Although I have been on a train before for a long distance trip, it is really hard to consider any trip normal and to prepare for what may lie ahead. Before we even left Peoria, our bus was delayed. This did not make the ourney ahead seem too promising. While we were waiting at the bus terminal, we were able to witness a "medical emergency" in which AMT was contacted and arrived to transport the patient. Once the bus did arrive, the bus driver seemed to be shocked at the fact that she actually had passengers (us) and despite having a very large bus, she was surprised that there were so many of us. Finally, we hit the road. The bus was freezing cold, but hey we were moving so who could really complain. At last we were off to New Orleans. Little did we know, the freezing cold bus trip had a slight delay in Bloomington, IL. The bus driver had some "business she needed to attend to" so we were able to wait for her on the freezing bus (we really didnt have a choice in the matter). I felt somewhat relieved when she came back for us, only to have the little amount of confidence that I did have in her removed due to her not knowing how to defrost the windows. Boy was this going to be a long ride. I was able to fall asleep dreaming of warmer weather ahead with bright sunshine. I was awaken to "wake up! We're here". Wow Louisiana already. Great. But, nope. We were in Champaign, and it's still freezing out and I cannot feel my nose or my toes. I was super happy to finally be able to get some food. Subway, here we come. Due to the necessary business we had in Bloomington, we arrived 15 minutes too late for Subway. Because this was not the instructor's first rodeo, she promptly saved the day with pizza. PS- thanks Colleen. So we munched on pizza while the Amtrak lady kept giving us evil glares while repeating the same message to clean up our mess and how to check our luggage. The train finally arrived for us. We were able to escape the evil glares. By this time it was late and time for bed, or so I thought. I am a 3rd shift employee and even I am able to recognize what it means to be quiet and go to bed means, but not everyone appears to have been blessed with that common sense. Chattering and food packaging being crumpled lead me to Pandora with the ear buds in. Sleep at last.
Waking up this morning on the train, I was happy to learn we were almost in Mississippi. We have progress. After a quick trip to the lavatory, we were free to explore the train to seek out breakfast. I feel it is super necessary at this time to point out just how people watching never gets old. From the vibrant hair colors and totally inappropriate clothing choices, I cannot help but wonder if people own mirrors. Knowing I myself dressed to be traveling for 2 days, I was able to assume this is what others were thinking also.
While we continued to travel south, we were able to capture the scenery out of the window.
Breakfast was quick and satisfying. A quick class meeting took us to the observation car. It was kind of sad to see how very run down the homes were along the tracks. For as long as the eye could see, there was mud, water, and few inhabitable residents. I had a better sense of the situation when the instructor pointed out that the closer one lives to the train tracks, the cheaper it costs. It was hard to imagine that there was life beyond the fields and trees and that anyone actually lived in Mississippi. This is where the rural part of living comes from. I can now understand why some people are not able to get the transportation they need to seek the care they require.
Although the area that I live in is still considered to be very rural, it defiantly looked urban compared to the fields full of water that we saw today.
We did arrive in New Orleans and it was a wonderful surprise to find the weather to be GREAT. I am excited to tell you about how the first day went tomorrow, and because I am totally exhausted and worn out, I will catch everyone up on the Destination tomorrow.
Good Night.
Waking up this morning on the train, I was happy to learn we were almost in Mississippi. We have progress. After a quick trip to the lavatory, we were free to explore the train to seek out breakfast. I feel it is super necessary at this time to point out just how people watching never gets old. From the vibrant hair colors and totally inappropriate clothing choices, I cannot help but wonder if people own mirrors. Knowing I myself dressed to be traveling for 2 days, I was able to assume this is what others were thinking also.
While we continued to travel south, we were able to capture the scenery out of the window.
Breakfast was quick and satisfying. A quick class meeting took us to the observation car. It was kind of sad to see how very run down the homes were along the tracks. For as long as the eye could see, there was mud, water, and few inhabitable residents. I had a better sense of the situation when the instructor pointed out that the closer one lives to the train tracks, the cheaper it costs. It was hard to imagine that there was life beyond the fields and trees and that anyone actually lived in Mississippi. This is where the rural part of living comes from. I can now understand why some people are not able to get the transportation they need to seek the care they require.
Although the area that I live in is still considered to be very rural, it defiantly looked urban compared to the fields full of water that we saw today.
We did arrive in New Orleans and it was a wonderful surprise to find the weather to be GREAT. I am excited to tell you about how the first day went tomorrow, and because I am totally exhausted and worn out, I will catch everyone up on the Destination tomorrow.
Good Night.
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