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.
