My Adventure Begins

Outer Journey

 So far, I am loving every minute of this trip. I am listening to my podcast "Astonishing Legends" looking out the windows thinking about what to write. Many people walking up and down the isles are having trouble staying upright while walking. I am kind of enjoying the sway of the train and the large lookout windows. I hardly slept at all last night, I don’t think many of us did. I will admit my back hurts, I am not used to sleeping on a train. I don’t mind, this is all part of the experience! I have always enjoyed people watching, so I'm getting a kick out of the people on the train. I am always aware of my surroundings. I work on a Psych floor and we always have to pay attention to what is going on, who is doing what, and where people are. I think thus will come in handy for the trip. I will be able to take in so many details and write about it later. I just saw my first ever, cotton field. It may sound silly to most, but it was almost exciting for me! All I ever see is corn fields, and more corn fields. There were two dogs sitting beside the train tracks, I wanted to rescue them. I ate breakfast on the train. The coffee wasn’t good, but it was coffee. Not to mention that it is quite expensive. I made sure to leave with plenty of time to spare to get to the train station on time. While waiting to board the train I watched American Horror Story: Coven with my group members. We are getting prepped for the city! I've gotten used to the trains horn sounds by now and don’t notice them as much. I wish I was able to take the train more often. I'm really enjoying this, especially in the observation car. I started journaling right before this, and I enjoy doing it. It makes happy to write about my experiences, while listening to podcasts so I can look back on these later. My first trip to the bathroom was a trip. I felt like I had sea legs X10,000. I was all over the place and was giggling to myself while in the bathroom because of because of the experience. Looking out the window and seeing the flood fields and what looks like baby swamps, I hear Lindsey ask Kate if she wants to go in there. Kate's response was "Are there snakes in there?". Kate is terrified of snakes. Looking out of the window I see that the area I am currently in (Tchula, MS) is a food desert. You can tell that it is a very poor rural area. The houses are not in good condition. The front yards are a complete mess. It looks like the locals don’t care about the appearance of their home, they may have more important things to worry about. I am a very clean individual, cleaning makes me happy. Everything has a place. This just makes me want to go out and clean up the trailer and the yard. But I'm a little scare about what I may find in there. It is apparent that they have had so much rain here. Fields are flooded and mud is everywhere. I am eagerly awaiting my arrival in New Orleans.

Inner Journey

My excitement couldn’t be kept to myself last night. I was so excited when we were leaving that I said GOODBYE ILLINOIS. I temporarily forgot we had to make our way to Champaign to hitch a ride on the train. So the girls said Hello Champaign, we all laughed. I've started to take to a few individuals that I don’t know on the train. I like hearing about other peoples stories. The locals are not telling us the best way to travel and stay in NOLA. How exciting. They said that it is nice, but we should have come in February for Mardi Gras. They said the best way to do it is to get a house for 3-4 days, and then split the cost. He said it’s a lot cheaper that way. You can tell that they like talking about where they are from, which I think I so neat. I feel like a little kid at Christmas because the farther from home we get, and the close to New Orleans we get the more excited I get. I feel fidgety and restless. Ill admit that I feel a bit impatient now too, the conductor came on and said that we are waiting for a freight train now, and once they are cleared we will be back on our way. I'm thrilled about the idea of a new adventure! I will be seeing places I've never seen before, as well as doing things that I am not able to do otherwise. I love, love, love museums. Like I said earlier, I love to learn. So thinking about all of the fun things that I will see and learn about gets me so pumped for my day. If I think about where we are going to eat tonight too much my mouth starts to water. I want some crab cakes. This is a once in a lifetime trip for me. I will enjoy every minute and make the most of it. I'm with great friends, we are going to have great food, and maybe even better experiences. I want to see if I can go look at the house from American Horror Story Coven and get a few pictures of it. How cool would that be!?! Its hard for me to put into words about my excitement level. A kid in a candy store? A little kid who just got a pony? The guy behind me that is from NOLA is cracking me up. He's the one who is telling us the best ways to stay there. So far the people that I have met on the train are quite friendly, which is a relief. It makes me happy to meet new people. I think I smell some weed on the train. Yikes. I am so grateful for this experience. I worked hard to make sure I could come on this. I tried really hard to save up my money so I could do this with my friends. I am eagerly awaiting for what happens the rest of the day. The local we meant told us to go to Jeans Po'boy on Rampart. You know its good when the locals suggest it. He also just told us to make sure to stay together. Be with at least 2 or three of us. Do not wear beads, that will be a dead giveaway to the locals. He said the best tour to do is the street car. Its cheap and you see all kinds of cool stuff. He also said to try to avoid playing the "hustlers games on bourbon street". He is so nice, giving us tips about what to do, what not to do, where to eat. When we told him about our Jazzy Passes he said Oh Good, even free'er! He is just cracking me up. The lady in front if me is being so kind and they just keep letting us to know to be safe and stay in a pack.