My story is like most: unfortunate and heart- aching, but in many ways it\'s uplifting and somewhat different. Unlike many people, I went to the epicenter of devastation, rather than leaving a city that I loved. I moved to the Lower 9th Ward, (one of the hardest hit areas) only a year after Hurricane Katrina. I\'m New Orleans born and bred, but never would I have thought in a million years I would live in this particular neighborhood. As I recalled, the new area I called home was just a dilapidated area, with lots that resembled jungles and mounds of trash and debris that resembled landfills. Now, The Lower 9th Ward has slighty progressed but the community has not yet re-established its people or sense of home nor prideful traditions. To help with efforts, I volunteered at The Lower 9th Ward Village (St. Claude Ave & Charbonnet), a struggling community center that is trying to provide resources for the surrounding neighborhoods. Everyday when I drive I look forward to seeing a new house being built, or a street being re-paved, or even children playing outside! Some days I get this gratification and it makes me think Katrina was just a way for a fresh start, not a natural disaster that took many lives and homes, that labeled New Orleanians as \"refugees\", or even made us lose faith in our beloved city.