January 2nd, Learned

On Thursday January 2, 2020 the journey of New Orleans begins to unfold. This morning we as a class were given the opportunity to deliver and receive the history of the past and present of New Orleans. After class was adjourned, my classmate Peyton and I made a stop by Target in search of a messenger bag for myself. The messenger bag would be perfect for organizing my belongings for my daily outings in New Orleans. No luck of finding a messenger bag, but hopefully one could be bought in New Orleans.  

Before leaving Peoria, we made our last stop at the drive thru of McDonald's for coffee and water. 

(This is Peyton and Mindy in the drive thru at McDonalds)

I took route 74 East towards my destination of Champaign, IL. The time frame of driving to Champaign was early evening which was busy due to rush hour. During our drive Peyton and I had plenty of opportunity of reflecting upon our class discussions and sharing stories. There was never a dull moment with Peyton being my co-pilot in the passenger seat. While I was driving, I heard a beautiful angle singing in a magical harmony blessing my ears and expanding my horizons of music genres.

Earlier on, Peyton and I had planned to travel to Champaign early. Our reason was to have dinner and to relax and focus on checking into the Amtrak and meeting our class. At this point it was becoming a very long day as I and along with my class waited to board the train. We border our train and prepared for departure to New Orleans. Our departure of scheduled for 10:30 P.M. which meant I was going to be sleeping on this train all night. At the train station I changed into comfortable clothes and packed some movies for Peyton and me to watch. I brought a pillow and a blanket to help me make it through the night. My sleep pattern was interrupted all night long. The sounds being produced by the train were very loud, and my body was being rocked back in forth. As I lay reclined back in my seat, I could hear the whistle of the train come and go all night long. The next morning, I opened my eyes at 5:30 A.M. and thought to myself is this real, I'm awake and others are sleeping. Peyton and I brought snacks to help us transition through the morning hours. Coffee is an important part of my morning, so I did go to the coffee shop and bought myself a coffee. In order to go to the coffee shop, you had to use your skills. These skills consisted of walking down a very narrow aisle while maintaining your balance without falling in a stranger's lap. Walking on a moving train reminded me of my personal experience of being on a deep-sea fishing boat.
As the time passed on my cell phone so did my level of anticipation of the arrival to New Orleans. It was interesting watching out the window while taking in a view of the unknown. The weather was raining and clouding in some areas. Here is a picture of an area that showed a history of rain in this area. Being one of eight children who owns farm land, observing rain sitting in fields is observed frequently.

As we were getting closer to our destination, Professor Karn was providing my class instructions of what to expect upon our arrival at the train station. Once we arrived at the train station, I collected my luggage, then Peyton and I called for an Uber to transport us and our luggage to our hotel the Spring Hill Suites by Marriott New Orleans on Saint Joseph Street.