34150 - February update

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Dag,
   Iris (Austin, 34150 miles)

34150 - One year

Its indeed exactly one year ago that I left friends and family behind and started this road trip. One year of a total different life then what I had before in the Bay Area.

There were some very sad days. I cried the day that I left Alaska behind. I felt miserable when I drove away from the City of Rocks. I was somber when I left Menagha. I felt alone when I saw Red Hook disappearing in my rear view mirror.

Then there were the moments of hardship. That I couldn't find a save spot to sleep. That it was raining and I didn't want to cook outside. That I spend 12 hrs in bed, to keep warm in the cold days.

And there were the times that the daily riddle of introducing myself got annoying:
* Its Iris, not Irish.
* I am 37 years old, not 27.
* I am from the Netherlands, not from California.
* There is no man, I travel alone.

But without the down time, life would be boring. Without down time, there is no adventure. Without down time, you can not appreciate the good times.

And good times it was for sure, because how can you not enjoy the change from then to now. It became simpler and it became way better.

Pippi came along for encouragement.

And the dreams became action.

The number changed.

And food was reduced to one drawer.

There was more time to cook.

And many more hours to read.

Heat was brought back to the basics.

And coffee was made the old fashion way.

Cleaning was scraped from the dictionary.

And every night was spend in fresh air.

Views changed to amazing.

But one thing stayed all the same. A cup of coffee in the morning!

Dag,
   Iris (Austin, 34150 miles)

33518 - Holy shit

There are 2 things you don't talk about in this country, politics and religion. Well, I am not from here, and I think you should talk about everything, because thats how you form an opinion. Religion it will be today.

Although I am raised in a Dutch reformed church, I don't believe at all. And actually if there is something which can set me really off, it is religion. The most obvious case I have against religion is all these immoral wars around the globe. But I also don't agree with the outreach of missionaries in development countries, the pope holding back development, celibate priests who tell how to live your family life, the rage against homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, the brainwash of children to say sex for fun and Darwinism are wrong and the worst, evangelists. Pretty much I can not stand organized religion.

Non of my friends in the Netherlands believe and when I came to America I was confronted for the first time with personal religion of educated intelligent young people who believe.

Its something very far from my own philosophy and impossible to just comprehend. I do not understand why is it so hard to believe that there is no purpose for being here. Why not look at science, that if we die, our body shuts down, or synapse in our brain stop firing electrons and thats was it. Why do we need a soul? Is it not enough to see that what forms me, is the genetic body I have, some hormones and other chemicals running trough it and a bunch of memories stored in a brain. I understand its hard to find rest that there was nothing before the beginning, but ask a theoretical physicist and he/she will explain that time is relative. Ask a historian and he/she will explain that the bible is a history book and no more then that. Why should there be a god overlooking all of us? Why is there something needed to hold on to, to drain strength from, why can we not just be? Did I already tell that religion will set me off.

But you have to talk to the people to understand, so where to find as many as believers in one spot and try to talk to them. Yes, in Houston, the non-denominational Christian Lakewood church, a mega church. The preaching here is not based on the bible, but rather on a prosperity gospel. God wants us to be prosper in all areas of your life, including money and material success. And that rings well with many Americans down South. And so this church is real mega, with a capacity of 16.000 people, one of the biggest in the USA. You have to see it with your own eyes, to believe it...

The show is life on television and watched by 7 million people weekly. Its very well organized and starts of with half an hour holy karaoke. People reach for the sky, others dance and everybody claps their hands and sings. Its pretty up beating and way better then the formal dark services I had to sit through during my upbringing.

As everything is big in this church, the money collectors are big plastic buckets and the LED screens are immense. There is no real feel of belonging to this church. But this is big business and smoothly calculated for. There are people spread out through the immense arena to give a personal pray to who ever walks up. And there is a request for people who are with the church for a long time, to stand up and receive an applause.

Joel and his wife Victoria are mounting the stage and a big applause sounds. Not that they are trained or anything, but apparently that is not needed and inheriting a church is enough.

They are talking about a way to be happy. To smile even when others around you are negative. Big applause. To have a positive attitude, to be the flower between the weed. Big applause. Having Iris as my name, I can only agree with that and it is pretty much how I stand in live. There is only one who can make me happy and that is me. And thats pretty much what I do, I smile and laugh a lot and try to be always positive and happy. So far so good...

But then the preach changes. Because although we are the only flower around and we are unhappy in our life, this is where god wants us to be. This is the path he has in mind for you and you have to stand through it. Big applause. Because in the end there will be light again, thinks will change to the good, because god will not leave you behind. Big applause.

Holy shit...thats not how I stand in life at all. If life is not good for me, I fight for a better one. I am not going to wait for some entity to change it. I change it myself or get the hell out of there. I really strive to have every minute of my life to be worthed and happy. And I can't say it doesn't work for me.

Before I get even more upset again, lets focus on my mission though, talk with somebody. I am however feeling so unease that I ignore all the hands and shoulder pets and look straight ahead. I really don't wanne be between these people. I know that my mission at a smaller setting would have made more sense, while this is just big and commercial, but there might be something else too. I am really not ready to deal with religion and I am pretty sure I will never be. I try to be open minded, I try to understand, but I just think religion is fucked up. Of course, each its own, but this is so not mine.

Dag,
   Iris (Houston, 33518 miles)

32783 - Mardi Gras

The French Quarter of New Orleans is cultural alive with street music, galleries and beautiful architect.

But its Mardi Gras (carnival) and all the beauty disappears quick and makes place for some cheap entertainment. Not being a fan of crowds I dazzle in and out the festival to get at least a taste of it.

But before we hit town we drink in at the local Abita brewery (we take the 12:00 tour, so not to bad). And then we can handle the insanity downtown.

Its not hard to catch a parade, with 33 parades scheduled in 16 days, and to be bombarded with beads.

Would the town go wild already, this year it goes insane. But it has one big advantages. Instead of showing your boobs, you can just shout: "Who dat!" and the beads come down from the balconies. Because the whole towns knows: Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? This year its nobody, the Superbowl (American football) was for the Saints and the town celebrates that big time!!!

Dag,
   Iris (New Orleans, 32783 miles)

32783 - Katrina

Being on a road alone is the ultimated form of egocentricity. This trip is about me, and to make me happy. Its an amazing good time, but sometimes there is more in life. Thats the time that you have to give to somebody else. Time to do some good. Although I belong to the richest 10% of the people on this planet, it feels that I have more time then money on my hands. And so my good deed becomes volunteering in the re-building of New Orleans.

It didn't hit New Orleans directly, hurricane Katrina, but the catastrophic failure of the levee system flooded 80% of the city. One million people fled the city, 20.000 people sheltered in the Superdome, but still 1464 people didn't survive the disaster.

The old French Quarter was saved and tourism came quickly back up. But the mostly black poor area of st Bernard Parish is even today, 4.5 years after the tragedy, partly in ruins.

From the people who left their house behind, 50% never looked back and build a new life somewhere else. The other 50%, besides no flood insurance, legal battles about properties insurance, no job prospect, feel that New Orleans is home, and face the reality. This is where they belong and their family and friends are. With no help of the government, non-profit organizations and Brad Pitt himself (Make it Right project), start helping and building new houses.

I start working for Habitat. An organisation which helped with the first clean up and now build houses from the ground up.

The work is fun, and in 2 days I help building a porch with a fence. I really like the work. But the organisation is faith based and thats not my thing.

I switch organisation and start working for the St. Bernard project. They help rebuilding houses and with the help of the AmeriCorp kids its a very professional organisation.

For 4 more days, I sand, paint spray, paint the bathroom, and lay the floor in a bedroom and the hallway. Every day the home owner comes by and it feels really good to help him out. All the money he could effort is put in the rebuilding, the rest the st. Bernard projects helps out. With no money left and a bad back he is very thankful for the volunteers doing the hard work. You are welcome.

Dag,
   Iris (New Orleans, 32783 miles)