Alternative Winter Break Rewards (and I don’t mean the Beignets) – Ari Gilboa

Today we worked with the St. Bernard Project, by helping with the finishing touches on two different houses that had been destroyed in the hurricane. I worked in the house of someone who bought it as their dream home two years before Katrina hit, and who has been waiting 11 years to get it back. I really enjoyed this and had a good time cleaning, washing, and mulching. It was really rewarding because it was cool to see the entire house look shiny and sparkly and know that I had helped create something that will cause happiness for her for years to come. After that was over we cleaned up and returned to the hotel. We had some time at the hotel, and during that time, I spent some time getting to know some of the other kids on the trip better. We continued our bonding on the walk to the French Quarter. We split off and my group started out at Cafe du Monde. The line was very long, and there were a lot of “shenanigans”. Apparently, running ahead of the group and asking a chef to pose for a picture is not allowed, even if he does. I got to try beignets for the first time, then sat on the Jackson Square steps and had a very deep conversation with some of my friends. Overall, I really enjoyed the day and hope to have more like it.

~ Ari Gilboa is a 9th grader from Pittsburgh, PA and is active in Young Judaea Pittsburgh