Southern Comfort

Hi Ladies,

After a few weeks of craziness, I finally can take a minute to sit down and tell "ya'll" about my Southern adventure. I've been really busy with work already, so I apologize for the delay. I love reading about what you've been up to!

I moved down here the first weekend in August. It was something of a nutty trip down - my parents wanted to stop in Memphis, so we visited Graceland (I never loved Elvis so much!!), and I had some of the best BBQ of my life. We walked down Beale St. and heard some great music. It was a really odd little city. It felt like I was on a Mock Trial trip or some bizarre high-stress vacation because everything felt so rushed and foreign.

After one night in Memphis, we made it down here to New Orleans. The drive in was amazing - there's a gigantic bridge over Lake Pontchartrain leading into the city - the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway - it's the longest bridge in the U.S. and it's somewhat terrifying. We drove in over all the swampland, a landscape littered with little swamp boat-houses that looked like they were part of a movie set. As we got closer to the city, we started to see all the mess from Katrina. It's unbelieveable what that did to this city. Everyone here still talks about it like it just happened yesterday (this week marks the 2-year anniversary, so it's very much on everyone's mind). About a week ago I had to go down to the clerk's office in the city to pick up a copy of an old complaint. When I was checking out at the register to pay for copying the document, the lady behind the counter was talking about Katrina.

You never know what will happen, she says, I never that that the 30 years I spent making my life would end up like this. Now I've got my grandchildren living with me in a trailer and we still don't have a house.

She was a black woman - race relations are unbelievable here - and she went on to say that that morning she saw a white man begging for money at the side of the highway. A white man, she says, just think anything can happen to anybody.

She got tears in her eyes as she talked about her grandchildren and her deceased son. It was overwhelming.

I'm actually learning a lot about Katrina not only because her effects are felt everywhere, but also because we have a huge Katrina-levee break case we're litigating. It's unbelievable, this legal system of ours. My job is keeping me really busy. I've developed a website for one of our cases - you can see it at www.toxicfematrailers.org - we're working on a pro bono formaldehyde sickness case.

There are so many other things to say, but I have to cut it short now. I'll say more later - I hope everything is going well with you girls! I smile too whenever I think of you.

I hope your families were ok after the storms this past week in the Midwest. Did you guys get any water or damage? Keep safe and healthy and take care.

Hasta,
K

living la vida loca is an example of spanglish

yum-o
I think I liked the bird pepper the best. When did you have guinea pig?
This week I started my work in Indiana (after a week of orientation). I've been working in a garden the past few days-- today we harvested for a farmers' market and I got to pull carrots and see potatos be dug up and cut some leafy things and pick rotten tomatos (well, that is to compost (not to sell of course) so that the rotten tomatos don't attract bugs).
I haven't gotten to work much with the alpacas, but they are darn cute. You all should come visit sometime (I guess Margaret is a little closer) and you can see them. I think you would like it here.
The nuns are pretty cool. they are these cool women of faith and action. Plus, they are breaking some of my silly stereotypes of nuns-- for example, we probably have more beer in our kitchenette (in our wing of the building) than I've ever had in my frig in college (all 4 years combined).
I'm still getting used to having extra time and being in a new place. The two other girls seem quite nice and we get along really well, but this year will still be strange.
That's all for now. I hope all is well as people are moving onto new things (near school years, new cities, new apartments). Keep me posted as you have time, loves!
I miss you all and smile when I think of you!

In case anyone wanted to see what a guinea pig looks like just before you eat it...