Memoirs of a Guzzo: Days One and Two

I signed up for this trip last week, and now, here I am, sitting on the second floor of an inactive school building that's been transformed into Camp Hope, the temporary residence of hundreds of volunteer workers from around the country. Okay, so I started fundraising at football games for ReachOut's “Alternative Spring Break” back in September, but it feels more like it's been a week since I first met everyone.

Yesterday, I woke up at an hellishly early hour and began my Spring Break by marching through a minor ice storm to get to the bus. Apparently Chicago hasn't realized that it's mid-March already. Day One—Chicago to Memphis—passed by in what seemed like minutes. This is partly because I spent much of the ride completely passed out, but also because I genuinely had a good time. I was never bored; the people who were sitting in my little corner of the bus were (and still are) enormously entertaining. They may not feel the same about me, but I already consider them to be my friends.

This morning was Easter Sunday, and my fellow ReachOuters and I celebrated this particular holiday by going to IHOP. While we were there, we met a lady who had spent a few months doing volunteer work here in New Orleans. She was more than happy to tell her story, and in this volunteer's humble opinion, that's when this whole thing became real to me. That's when I realized that I am on my way to a real city that got hit by a real hurricane and is in real need of help.

We got to our first rest stop where the weather was warm enough to go outside in T-shirts. After the winter we just had in Chicago, I have never been more excited by the simplicity of warm weather. And you could tell that everyone else felt the same way; we all had these big goofy grins on our faces. It was nice.

Not much else to report on. We arrived at Camp Hope on time, we unpacked, we ate, we had orientation, we got our assignments for the week, and now it's time for bed.

Let the week begin.

Aaron Guzzo

March 24, 2008 @ 2:59 PM