the street from us. They were telling us the story of the house they were working on and how the woman who owned it had payed a carpenter, who said he was a minister, $20,000 to fix everything. He installed the cabinets wrong, the sheets of dry wall weren't even, and there were electric sockets that led to nothing, just to name a few things and left and told her the house was ready to move into. I just can't believe that people would take advantage of the victims of the hurricane so much.
Another part of Biloxi that had a huge impact on me was the second house on which I worked. We built another ramp, this time coming off of their porch for a woman in a wheelchair named Lucy. That's not what affected me. It was a little seven year old boy I talked to while we were building. While we were waiting for more wood, I took a water break and talked with him for a little while. He asked me what we were building, as he rode around on his bike with no breaks, and I told him a bike ramp just for him. He told me about the different places he lived after Katrina and which place was his favorite. I then asked him if he was on summer vacation yet and he told me he was. I asked him if he liked school and what his favorite subject was. He informed me he loved school and his favorite subject was math... but sometimes spelling too. He was seven. Most kids that age would respond recess or gym if asked their favorite subject. I looked around and wanted to start crying. His house was pretty bad off, and I don't know that it was all due to the hurricane and all of his uncles and cousins were sitting around in the back yard in the middle of the day. I'm not judging them for that, but I do know that this little boy wouldnt have half as many oppertunities with his education as those which I've been blessed. He made me realize to appreciate what I do have and not always want more. We finished the ramp and let our new friend try out his ramp. He loved it.
This trip was so amazing and I just want to say thank you to Mr. Magee and all the dads who went on it. They all were so awesome and it was so much fun spending time with them. It really meant a lot to me.

—Jenn Halaz