January 2, 2018

Outer Journey

I was excited to ride with Katie to the train station! We work together, but are unable to have conversations where I get to know her personally. We are generally so busy at work it leaves little time for personal conversations. Another factor is that she works in surgery and I work in recovery. I drove my red Ford Explorer. It currently looks like a huge salt ball. I am already over the snow for the year. We stopped at Wing Stop for dinner. This was my first time eating here. The food was alright. They give too many french fries with their wing baskets. Most of my fries were thrown away. What a waste. Katie and I had a heck of a time finding a parking spot. We were looking for spots that did not require a permit. At first, I was panicked. I did not want to deal with my car being towed. We were informed through our class text that we in fact could park in the red permit required parking spots. Relief! The cold air took my breath away when it hit my face.

I was so hot waiting at the train station. It was so hot that I could barely stand it. I feel my cheeks getting red from the heat. Our group is extremely loud. I see people looking and have heard some comments from others who were waiting for the train also.

We were just informed that our train is going to be LATE. As I am sitting here typing this another update from the clerk and the train is going to an additional 40 to 45 minutes. Sleep? Overrated. It is 00:24 another update. The train will be here at 00:40 – 00:45. Per the clerk this information was received from a “real person”. Starting to believe that cheap travel equals cheap service. I am tired, dizzy, and need sleep.

We were finally able to board the train at 01:33. The cold air that we had to walk through to get on the train felt great. I was so hot in the train station that I did not even need to wear my coat in the cold weather. We stepped up into the train using yellow steps. Then we had to proceed to the upper level. I was a little off balance walking up a few winding stairs while carrying majority of my belonging. Everyone appears tired. It didn’t take long for everyone to get their pillows and blankets out so that we could rest. I can’t believe that I was actually able to fall asleep. I had to cover my eyes with my hood. I got my daughter’s pink plaid camping pillow, and my fuzzy blanket out. I did not cover up because I was still hot. When I woke it appeared that sometime through the night I must have cooled down because I was snuggled in my blanket. I don’t remember everything clearly, but I think that sometime through the night we had to stop for more engine issues. Is this true? Did that actually happen? Either way at this point I feel rested.

For breakfast I had a cinnamon roll that came from a man working behind the counter and did not appear to be friendly. The cinnamon roll wrapper screamed processed. Of course, I also had to consume a Diet Pepsi. That is my go to caffeine. I think I am just going to stick to my own snacks. They have already been purchased therefore are cheaper. I am sure they are just as filling also. I noticed the raunchy smell of people while walking through the cars to get to the food car. There is one car in particular that smells as if these individuals have been riding on the train for at least 48 hours. Other then that I have stayed in our car for a majority of the time. I notice some familiar faces of individuals who were in the train station with us while waiting for this train. There is a family who are decked out in Indianapolis Colts garb. This stood out to me because that is my father-in-law’s favorite sports team.

Inner Journey

After this past month’s travels by plane and train, car is my preferred mode of transportation. I don’t like the awkwardness of not being able to walk in a straight line, being in a confined space, and having people in your personal bubble. I would like to do more traveling, but not by means of traveling with the general public. Maybe this means that I need to be calm and just go with it.   I guess it is not killing me and allows for quicker and cheaper ways of seeing the rest of the United States. I feel disconnected from many of the other people who are taking this class. I believe it is because I am not taking any nursing classes with them. I find it hard to strike up a conversation with anyone. I have been this way my whole life. Not knowing what to say. It is odd that when I am working I have no problems talking to my patients. I can have a full conversation. I ask questions while I am assessing them and try to find something that they have said which will allow for me to talk further. I generally try to find something that will allow for my patient and I to find something in common. I perhaps need to find an avenue such as this to speak with strangers outside of my work setting. I am glad that I did step outside of the box and decided to take this travel course. It is allowing me to meet new people and interact with the different cultures that await me in New Orleans. I can’t wait to experience the music and the arts. I want to see which of the music that we listen to will distinctly speak to me. It is music that I really love and couldn’t live life without. It helps you get through difficult times in life and brings back great memories for the happy times. It is an expression that I feel defines me. I want to spend time experiencing my love for music with my children. My son and 14 and daughter is 11. My son is getting to the age where I can start taking him to summer music festivals that are on the tamer side. I also that this New Orleans journey is an excellent experience. If so then I will plan a trip to bring my children down to experience the music, art, and different cultures of the New Orleans people. Patience may be something else I am having to internally experience on this trip. Patience for the train to arrive, patience to get the train to the New Orleans station, and patience to get this travel course started. Look forward to this evening to see what else I learn about myself.