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- [00:00]
Sponsor/Advertiser Voice
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- [01:49]
John Good
This is the Moth Radio Hour. I'm your host John Good and there's one thing I know to be true. Every day I learn something new. Here are three things I've learned recently. Number one, not long ago I ate at a Michelin Star restaurant and I learned that the reason it's called a Michelin Star is because the meal costs as much as new tires. Number two, if a person in New Orleans comes up to you at three in the morning on Bourbon street and asks if you want to see something, the answer is no. The answer is always no. And number three, all of life is a teacher and we are but humble students. In this hour, we bring you five stories where our storytellers learn a little Or a big something along the way. Our first story comes from Dan Souza. He told this at a story slam in Boston where we partner with PRX and public radio station wbur. Here's Dan live at the mall.
- [02:51]
Dan Souza
Thank you. So when I graduated college, I didn't want to work. I just didn't want a job. So I did what I thought at the time was the smartest thing possible. And that was to go teach English in a rural town In Hungary about 3:30 minutes from Romania by myself. And yeah, I didn't know why no one else applied for the position. I just thought I was a really good applicant. So I arrived there and when I was in the car from the airport to the village, the people at the coordinator, who, her name was Kata, she was explaining to me what was going on. She's like, so you're the only American. I'm hoping the village. And I was like, oh, that's cool. I'd love to meet a lot of different people. Who else is gonna be there? She was like, oh, no, I'm sorry, I misspoke. You're the only foreigner who's going to be in the village. Just gonna be you and 1500 Hungarians. And so I was like, great. You know, immersion, that's a hot thing. I don't speak Hungarian, so probably learn a lot. And so we get there and I settle into my apartment, which turns out to be a small little room attached to the schoolhouse where I'll be teaching. And I share a wall with the teachers, kind of like lounge, teacher's lounge. And in the teacher's lounge are 40 middle aged women who arrive about 5:30 in the morning and have really, really loud conversations about, I guess what happened the night before or dreams they had. Can't imagine what happened. So much happened since when they left, you know, the day before. So I wasn't getting a lot of sleep and every time I left my apartment, I was just stared at, you know, so Hungary is not a homogenous society. Looks wise. But it's 1,500 people and they know who the American guy is who's here to teach. So I'm just constantly getting stares. I feel really weird. I feel really kind of separated. So for my first couple of weeks I go and do the classes and I pretty much spend my time in my apartment discovering the world of Hungarian beer and wine and figuring out how to get the BBC on my tv. So I'm not feeling great about my decision at this point. But the weekend after the second week, they had a school Fundraiser at the local restaurant, which was basically a big function hall, A leftover building from the communist bloc era. It's all concrete, but they strung up a bunch of flyers, and they made it this big thing. So I went to it, and kata, the coordinator, quickly informs me that I'm the guest of honor for the night. And so what that means. I mean, in various countries, I'm sure it means different things. In Hungary, that means every three to six minutes, someone will come by and do a shot with you. And so it's a little bit like college. And so, you know, I don't want to be rude, so I do a lot of shots with different people in my role as guest of honor. So the night goes on, and I'm feeling a little more comfortable because I'm pretty drunk. And then the music starts. So some of my students get up and do some traditional dance while a band plays. And it's great. And we're all dancing a little bit. And then kata turns to me, and she says, they want you to sing. And I was like, oh, well, I'm not really a singer. I don't really say. They're like, no, no, no, no. You have to sing. And I was like, I have to sing. Okay, so I will. So I get up. I get up into the stage area, and they hand me a mic. And I've got a fair amount of courage at this point just from what I've been consuming. And so a song comes on, but just the backing track to the song comes on, and it's Louis Armstrong's what a wonderful world. And I don't know how many of you listened to that song a lot in high school and college, But I didn't listen to it very much. Just busy with other stuff. So I definitely knew the tune in my head, but the words were very few and far between. But I just started into it because, you know, I had had a lot to drink at this point. So I said, the colors of the rainbow are. Are pretty and bright they're not my favorite colors, but that's all right. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world Everyone in the place stands up in a round of applause that I have never seen before in my life. 300 people stand and start applauding me. And in that instance, I realized two things. One, I'm not a stranger in this land. I am a celebrity. And two, no one here speaks English at all. So then I just go for it. I see ninja turtles fight with nunchucks and bows they'll kill the foot, as I already know. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. Much like this. Much like this. I feel like I'm back there right now. And I don't stop there. I hear my sister fart. We're in church. She gets in big trouble. But I still get dessert. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.
- [09:46]
John Good
That was Dan Sue. Dan is the editor in chief of Cook's Illustrated at America's Test Kitchen. I asked if he learned any Hungarian. He said yes. He did learn to say hello, which is Siza. He likes saying it to people he passed on the street because it always seemed to improve their mood. But what Dan never learned were the lyrics to what a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. Our next storyteller who's going to learn something today. I said that in my Kevin Hart voice is coming to you from our open mic. Story slams in Madison, Wisconsin, where public radio station WPR is. Our partner, Jen Rubin is not only a wonderful storyteller, but the regional producer of the Madison Story Slams. A dual threat. Or rather a dual delight, because neither you nor I want to be threatened twice. Here's Jen live at the mall.
- [10:56]
Jen Rubin
So it took me climbing a glacier to get a new perspective on life. I don't know if it was the altitude or what, but it suddenly occurred to me that. That my life sucked. I wasn't doing the work I wanted to do. I was still in the Midwest. I hadn't managed to get back to New York City, and I hadn't had a relationship that lasted longer than a few months. And maybe it was the altitude, I don't know. But it became clear to me suddenly that the problem was that I was just too passive, that I didn't take any risks, and that from this day forward, I was going to be spontaneous. So I got back home and I told my friends this. I was pretty excited about the new plan. And they said, you can't actually plan to be spontaneous. Do you misunderstand the word? But I knew I was onto something and it was going to happen. So fast forward a little while. I started dating someone and we were together, I don't know, six months, nine months. And we were in the kind of cagey stage of a relationship where I don't know how I feel about you, how do you feel about me? Kind of thing. And I don't know about moving with you to New York, that kind of thing. And so I was sort of getting stuck in inertia. And I had spent many years in inertia, and I was hoping not to spend more time there. And I went out for drinks with one of my very practical friends. And I was having one of those kind of evenings you can have in your 20s where you sort of dissect your life in excruciating detail, every inch of it. And as we were talking, she said to me, and Ruth was a problem solver and I was not a problem solver. She said, it sounds to me like you should just propose to Matt. Matt was my boyfriend. And I thought about it for a minute and I realized the only relationships I had managed to sustain for longer than four months were the unrequited ones that I had been in. And I was looking to, you know, not, you know, have a longer relationship that was requited. And so I thought about it and I said, you know, that's a great idea because that really sounds like something a spontaneous person would do. So I am going to propose. And so by the time I got home, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to propose anymore. But I walked in the door and my housemate handed me the phone. It was Ruth, my practical friend. And she said, so, what's your plan? And I said, well, I don't really have a plan. And she said, okay, what are you doing Saturday night? And I said, well, actually, as luck would have it, I'm going to the movies, so I can't propose. And she said, well, what are you doing Friday night? And she got me because I had no plans. So I said, I'm going to propose to Matt. And I hung up the phone and I quickly called Matt before I chickened out. And I said, pick me up on Friday, look good. And called an Italian restaurant in town, made a reservation. And then it occurred to me that I had only four days to prepare. So on Monday I tried on every outfit in my closet till I found the one I look best in. Tuesday I drove through a snowstorm to get the engagement leather jacket because I figured I had to give him something. And then on Wednesday I developed sort of my fail safe place because I really hoped that with this new perspective on life, I was going to be bold while I did this bold thing for posing. But I also knew myself. And if only one thing went wrong, I would be completely derailed. I would probably say something so self effacing he would have no idea that I proposed. So I made sort of like a Burma shave on index cards. And on each index card I wrote one thing I loved about him, color coded. And then on the last one it said therefore and that would be my cue to propose. And I really hoped I wouldn't use this. I really hoped I'd be bolder than that. But it just made me feel good knowing that it was tucked away in the leather jacket box. So then, Thursday. What did I do? Thursday? Oh, Thursday. I thought about every possible answer he could give me. I thought there were nine. And so I kind of wrote out an answer for each one. And then on Friday, I took the day off of work, and I rented romantic comedies to get in the mood. And then I realized I couldn't just stick the leather jacket in my purse. So I went and dropped it off early at the restaurant. And I said, could you bring this out with dessert? And they said, sure. What's the occasion? And so I said, well, it's his birthday, which some of you are smarter than I was at the time, because I thought, well, what if he said no? And then I be embarrassed in front of total strangers? So that's what I did. So anyhow, fast forward to the meal, and it's clear something is a little off because I'm not eating. And then they come for dessert, and they ask what we want for dessert. And Matt, in an unprecedented move, said, I'm full, and I don't want dessert. And so I. And also sort of an unprecedented move because I usually eat all the bread. And at restaurants, I said, actually, I want dessert. We must have dessert. So Matt goes and excuses himself because he doesn't know what's about to happen, but he knows something's about to happen. So the dessert comes out. There's, as you can imagine, the candle on the pie. And they're singing Happy Birthday. And it's one of those restaurants where all the waitstaff sings Happy Birthday. And the whole restaurant singing Happy Birthday. And, you know, Matt's just saying, it's not my birthday. I'm making eye contact with nobody. And then they leave. And then Matt looks at me, and I pull out the index cards in defeat, and I hand it to him, and I'm like, just read it. So he reads each card. He gets to the. Therefore, I do rise to the occasion, and I do ask him if he will marry me. And he does say yes right away, which is lovely, But I can't really leave it there because the problem is that I hadn't told my instinct about my new perspective. And my instinct has screwed me my whole life. And so I said, are you sure? Don't you need a little time to think about it? Because that was what I thought he would say, but he was sure and he didn't need any time. Thank you.
- [17:26]
John Good
Jen Rubin recently published we are staying 80 years in the Life of a Family, a Store, and a Neighborhood. She says she's sure she can make you care about an appliance store you've never heard of, if only you'll read it. Challenge accepted. Jen Rubin Challenge accepted. You can find a link to we are staying@themoth.org Jen said her wedding was a low key outdoor affair on a humid New Jersey day where she was surrounded by family, friends, fun and a funky klezmer band. Three words I never anticipated hearing in the same sentence are funky and klezmer band. So thank you for that, Jen. I asked Jen if she'd learned to be more spontaneous and she said mostly no. After our break, a young girl going headfirst down a slide and a lady sliding up the piano scales when the Moth Radio Hour continues.
- [18:31]
Narrator/Producer Voice
The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
- [18:39]
Sponsor/Advertiser Voice
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- [19:46]
John Good
Well, I have news.
- [19:47]
Sponsor/Advertiser Voice
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- [20:41]
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- [21:44]
John Good
this is the Moth Radio Hour. I'm John Good. This is an hour all about learning and lessons. Our next story is from husband, part time writer and full time stay at home dad Matty Strusky. He told this at a Moth Story slam in Los Angeles where we partner with public radio station kcrw.
- [22:02]
Matty Strusky
Here's Maddie When I ask my daughter, I say, rain, what do you do when you topple over? She answers, I get back up. Rain just turned three in November and she's already toppled over more times than I can count. And for her it can be incredibly frustrating and as a parent it can be downright heartbreaking to see. And in most ways she's just like every other kid out there. You know, she loves space and animals and the movie Frozen and dinosaurs and playgrounds. And there's this one playground we go to all the time that it's got a structure that's actually shaped like A dinosaur. It's got steps for a tail and a bridge and a tunnel for a back and a slide for a face. And it's as amazing as it sounds. And she loves the thing. And other kids can run and jump all over this thing really easily. And for Rain, it's a bit of a challenge. She primarily gets around doing something called a commando crawl, which is exactly what it sounds like. She's on her elbows and her belly, and she sort of drags herself from place to place. So she drags herself up the steps and over the bridge and through the tunnel. And as she's doing this, other kids are running by her and literally jumping over her. And she doesn't see anything weird about that. You know, it's not odd to her. She's just doing her thing and having a good time. And in reality, it's pretty miraculous she's here to do any of this. She was born almost four months early via emergency C section, and she was just over a pound when she first came into the world. And she was stone cold silent. And it was the most terrifying night of my life. And the doctors didn't want to talk about the odds of her survival. At first they said, you know, every kid's. These kids are resilient. Every kid's journey is different, so try not to pay attention to what other kids are doing and just focus on your kid. And more than once, it looked like she wasn't going to be coming home at all. And eventually, after five months in intensive care, she did. And amazingly enough, she started preschool in September. And so, naturally, my wife and I started thinking about where she would be going to college, and we decided it would be Harvard. And I actually grew up in a town not far from Boston. So recently we took a trip back east to see some friends and some family and to show Rain her future stomping grounds. And one evening, we said, we're going to go for a walk. And so we put Rain into her gait trainer. And a gait trainer is this assisted walking device where it's got wheels and a bar that she holds onto when you strap her into it for additional support. And it basically allows her to practice walking upright without falling over. And when she's in this thing, she stands out from the crowd in it, but, you know, she doesn't care that she stands out. And other kids don't seem to care. A lot of them don't even notice it. But other adults, and I've noticed mostly parents, they notice it when she's in it. And when they see it, they see her cerebral palsy and they see her disability, and they see her as different. And they often have this look of pity in their eyes. And as a parent, it drives me nuts, as I have the hardest times with it. So we go out into the city, and we end up in the north end of the city, which is the oldest part of the city. And it's one of the most beautiful parts of the city. And it's got these really charming narrow streets, and it's got this beautiful cobblestone. But the cobblestone presents this real challenge for rain. Her gauge rain is getting caught up on it, and it's taking us forever to get anywhere. And she's getting really frustrated. And I have this moment where I think, how is she going to live in this city when she gets older? And how is she possibly going to be able to go to Harvard? And on top of that, the streets are packed with people. It's a really nice night, and I can see people staring at her, and they have that familiar look in their eyes, and I start to just get really pissed off. And I want to grab people, and I want to say, do you have any idea who this kid is? Do you know how hard she's fought just to be here? She spent the first two months of her life on a ventilator, and she's had five major operations, and she's had two infections that literally almost killed her, and that was in the first five months of her life. So please don't look at this kid with pity, because she doesn't need it. She's already stronger than all of us. But, you know, truthfully, it hurts to see people looking at your kid like this. And we get through the evening and the trip ends and we come back to Los Angeles, and I'm still feeling a bit down about how that walk in Boston went, but rain, you know, she doesn't care about that. She wants to go to that playground. So we go and we get there and she crawls up the steps and she crawls across the bridge and through the tunnel. And normally she would turn around and come back to me. And tonight she decides she's gonna do something different. She sort of looks over her shoulder at me and flashes this little smile, and she decides that she's gonna go down the slide by herself for the first time. And not only that, she's gonna go face first. And before I can get over, there she goes. And I can tell by the looks on other parents faces that it has not been A graceful descent. So I go. I go running over there, and she's at the foot of the slide, and she's just. She's a mess. She's got dirt in her face and wood chips in her hair, and she's wailing, and I'm like, oh, man. But she's wailing with laughter. And she just thinks it's the funniest thing she's ever done. And she looks up at me and she says, dad, I toppled over. I'll get back up. And I just start. I'm beaming with pride at this moment. And I think back to what the doctor said when she was first born. And I'm thinking, man, she is resilient. And her journey is her own journey and our journey together as a family. It might not be a typical one, but that's a good thing. And I just need to stop focusing on the looks that people are giving her, and I need to focus on the things that she can achieve. And in this moment, I think about the rest of her life and the life she's going to lead and the adventures she's going to have and the path she's going to walk. And at this moment, it feels wide open to me. And, you know, that path may or may not lead her to Harvard, but if it doesn't, it's not going to be because some damn cobblestone stops her. Thank you.
- [27:50]
John Good
That was Maddie Shrusky coming to you from Los Angeles. When Maddie told that story, he had just received Rain's diagnosis. He said that telling it was therapeutic and helped him confront unprocessed feelings. Mattie says Rain is doing really well these days. She's graduated from her gait trainers and now gets around mostly using a wheelchair or a walker. I asked him if he's told her about Harvard. He said yes, and she's into the idea of going, so long as it doesn't interfere with her dreams of singing on Broadway, becoming a famous author, or owning a horse farm. And of course, I asked Maddie what he learned from Rain. He says she teaches him that it's okay for things to be hard. It's okay to be frustrated. It's even okay to fall flat on your face, because all of those things happen whether you have a disability or not. To see photos of Maddy and his daughter rain, go to themoth.org. Dion Harari, our next storyteller, comes to you all the way from Sydney, Australia. This is where hosts typically do a very poor Crocodile Dundee impression. I will refrain this time. Deann told this story at A Sydney Story Slam where we partnered with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, abc, rn. Here's Dion live at the mall.
- [29:25]
Dionne Harari
It's September 2014. I'm sitting in a room with about 100 other people and I'm about to do my first ever piano recital. A few months beforehand, I decided to take up piano lessons again. I hadn't actually had a lesson for 30 years, but I've always loved playing piano. I'm not particularly good at playing piano. I'm not terrible at it either. It's just something that I really enjoy because I have to immerse myself in it, because I have to try very hard. So it's one of the few times that I'm totally present in the moment and sort of weird things can happen. Like I can hear my kids talking to me, but apparently I can't talk and play at the same time, so I just can't possibly answer them until I get to the end bit and stuff. But I decided I was going to take have some lessons just because I wanted to get better at doing some stuff. And years ago, when I first had lessons, it was all about scales and practice and it was a really horrible experience. But this time around, I had a young teacher called Tim who was in his early 20s and he used to come to my place and he never once asked me to do a scale and he didn't really care whether I practised or not. He was really relaxed and just warmly encouraging. And I felt that Tim kind of got me. We sort of had a thing going on there. So a few months into it, when he said to me, look, I'm having a piano recital for my students at the end of the year and I'm just wondering if you'd like to be part of it. I was like, yeah, sure. And he said, look, a lot of the students are kind of younger students, but there are some older students there as well. And I said, look, that's not a problem, I'd love to do it. And sensing that he had a live one there, he said, well, would you like to do two pieces? And I'm like, yeah, not a problem. So I told some of my friends that I was doing this recital and they all said to me, wow, you're so brave. Which I'm old enough to know is code for, are you completely out of your mind? But I thought, well, what can go wrong? I've got the music in front of me, I'll practice, it'll be fine. Sometimes you've got to put yourself out there and just go for It. Unfortunately, the lead up to the recital was not quite what I'd hoped it would be. And things got ridiculously busy at work, and I had to travel, and I was nowhere near a piano for the three weeks before the recital. It was sort of suboptimal preparation. But I was confident there on the day in September that I could just wing it. It would be fine, adrenaline would kick in, and it'll all be good. And so I rock up to the venue, and it's this beautiful room in Melbourne University. It's this old building, like, built in 1888. And there's sunshine streaming in, and there's kind of these stained glass windows. And I'm sitting there, and I've got my son, Dylan, who was 11 at the time, and he's sitting next to me as my Winkman. And we kind of watch as everyone comes in. And, you know, Tim had said that they were going to be younger students, but I sort of figured that they were going to be high school students. Most of them were five or six, and I was kind of wedged in between Three Blind Mice and Mary Had a Little Lamb. But that was sort of okay, because I figured this would really make me shine anyhow. So, you know, we get up, the kids get up, and they start doing their pieces. And look, I don't want to be mean, but they're a bit ordinary. But the audience was full of love. Like, they were clapping like nobody's business. And it was fantastic how supportive they were being. And then it was my turn to get up. And so I get up there and I start playing, and I'm still feeling really good. And I get about five or six bars in, and I make this, like, massive error. And I just froze. I actually had no idea how to recover from this position. And that was when I noticed that all this light is streaming in, and it's flaring off the plastic pockets where my music's in. And I can't possibly play in these conditions. And so I stop and I pull out the music and put it in front and start again like an old person who has no embarrassment. Gene. And I start playing, and then the whole time, my head's just going, you know, don't go too fast. Don't go too fast. And so I play so ridiculously slowly that I've totally lost all my timing. And it's just appalling. Like, the whole thing is the worst experience of my entire life. And I cannot wait till it's finally over. And I get to the end of the piece, and I'm like, thank God. Until I realized that there was a second one and I had to go through it all again. And I finish it and I'm like, oh, God. You know, I just want to get back to my seat. And I've got to be fair, the audience was. Were very warm with their applause. But by now I knew that they were a really unreliable audience because they had clapped little Johnny and Johnny was shit ass, let's be honest. And so I get back to my seat and Dil is sitting there and he looks at me full of love, and he goes, oh, mum, you were great. And for a moment, I really believed him until I recognized that he was using exactly the same voice that I use when he or his brother has done something completely lame. And the only thing between them and a shattered ego are the kind words that I've got to say now. The worst part of this story is that I actually was so mortified that I stopped playing piano for five years. And it was only a few months ago that I sat down again and I just thought to myself, what the hell was I thinking? I love playing piano. I've never wanted to perform. I just want to do it for me. I just want to do it as the background to what my kids are doing. And it makes me happy. And I'm pretty sure the dog enjoys it. And that's it. Thank you.
- [35:08]
John Good
That was writer and corporate communications expert Dionne Harari. Dion lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her sons Liam and Dylan and their family dog, Nala, who remained steadfastly indifferent to Dion's piano playing. I loved hearing the lesson of Dion's story that there are things that we will find, lose, and then have an even greater appreciation for when we discover them again. The Moth produces hundreds of events each year, and the stories are told by people like you. What are some of the lessons you've learned in your life? We'd love to hear them. And really, any personal story that matters to you, you can record your pitch right on our site or call 877-799-MOTH. That's 877-799-6684. The best pitches are developed for moth shows all around the world. In a moment, a story of tragedy, community, and determination. When the Moth Radio Hour continues.
- [36:21]
Narrator/Producer Voice
The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
- [36:28]
Sponsor/Advertiser Voice
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- [38:31]
Narrator/Promoter Voice
the American Dream we all have a version of it, the notion that where you begin has nothing to do with where you end up. That anything is possible. Run for office, live off the grid. Hit a homer. Build robots. Teach goat yoga. Anything. This spring, the Moth mainstage is traveling to cities around the country with stories of The American dream. Does it even exist anymore?
- [38:54]
John Good
For who?
- [38:55]
Narrator/Promoter Voice
What happens when that dream is dashed or deferred? And what happens when the dream is fulfilled? Lets come together and listen to people telling true personal stories of their very own. American dreams Experience the Moth main stage live. Find a city near you@themost.org MainStage.
- [39:22]
John Good
You're listening to the Moth radio Hour. I'm John Good. In this hour we've been hearing stories where the tellers win some and learn some. Our last story is from a man who dared against all odds to do what no one else would. And I had the honor of hosting the night he told his story. Here's Burnell Cotland live at the Moth main stage in New Orleans.
- [39:47]
Burnell Cotland
I had a wonderful childhood growing up here in New Orleans in the Lower Ninth Ward, maybe about 50 minutes from where we're standing. I know everybody think they had the best parents in the world. So did I. I learned a lot from my mother as well as from my father. My father was an entrepreneur. He had a barbershop in the Trimi area not too far from here. It was a community hub. Everybody hung out at my dad's barbershop. He supported everybody. One day my dad was cutting this drug dealer's head and another drug dealer walked, came into the shop, a rival dope dealer. And he shot the guy that was in my dad's chair. And the guy had died. And the guy told my dad, you didn't see nothing, you don't know nothing and you better not say anything. Then he walked out. Now, my dad could have easily looked out the way and said, I didn't see nothing when the police came. But my dad made a sacrifice. He decided to do the right thing and he wanted to testify. They offered my dad protective custody. He told him no. So fast forward. My dad was supposed to go and testify at court and he stepped out the front of his house and they did a drive by and they killed my dad the day he was supposed to testify. That devastated me and my family and my entire community. It changed my whole life. I ended up joining the military and I became a military police soldier. And I did the whole time in Germany, of all places. Sprechling, Silke Deutsch. I was over there. I was over there long enough to learn the language. I did everything that a police officer would, was supposed to do and not supposed to do. I seen a lot of bad things. But it wasn't all bad. I even helped deliver the baby. So that was fun. It was fun. But something inside of me was still missing, and I didn't do the whole time. I ended up coming back home and I went straight back to the Lower Ninth Ward. And it was fun. I found a great job. I was a manager at McDonald's. I bought my first house. I used my VA home loan to buy the house in the Lower nybord. Since about 2001, I thought I was going to live happily ever after. I had 48 wonderful neighbors. Like I said, it's about 2001 and 2005. Everybody know what was coming in 2005. I saw it on the news. I didn't pay no attention to it. The day before Katrina hit New Orleans, I was at work and I gave away all of the food at McDonald's. I gave away everything. And I actually went home and went to sleep. My mom kept calling my phone. She called me a good 12, 13 times. I ignored all the phone calls, but I finally picked it up and my mom's. I've never heard my mom sounded like this. I remember exactly what she said. She said, son, you was not born for a Hurricane Betsy. So you don't know nothing about a hurricane. You spent your entire adult life in the military in Germany. She said, please, please come and evacuate with me. I didn't want to do it at first. I said, what about my brother Kevin? She said, kevin is not going to go, but I want you to come. So I remember grabbing two pairs of pants and a shirt, and I went and grabbed my mom's. And it normally would take six hours to go from here to Fort Polk. It took us eight, 18 hours because the whole city was evacuating. We end up going to a shelter in Fort Polk. Once we got there, something I never thought I would see again. They gave me another army cod. So. So we all went to sleep, and we woke up the next morning, and it was like about maybe a good 65 or 70 of us around this one little bitty small TV in the shelter. And we watched the city of New Orleans go underwater. Everybody cried. I stepped away. I went outside and tried to maintain my composure as best I could. FEMA came in and they sent everybody everywhere. I ended up going to New York, and then they sent me to San Antonio, Texas. I still was missing New Orleans. I knew a lot of police officers, so I was able to go back to New Orleans because they wasn't letting anybody in the Lower Ninth Ward. But I was able to go back in there. And he snuck me in there, and I went where my house used to be. My House was here on its foundation and Katrina took it completely off its foundation and sit it in the middle of the streets. I remember going back to where my bed was. I remember we had pictures. I remember where I had a tv. I don't have any pictures of my grandparents. I know what they look like up here, here. But having it physically, it was. Was all gone. It was this, the. The smells. It was. It was horrible. I have to be honest with you. I cried. I cried because just losing everything and having to start all over, I don't wish that on anybody. But FEMA gave me a FEMA trailer and I was able to rebuild my personal house. I went from having 48 wonderful neighbors. Even still today I have 43 neighbors. That's even today, I only have three neighbors in the lower night ward about 15 minutes from here. After I got my personal house together, I drove up and down the Lower Night ward. I noticed we didn't have anything. The closest grocery store that we have in the lower Night ward, it's Walmart in the next city. I called up all the big box stores, I called Walmart, I called Winn Dixie, I called Rouses, and I begged them to come to bring a supermarket to the Lord Nightboard. And I'm embarrassed because it's the first time I ever heard this. They all told me that they're not coming back because the lower Night ward is a food desert. I didn't know what the hell a food desert was. So I called up the US Department of Agriculture and they said that's a lack of grocery store within a 3 to 5 mile radius of a certain area. So I said, well, since they're not going to do anything about it, I am. I drove up and down the Lower ninth Ward and I came across this building on caffeine in Galvez. And it was a horrible building. They have no roof up there, didn't have no walls. It was bad. Katrina debris was up to this high. The smells, it was horrible. So I'm walking all through this here and to everybody else, it was just a raggedy building. To me, I saw people shopping, I saw a grocery store. I immediately ran to my house. I grabbed Keisha, my other half, that's my wife, and I brought her back to the store and I said, keisha, I want to open up a grocery store. We don't have any. I want to do something about it. She looked around and she said yes. I was extremely happy. So I ran it, grabbed my mom's, I brought my mom's over and I Told her the exact same thing. I just told my wife. My momma said, hell, no. I asked, brought a couple of my friends over. They all told me no. But to me, when someone tell me no, that's not a limitation on me. That's a limitation on them. I decide to do it anyway. So Keisha and I, we work every day. We're scrubbing the walls. We got rid of all the Katrina debris, all the mold and mildew, was putting up windows, just going at it. We worked for about two years straight. Then one day we showed up and at this big old orange note on the side of the building. And I grabbed it and I opened up the note, and it was a code enforcement fine from the city of New Orleans, saying they going to give me a $17,000 fine because the building wasn't in compliance. Needs to say. I was angry. I was. To be honest, I was totally livid. I was pissed off because I'm trying my best to open up a grocery store and everywhere else in the city, city, everybody's partying, everybody's partying. Bourbon Street, I mean, it's. Everybody's good to go, but not us in the Lord NY ward. So I decided to fight. I went to court, and it took us a whole year. And it constantly told us, no, if you don't pay the fine, we're going to take your building. You don't pay the fine, we're going to take your building. And I didn't know what to do. At that time, Mitchell Andrew was the mayor. He had an open forum for anybody to come and talk to him. So we stay in this long, long, long line. I was in the back of the line, and they had people up there complaining about all kinds of stupid things. One lady was complaining they had too many Katrina mosquitoes in the air and all kinds of. I was angry. I said, I got a real problem. So by the time I got up to the microphone, because I didn't know what the mayor was going to tell me. I didn't know if he was going to tell me to shut up or go home or get out or whatever. But I told the mayor, I said, sir, my name is Burnell Cotland. I want to open up the first and only grocery store in the Lower Ninth. The whole crowd went wild. They cheered me on. Everybody was happy. But I said, but wait, there's more. I went in my front pocket and I pulled out the fine. I said, so I can't go any further because you slapped me with a $17,000 fine. How can I Finish living out my dream of opening up the first grocery store and have to pay this fine. They booed him bad. I felt bad for him. So the mayor called me up to him and he said, bernal, look, give me a chance. I promise you, I promise you I will take care of you. So he held his hand out. I held my hand out, said, sir, please don't let this be a political promise. Please mean this here. He said, trust me, I will. So I went back to work. I checked that same spot every day for two weeks. Nothing. But it finally came in the mail. Mayor Ms. Landrieu honored his promise. And when he opened. When I opened up that letter and it read, all the fines was forgiven. It was like Mardi Gras, my birthday and Christmas all at the same time. I was so happy. So we fast forward say about three, maybe another four, four years before we finally was able to open up. I had invited them over. We had the ribbon cutting ceremony. It was a beautiful day. We had birds chirping. The. The sun was out, rainbows. It was a picture perfect day. Everybody showed up. I. I was blown away. It just touched my heart. They had this one particular lady, though, at my grand opening, that. That really blew my mind. An elderly lady, Ms. Williams. And she came in and she had a chair. She sat down right by my front counter. And she was there for, like about three hours. So I went over to her. I said, ma', am, why are you here? You okay? And she had tears in her eyes. She said, I've been here, young man, since right after Katrina. And she said she never thought that we have a grocery store in the lower Niteboard. And she asked me, was I going to kick out. I said, no, no, you're fine. So she stayed there. And she was extremely happy. She was extremely happy. We used to do this here four days a week. The demand is so high. I'm at my store seven days a week because there's nothing else back there but what we're doing. We also opened up several other businesses in that same strip, Believe it or not. I now have a barbershop. So I'm hoping. Thank you. I have a grocery store, a snowball stand, the barber shop, and a laundromat all in this one building. So now people don't have to catch three. I'm going. Say that again. Three city buses, they can walk to my building just to get some fresh fruits and vegetables. So wherever you are from, trust me when I say this. Appreciate and value everything. Because to go from 48 neighbors down to three free or it's. It's bad. That's still today, like I said. You don't believe me, come to the Lord Nightboard, because it's. It's a totally different world, and that's, like, about 15 minutes from here, you know? So I just taught me a lot of very, very important lessons to don't take nothing for granted. Appreciate and value everything that you have, because having to lose everything, I don't wish that on anybody. And I also found out what my purpose is. My purpose is service. And that's why I was able to easily go from serving our country to serving my community. And I did it with no problem, because, like I said, I'm hoping that you all can find your purpose in life, because I found mine, and it's wonderful, and I'm enjoying this here, and I want to tell everybody, thank you all for giving me a chance to tell my story, and. And thank you for listening.
- [52:40]
John Good
Burnell Cotland is a U.S. veteran, a lifelong New Orleanian, and the owner of Burnell's Lower Ninth Ward Market on the corner of Caffin and Galvez in New Orleans. Visit the market for a po boy, a haircut, a game of chess, or to just say hello. I had the pleasure of talking to Burnell recently to see how he's doing. In 2005, Katrina devastated New Orleans. And 16 years later, within days of when Katrina hit, Ida hit. So what thoughts and emotions were you dealing with? Knowing another huge storm was coming
- [53:15]
Burnell Cotland (Interview)
that immediately brought me back. And, of course, everybody went back to the same mindset of Katrina.
- [53:23]
John Good
So how did you and your family and your friends, your community and your store, how did you. How did you weather the storm?
- [53:31]
Burnell Cotland (Interview)
It was. It was extremely hard. It was extremely hard because when the power went out and you could see all the wind and the rain, the trees was going. Knocking down trash and debris was going everywhere. That was horrible. That was horrible. I don't. I don't wish that on anybody.
- [53:50]
John Good
So, through Katrina and Ida, what have you learned about community? Your community?
- [53:57]
Burnell Cotland (Interview)
People of the Lower Ninth Ward are resilient. That came back after Hurricane Katrina and said, hey, this is my home. I am going to rebuild. You have to stand strong. You can't let nothing slow you down or stop you. That's my motto. No matter what, I have to be here for my community.
- [54:20]
John Good
Is your grocery store slash barbershop slash laundromat? Is that still the only one in the Lower Ninth?
- [54:27]
Burnell Cotland (Interview)
Yes. I'm still the only business in the Lower Ninth Ward since 2005.
- [54:33]
John Good
What would you like to see happen as far as development in the Lower ninth and how can people help you?
- [54:39]
Burnell Cotland (Interview)
First, that's a beautiful question. I'm glad that you asked that question. I would love to see my hometown simple. Simply catch up with the rest of the city. You should not have to catch three city buses to get to the closest grocery store. And as far as anybody that would like to to help, whether it's it's, you know, one of the big box stores on down to a a person with a big heart, I'm easy to work with. If you want to come down and grab a shovel and a hammer and and help me put the second floor up, please come on down. If you want to donate, please come on down. If you want to send goods to put on the shelves because there's nowhere else for people to go, right?
- [55:22]
John Good
Thank you so much, man, for coming on, for doing this, for just sharing your story, man. It has been an inspiration since the first time I heard it. That was Burnell Cotland. To see photos of Burnell and his incredible store, go to Themau. Well, we've all learned a few things in this hour. I learned I must do the things I love, even if only the dog and I appreciate them, that I will fall down, but I must get up and tackle life my own way. And last but not least, I learned that I am indeed the one I've been waiting for. What did you learn today? Tell us a story about it. That's it for this episode of the Moth Radio Hour. We hope you'll join us next time.
- [56:18]
Narrator/Producer Voice
This episode of the Moth Radio Hour was produced by me, Jay Allison, Katherine Burns, Sarah Austin, Janess, who also directed the stories, and John Good, who hosted the show. Co producer is Vicki Merrick, associate producer Emily Couch. The rest of the Moth's leadership team includes Sarah Haberman, Jennifer Hickson, Meg Bowles, Kate Tellers, Jennifer Birmingham, Marina Cluce, Suzanne Russ, Brandon Grant, Inga Gladowski, Sarah Jane Johnson and Aldi Caza. Most stories are true, as remembered and affirmed by the storytellers. Our theme music is by the Drift. Other music in this hour hour is from Epidemic Sound Podcast music production support from Davey Sumner. We receive funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Special thanks to our friends at Audacy, including executive producer Leah Rees Dennis. For more about our podcast. For information on pitching us your own story and everything else, go to our website themoth.org.
- [57:37]
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Jen Rubin
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