January 4, 2018

Outer Journey

I believe that my most interesting experience today was the Old Ursuline Convent. The gentleman who gave the tour is what made the tour. He wore high waisted kahki slacks with a belt, a plaid shirt and brown dress shoes. I thought that the grounds of the convent were beautiful and kept up well. There was bushes and plants that were trimmed nicely and had a design. The convent was white with a gray roof. The inside of the convent was nice. What really stood out to me on the appearance was how shiny the bricks were on the floor. What I really wanted to do was climb the free-standing stairs and explore the building even more. I wanted to see where the nuns slept and what a personal room would look like. The wood work in this building was beautiful and looked like it had been freshly stained. The whole building was clean and had a new look to it. I wonder if this is what the walls and floors looked like when the nuns lived there. Inside the alter was also beautiful. I thought the blue ceiling above the alter was a wonderful idea. It made me think that there was a purpose for the blue paint and that it opened up to the heavens above. It was very peaceful.

The brown beams in one of the rooms that we toured reminded me of my home. We have beams that look like this in the living room of my home. There were 12 there and the cypress trees had to have been 200 years old when they were cut down because of the size that they were.

Below are a few pictures of statutes of nuns that were significant to the Old Urseline Convent. These statues were located in the garden of the convent.

Our tour guide went into great details of explaining how the convent came to be and the great nuns who ran the establishment. I thoroughly enjoyed his explanations. He explained how they were able to get a new convent from the one that was given to them when they first arrived in the United States. This was the first convent in the United States, and the nuns that came to the convent were the first to arrive in the United States. Apparently, the nuns tried to use the national government to help get what they want too, even if it doesn’t work. The nuns wrote a president because they did not want New Orleans to run a street in front of their property. But they were told that the president would not be able to help in matters such as these because he can not govern every matter in the United States and that they should seek the help of their local government leaders. Overall, this was a pleasant experience for me. I enjoyed that tour and the tour guide. I loved that this convent was preserved and I hope that this will stay maintained and tours will be able to happen for many more years to come.

Inner Journey

The homeless and their dogs are what spoke to me today. I was saddened by that amount of people that were sitting out and playing music. I was in disbelief at the number of dogs that were with these people. Many appeared to be on drugs and I am just assuming but believe that it is the drugs that have led them to the lifestyle that they are living. Or is it the lifestyle that led to the drugs. Either way it hurts my heart. These are someone’s children. Someone’s brother or sister. Someone’s mom or dad. They play their instruments well and I am sure if they were the right circumstances that these individuals would be hard workers. What options are out there for these individuals in New Orleans? What can we give them? I know that I cannot, but I want to take them all in, and feed and clothe them. I want to provide showers. I want to help them get clean. I know that I cannot help them but there has to be a better way of life for them. My other major concern was for those poor puppies. I did not see one that looked happy. You can see in a dog’s face when they are happy and well nourished. A dog will smile really big and wag their tails a lot. My puppy gets so excited he starts wagging his tail so much that it sounds like a big thud when it hits something. When it is time for him to eat he also gets so excited and can barely contain himself when the food is put out for him. He is so lively. I did not see one of these dogs get overly excited by the sight of another person. I am sure that they are out there every night and are just immune to the people who are walking by. Almost all of them were laying down and did not look like they had very much energy. I also do not think that I saw one bowl of water sitting out for these dogs. They get thirst they get hungry. I am sure that they are used as a companion for the individuals who are with them, but do not look like they are given what they need. I know that I am unable to make a difference, but I will try to buy a couple of cans of dog food prior to leaving New Orleans and hand them out to the individuals with these dogs.

January 3, 2018

Outer Journey

I was so happy to hear the conductor’s announcement of the arrival at the New Orleans train terminal. I was starting to think that we would never make it here. My focus on our arrival was to get off of the train as fast as possible. We walked up the side walk and into the station.

Here is a picture of Katie and I when we got off of the train and had officially arrived in New Orleans.

 Our goal was for Katie to obtain an Uber and I would get our two checked suitcases. The train station had many colorful murals on the walls. After I got our suitcases I went outside and Katie was waiting with the Uber driver. The car ride was easy and stress free. It was my first time for using an Uber driver. The gentleman was older, but extremely nice. He loaded our luggage, and reloaded it because the luggage did not fit in his care very well. Katie and I were the first to arrive at the hotel and that was quite a relief. It was so nice to finally arrive at our hotel in New Orleans. I was surprised about how nice our hotel was. I walked in and it was very neat and clean. The men at the counter were extremely nice. When we got to our room it looked nice. Me and my roommates basically threw all of our luggage on our beds and went into overdrive on freshening up prior to dinner. I believe we only had about 20 minutes before we had to meet everyone back down in the lobby. Tonight’s dinner was wonderful. I had some shrimp and some crab cakes. They are the best crab cakes that I have ever had. I ate dinner with Katie, Holly, Deb, and Jennifer. I was night getting to sit down and talk with these individuals. They asked questions about being a nurse and I was able to ask them questions about nursing school, and what kind of nursing they wanted to do when they finished nursing school. It was a great dinner! 

Below is crab cakes that I ate for dinner. They were so yummy!

While we were in the French Quarter there was a lady in the alley that was screaming. That was the most memorable part. The St. Louis Cathedral was beautiful while lit up at night. It is well maintained. It did not look as old as it is. 

The beignets restaurant reminded me of a carnival. The stripes on the walls reminded me of a canopy. The beignets reminded me of a funnel cake at a carnival or fair. I was not all that impressed with the beignets, but the atmosphere of the restaurant was neat. We got another Uber ride back to our hotel after dinner. The car was a blue Jetta and it smelled on the inside. We asked the driver where we should go and what we should do on our day off. He told us to go to the World War II museum. I am looking for something more different to do then to visit a museum on our day off. I want to experience a voodoo shop. That is something that I cannot do at home and I think that culture is very interesting.

Inner Journey

I learned from the beignets store is that organization is the key. The store has a lot of patrons going through there at any time and the employees must get along and work together to keep such a large amount of people going through. I witnessed a couple of the employees outside when we showed up at the restaurant. Once they saw our large group they walked inside and went right back to work so that they could prepare and hand out the beignets that are purchased by the customers. I feel the same applies at work. At my current position there are so many patients going through that our productivity is at 125%. We do not have enough employees to keep up with the volume. We too must maintain the professionalism that was witnessed tonight in getting the job done. We as nurses must work together to get the job done. There should be no excuses of it is not my job. I’ve already taken my share of patients. Everyone must work together with a positive attitude and do what is necessary.

Another thing that I was thinking about tonight is that there is more than one way of doing something. It is not always about how you got to the finish line it is just that you made it there. There were many individuals who wanted to leave early tonight and head back to the hotel. There were a large group of students who were going to walk together, but then some decided that in fact they did not want to walk back to the hotel. They had decided that they were going to use the trolley cars. Some wanted to use Uber. In the end there were students who used Uber, some who used the trolley cars, and some who walked. The end goal was to get everyone back to the hotel and not everyone may have showed up at the same time, but everyone did make it back.

I really enjoyed myself at dinner and was able to sit down and talk with some of the other students. I was extremely fearful of this up to that point. I was afraid that I would not know what to say. I have learned that I need to stop worrying about situations such as these and to just relax and enjoy myself. I need to just go ahead and ask questions and don’t worry about what it is that someone else is thinking of me. I must be comfortable with myself. Nothing is going to happen to me and the conversations that I have are meaningful and just might help someone else out. For the rest of this trip I am going to speak with someone in our group that I have not spoken with every day. I feel that this will help me to not be so shy and to be able to encounter others without being nervous the whole time that I am talking to them.   

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. 

December 30, 2017

Outer Journey 12/30/17

I have been packing for my New Orleans journey, and have been having issues with what type of clothing to pack. I have been watching the weather, and disappointed in the temperatures. I assumed that it would slightly warmer then the temperatures have been. Should I bring my winter coat? Light jacket? I will pack my computer, journal for blogging, kindle, and an extra battery for my phone. I am hoping that there is WiFi that works on the train. Bringing a book on this trip sounds like a wonderful idea also. I hope that I will be able to find some quiet time to read. I plan on bringing minimal snack foods for the train. I plan on eating dinner prior to arriving at the train station in Champaign. No purchases have been made for this trip. I just returned from a trip to Mexico a few weeks ago. Anything that I would need to purchase for this trip was purchased before leaving for Mexico. The research that I have done for this trip include reading about the French Quarter, St. Louis Cathedral, Old Ursuline Convent, and the Cabildo. The reason I looked into these places of interest is that I wanted to have a better understanding of where we will be touring while on this travel course. When I plan trips for my family I search to find the best sights to see and read about where we are going prior to arrival. There are not many arrangements that I have needed to make prior to starting this course. I have taken a week off of work. That involved turning in a request off form to my supervisor. This request was immediately approved because my supervisor is also completing her RN to BSN degree. My husband will take care of our children and maintain our home. I plan on being able to enjoy this time knowing that my children will be well taken care of. Work will be long forgotten once I complete my call schedule for Saturday. I am nervous that I will be missing the birth of my oldest son's child. The baby is due on January 15th. Basically, he could come at any time now. I am bringing a blanket and smaller pillow for the train ride. I have a feeling that train will be cold and hard to sleep in. I want to pack appropriately so that I can easily get to things such as my computer, chargers, and books while riding on the train. My class preparations are to continue working on my groups E Travel Guide and working on my personal blog. My personal blog page has me a little stressed. I have been working so much that finding time to work on this has been extremely difficult. My goal is to have completed by the end of Sunday evening, so that I am able to finish packing and spending time with my children on Monday prior to my departure.

Inner Journey 12/30/17

I do not know what to expect from this travel course. I think that we will be hustling to keep up with our itinerary. It will be fun and entertaining, but there will be lots to cover in a short period of time. I have hopes that the course will be stress free and not too overwhelming. Calm atmosphere with many scenes to catch. As I mentioned in my outer blog I am really hoping that the weather will be nice, but have been monitoring and the temperature is generally in the 40-degree range. I guess there are positives and negatives to those temperatures. Walking in that weather will keep your body at a nice temperature. However, warmer temperatures would prevent carrying of additional clothing and lighter layers could be worn. I hope to learn about the different cultures in New Orleans and the beliefs that the individuals who live there have. I want to have a personal understanding. I decided to take this course because I have always wanted to go to New Orleans. This seemed like the perfect opportunity. As I am getting older I have decided that now is the time to do the traveling that I have always dreamt of doing. It is going to be a lot of work but huge bonus that a semester class will be completed in just one week. Taking this class can also help me in seeing how time is budgeted and how to do cram many sight seeing events, tours and fun into a small window of time. I am looking forward to learning about the different cultures in New Orleans. I am excited about the ghost tours. I personally don’t believe in ghosts. I believe that they do not exist because I am fearful of seeing one. I can’t wait to go into an authentic voodoo shop. I look forward to meeting new people and sharing stories and experiences. I can’t wait and look forward to getting this adventure started.