Hello and welcome to our blog page for the Rebuilding the Birthplace of Jazz 2008 project. As Jeff mentioned, we had a great trip down here and everyone is excited to start working. For those of us who have never experienced the spectacle of Bourbon Street, it was quite amazing. Just a cacophony of incredible sights and sounds. Truly amazing. I know that after Katrina and Rita, many felt that this part of New Orleans would somehow be washed away with the storm's waters. But there are just some things you cannot stop and the music and life on Bourbon Street are two of them. 

When organizing this trip, we had a few goals in mind. First, to meet the needs of the displaced people in the Upper Ninth Ward. Nothing will ever diminish that important goal and we hope to be able to continue to send teams to this area as long as there is a need. Secondly, we hope to engender a sense of community at Berklee. It is a rare day when you see 15 staff and faculty members sitting at a table, talking about their lives, their dreams, their goals...just enjoying each other's company. One faculty member told me last night that one of the reasons she applied for this trip is because she was tired of it being about her. She needed to get out of her own head. Let me second that emotion! I hope by the end of this week, we will all have gotten out of our own heads just a little bit.

Thanks for following along with us this week. Please stay with us as each member of the team shares their experiences and the events of the trip with you.

Best,

Linda Embardo