Break Out in the Bayou

Things have been running pretty smoothly so far. The layover at O'hare airport allowed a few people to catch some z's while others stretched their legs and explored terminal C. Our trip down to New Orleans unfortunately wasn't as quiet as it's predecessor. We had a screaming baby for the duration of the flight. We also were a little more cramped then our last flight and we struggled to get comfortable. It also didn't help that the captain started out the flight telling us we were going to be delayed because of a chipped propeller. That 5 minute delay turned into a 45 minute wait and see. I woke up twice thinking we were in the air but we were just driving around the tarmac waiting for a turn to take off. The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful except for the person in front of me who decided to recline their chair into my face when I was sleeping. After we landed it didn't take us long to get our luggage and rental van and hit the road to Peace Lutheran Mission Center. It's a cozy complex right off of the main highway. There's a kitchen for us to use, multiple showers, and separated sleeping spaces for the guys and girls. We're sharing the campground with a group from Roanoke College in Virginia. After we claimed our sleeping areas we went exploring in Slidell,LA to get a quick lunch. We all got our orders to go and sat outside because it was 60 and sunny this afternoon. After lunch we rested up before our big night out to Mulate's in the French Quarter. I'll let someone else fill you in on the rest of the night. My fingers are getting tired of typing on my phone anyway. I writing this entry 007 style as I lay underneath a sheet so I won't wake up the guy next to me.

-jw tabacchi

Our adventure began at 3am in Alumni Park. There 11 sleepy eyed students met me to sign the last round of forms for our trip to New Orleans. The shuttle ushered us on a traffic free parkway to an nearly empty airport. Checking into United Airways provided us with our first surprise as we weren't ready for United's check baggage fee. We made it through security with out a hiccup. Our only scare was when the TSA agent told me that I was going to have to leave my chocolate chip cookies with security. At that point I had three options leave the cookies, run, or eat as many as humanly possible. Before I could explain to her the necessity of my wife's famous cookies, she smiled and said 'I couldn't eat all those cookies by myself.' Crisis adverted. Now we're waiting at the gate for our flight as 7 out of 12 people who didn't sleep try to stay awake until we may get on the plane. I think we just lost three. Oranges complemented the cookies as our midnight snack. Someone just ate an orange peel as delirium sets in. We have a 2 hour layover in Windy City until we arrive in the Big Easy at 12pm. We'll probably hang out at the camp ground for a couple of hours before we make the hour long trip back to New Orleans to go to Mulate's for a night of dinner and dancing. And so it begins...

-jw tabacchi

This is Point Park University’s second straight year working with Habitat for Humanity in the Gulf Coast region and it’s first with the Collegiate Challenge. The Office of Student Activities became involved when the previous director attended a conference in New Orleans and witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. She took it upon herself to organize the first University sponsored alternative spring break trip to assist the families that had been affected by this natural disaster. Upon the group's return, the students reported about how much work still needed to be done and strongly suggested that Point Park University continue to send volunteers to this area. This year we doubled the amount of applicants and have a diverse group of talented students attending. We hope that we will be able to help where needed and are excited for the opportunity. Point Park University is committed to sending students to this region of the country for years to come.

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-jw tabacchi