March 16 – “A Young Tom Hanks” 1

Chili.

Delightful.

Work work work work work work

These are just a few of the phrases that describe the emotional roller coaster that was day 3 of our spring break build in Lafayette.

The day began like any other: Dorothy ate another donut at 8am and Meghana made us feel bad by going for a morning run.  I myself ate four, yes four, bowls of  Frosted Flakes because I needed a lot of energy for the day ahead and because shut up that’s why.  We attempted to preempt the arrival of the Ohio State crew to our build site but somehow failed again because they were already out and about at 8:55am (clearly trying way too hard). The morning was was super productive, however: Sirlion Sarah from OSU, along with Smoothie Smita and I, Oreo Oliver, covered the porch with immaculate white wooden beams which we totally did right the first time and didn’t have to redo over again, nope, no way, definitely not.

Lunch was provided by a group of totally adorable southern bible group ladies.  They gave us heaps of meat chili along with corn bread muffins and cookies.  It was incredibly scrumptious and satisfied our hungry little bellies.  The church ladies also told me that I reminded them of a “young Tom Hanks,” adding that “you’re super cute and handsome and intelligent,” an assessment with which Kim, Dorothy, and the other girls of our trip heartily agreed.  Shout out to the wonderful ladies of lunch, we appreciated you very much.

‘Les Petites Fleurs’, the group of Theresians who provided lunch.

The afternoon proved to be just as satisfactory as the morning had been, and I realized that some serious progress had been made on the house.  An army of 7 Columbia and 20 Ohio State students can do some serious work on a home, and we’ve been proving that this week.    Hopefully we can provide some photo evidence of this *cough* Smita *cough*.

At 4pm, we finished our build and headed to the Rosa Parks Transportation Center, which houses the Lafayette Consolidated Government.  We were met by Melinda, a low-key savage who is also the executive director of  Lafayette Habitat, as well as Cathy, a Lafayette urban planner.  They were incredibly informative, detailing the struggles of creating a vibrant city in southern Louisiana.  Namely, there is an inherent reverence for independence from government as well as a love for rural culture abundant among the historically Cajun population of Lafayette Parish.  Most prefer to drive, and are resistant to apartments and multi-family units.  There is no infrastructure to create the small parks that urban areas depend on.  Furthermore, any revitalization of urban areas must be made inclusive.  Us New Yorkers know the effects of gentrification well and understand the importance of considering a number of diverse groups in urban planning.  That said, it was clear that the development of Lafayette is in extremely smart and capable hands with women like Cathy and Melinda.

We snagged a photo with Rosa!

After some showers at the house, we headed to Bulldog sports bar at the suggestion of Frank Higgins, the dedicated and rather handsome leader of the UL-Lafayette Habitat chapter.  We wolfed down $1 burgers and played 5 seconds of foosball, which consisted only of Dorothy scoring a goal on herself and losing the ball in the process.  Nice going there, champ.

After this excellent dining experience, we headed to the Blue Moon Saloon for Jam Night, where we met up with the Ohio State gang.  Natachi and Smita did some real Cajun jamming on stage and provided the ambiance for a delicious night of social interaction.  I drove the gang home, blasting work work work work work work while Kim dabbed in the back, capping off a jam packed day in Lafayette.

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