Payal Chakraborty
Last Tuesday, Stephanie, some of our co-workers, and I spent most of the day preparing for our celebration of the 4th of July, which was to be held the following day. It was very clear that celebrations are taken very seriously at the Family Justice Center. Each decoration was placed with utmost meticulousness.
On the day of the party, all of the food was brought in: burger bites, chicken eggrolls, chicken wings, jambalaya, nachos, queso, chili, hot dogs, salad, chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, a strawberry shortcake, a birthday cake (yes, we snuck in a birthday celebration), doughnuts, brownies, sugar cookies, and fruit.
As I helped prepare for the celebration, I reflected on my position at the NOFJC. In these past four weeks, I feel as if I have built a relationship with them beyond a colleague-to-colleague relationship: I feel like my co-workers are family. At the beginning of each day of work, I report to my supervisor to update her about my progress, chat a little bit about topics unrelated to my project, and then I go straight to my cubicle, where I begin my day’s work. But multiple times a day, I get traffic in and out of my cubicle. I get the chance to bond with the people working around me, and learn about what they do and how it fits into the overall goals of the Family Justice Center. I too, visit the offices around me just as they visit mine. Even though the four weeks that have gone by is a relatively short period of time, my co-workers have accepted me as one of their own.
On the day of the party, all of the food was brought in: burger bites, chicken eggrolls, chicken wings, jambalaya, nachos, queso, chili, hot dogs, salad, chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, a strawberry shortcake, a birthday cake (yes, we snuck in a birthday celebration), doughnuts, brownies, sugar cookies, and fruit.
As I helped prepare for the celebration, I reflected on my position at the NOFJC. In these past four weeks, I feel as if I have built a relationship with them beyond a colleague-to-colleague relationship: I feel like my co-workers are family. At the beginning of each day of work, I report to my supervisor to update her about my progress, chat a little bit about topics unrelated to my project, and then I go straight to my cubicle, where I begin my day’s work. But multiple times a day, I get traffic in and out of my cubicle. I get the chance to bond with the people working around me, and learn about what they do and how it fits into the overall goals of the Family Justice Center. I too, visit the offices around me just as they visit mine. Even though the four weeks that have gone by is a relatively short period of time, my co-workers have accepted me as one of their own.
Outside of my community partner placement, I have had a diverse set of experiences in New Orleans. From our city tour on the very first weekend, our museum visits, and our guest speakers, I’ve learned a lot about the history of New Orleans, and the impact that Hurricane Katrina has had on the city and its people. I really enjoyed our cooking lesson near Jackson Square, where we received a history lesson intertwined with step-by-step instructions on how to make gumbo, jambalaya, pralines, and bread pudding. This weekend, I visited Frenchman Street, where I was able to watch part of a live performance of the Big Easy Brawlers, a local genre-less band. Hearing lively funk rhythms and elements of jazz mixed into pop-culture music took me back to my high school years, where I played keyboard in a jazz ensemble, and a rock/blues band. There truly is nothing like hearing live jazz in the city where jazz music was born. I intend to continue exploring other music venues, such as The House of Blues, to experience the diverse musical genres home to New Orleans.
Here in New Orleans, the food is mouthwatering, the streets are lively, and the culture is rich, but what has stood out to me the most about the city is the people. From the bus/cab drivers to the tour guides to my co-workers, and to the domestic violence survivors who have shared their stories at work, I have seen two powerful, recurring characteristics: positivity and resilience. No matter the hardship, whether it be poverty, injustice, or Katrina, the people of New Orleans have always kept their heads up, not loosing sight of what is important to them: their home, their passions and dreams, and their families. Hearing stories of how people have rebuilt their lives and empowered themselves has been very uplifting for me, inspiration I will take beyond my work here in New Orleans to my own passions and goals.