Take a Wish- Alicia Zelek

I love fountains. As a child I vividly remember begging my parents for quarters and tossing them into the fountain while making a wish. Hearing the sound of the coin dropping in the water and watching where it lands was a thrilling experience. I would put a lot of effort into making the perfect wish and whenever I failed to come up with just the right one I would beg for another coin. Standing by them listening to the sound of the water falling and feeling the splashes is a comforting experience. I feel closer to nature and distanced from everything else around.

On my last week working with the children at Ben Franklin Elementary we took them on a field trip to the Wax Museum and the Cabildo. While walking around the French Quarter through Jackson Square, the kids noticed a fountain and of course stopped to play in it. While I was immersed in my own thoughts, I failed to notice 8 of the younger kids were practically throwing themselves in the water. They were not throwing coins in but rather were reaching in to fetch the coins out of the water. They were collecting them in their hands and holding onto them. Some threw them back into the fountain while others I’m sure kept them. The other teacher I work with, a humorous Southern respected lady, yelled “Demons put those back, you do not want to have bad luck for the rest of your life.” However, the kids did not pay a bit of attention either because they did not understand English or pretended not to. It took us about 15 minutes to get all the kids out of the water. The teacher later told me she had never seen a sight such as this and I had to agree with her. Neither had I.

This experience struck me for several reasons. Working with underprivileged minorities in New Orleans made me realize the obvious, there are many things I often take for granted. However, it also demonstrated to me the mentality with which many of these underprivileged children in NOLA are raised. At our meeting on Sunday Sister Beth likened post-Katrina New Orleans to the California Gold Rush. People come to make as much money as possible and then get out. Many of the families I work with, especially those of Hispanic descent, recently came to the New Orleans for economic reasons because of the increase in job openings after the hurricane. Many of them have moved to NOLA temporarily and have indefinite plans to move elsewhere. Their children are raised with the guiding notion they need to do everything in their power to survive and they go about doing so whichever way they can.

Now as I pass by fountains, particularly the one in Jackson Square, I cannot help but imagine 16 arms dangling in the water and 16 feet dangling out taking wishes from all circumferences of the fountain. My image of fountains has changed but my outlook on life has bettered. While I have no regrets that my childhood was guided by the Disney fairytale notion of making a wish, I am open to this new alternative; I hope one of them took my wish.