Heading home

BILOXI, Miss. - 8:33am

Students are packing their bags and sweeping out their cabins. It's time to go home. The balmy 70-degree weather has given us all a taste of summer three months too soon. Most are not looking forward to going home to reports of a snow on the way, but after a week of hard work and waking up in a pool of our own sweat (did I mention the intense humidity?), I think we're ready to get back to our "normal" lives. But we will miss Camp Biloxi, and most definitely the culture of the Gulf Coast and Southern hospitality that we've grown to love.

Last night we did what locals do when Spring arrives--we built a bonfire on the beachfront. Three busloads of Oles covered the beach and we all roasted marshmallows, ate s'mores, and enjoyed one another's company. It was a wonderful and appropriate way to end our week working on the Gulf Coast.

Last night I asked my cabin-mates if they wanted to share anything on this web-log about their experience. One of them, Erin McHugh '10, had this to say:

This trip has given me the opportunity to see the true strength of people faced with tragedy. Before now, I was aware of the damage in both Biloxi and New Orleans to homes, roads, and entire towns. I saw the news and the pictures of concrete slabs where houses once stood.

However, being here and seeing it all firsthand two and a half years later has shown me that structures were not the only things destroyed. Memories, treasures, and whole lives were broken. But in spite of all the devastation, somehow, a sense of determination and hope has managed to perservere throughout the community. Everyone is willing to do what needs to be done to bounce back. They believe they can do it, and, because of that belief, they will.

The area has retained its culture and spirit. The buildings are just structures. They will be replaced.


My bunkmate, Kelsey Harr '10, also wanted to share about her experience - she kindly left out the part about my snoring:


I really feel I got much more out of this experience than I had ever imagined. Before the trip, I had only the pictures of devastation from books, newspapers, and TV. But when we took our tour of Biloxi, the images I had in my head didn't match in reality.

Yes, there was rubble in many places, but not everywhere. What I didn't expect to see was the brand new community in the process of being rebuilt. It wasn't just your average community, though. It was a place made on new hope and strength. What impressed me probably the most was the help of volunteers who put their time and effort into making the hopes and dreams realities.

As a volunteer myself, the appreciation and smiles on the faces of residents will stay with me forever. Helping people get back on their feet brought me so much satisfaction and I will definitely do it again.


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I’m being summoned to the buses which have just arrived. We’re departing Biloxi for our first stop in Jackson, which should be about lunchtime. More to come…