Outer Journey
The journey has begun!
Last night I said my goodbyes to my husband and my four sons and met with my friends
and off we went to the train station in Champaign. The drive was smooth, and we arrived with
plenty of time to spare. I was pleasantly
surprised at how clean the train station was and how big the waiting area was. We grabbed a Subway sandwich and began the
wait. The very long wait. The train was running behind and behind and behind. I could see people getting irritated as the
delays kept coming. The look of
disappointment on everyone’s faces. One woman was less than pleased to hear
that a school group was going to be allowed to board first and other passengers
would wait until they were all boarded. The
intercom came on and finally it was time to board! Or, so we thought. We lined up and then had to turn around and
sit back down. The train was having
issues that needed fixed, so I was grateful that things were fixed before we took
off. So, again we waited. Everyone was
tired and anxious to get on the train. A
little while after that, they called us to board the train again. We finally boarded around 1:30 in the morning. Man was I tired. We boarded the train and I took it all in. I was in for a treat. Small seats.
Small walkways. Small bathrooms. Small everything. We all found our seats and tried to get
comfortable. I took some Dramamine and
tried to sleep. That was a mistake. I was restless the entire night and tossed
and turned. It was like restless leg syndrome,
but in my arms. What a weird
feeling. There was a lot of noises as workers
walked from car to car and the train made a lot of stops. I am not used to sleeping anywhere but my own
bed at my own home. I would say I got
maybe two hours of sleep. Maybe. Luckily, I had mentally prepared myself for
little to no sleep, so I was OK with not getting much sleep. The sun started rising and passengers slowly
began to awake. I called my husband and
he said everything went smoothly with the morning drop off of my youngest son. Phew. I
face timed my older boys and felt a little better seeing them smiling and having fun with
their grandparents. Man, I miss my boys
already! As I walked to the café, I saw a lot of different people. People of all ages. I wondered where they were going and where
they were from. Most of the other
passengers were pleasant and smiled at me when I walked by. Some were still trying to catch up on
sleep. Seeing other children, made me
smile and miss my own children a little more.
My stomach has been upset, so I couldn’t eat much, but I ate a Quest bar
and drank a Spark and tried to muster up some energy for the day. I am ready to get to New Orleans!
Last night I said my goodbyes to my husband and my four sons and met with my friends
and off we went to the train station in Champaign. The drive was smooth, and we arrived with
plenty of time to spare. I was pleasantly
surprised at how clean the train station was and how big the waiting area was. We grabbed a Subway sandwich and began the
wait. The very long wait. The train was running behind and behind and behind. I could see people getting irritated as the
delays kept coming. The look of
disappointment on everyone’s faces. One woman was less than pleased to hear
that a school group was going to be allowed to board first and other passengers
would wait until they were all boarded. The
intercom came on and finally it was time to board! Or, so we thought. We lined up and then had to turn around and
sit back down. The train was having
issues that needed fixed, so I was grateful that things were fixed before we took
off. So, again we waited. Everyone was
tired and anxious to get on the train. A
little while after that, they called us to board the train again. We finally boarded around 1:30 in the morning. Man was I tired. We boarded the train and I took it all in. I was in for a treat. Small seats.
Small walkways. Small bathrooms. Small everything. We all found our seats and tried to get
comfortable. I took some Dramamine and
tried to sleep. That was a mistake. I was restless the entire night and tossed
and turned. It was like restless leg syndrome,
but in my arms. What a weird
feeling. There was a lot of noises as workers
walked from car to car and the train made a lot of stops. I am not used to sleeping anywhere but my own
bed at my own home. I would say I got
maybe two hours of sleep. Maybe. Luckily, I had mentally prepared myself for
little to no sleep, so I was OK with not getting much sleep. The sun started rising and passengers slowly
began to awake. I called my husband and
he said everything went smoothly with the morning drop off of my youngest son. Phew. I
face timed my older boys and felt a little better seeing them smiling and having fun with
their grandparents. Man, I miss my boys
already! As I walked to the café, I saw a lot of different people. People of all ages. I wondered where they were going and where
they were from. Most of the other
passengers were pleasant and smiled at me when I walked by. Some were still trying to catch up on
sleep. Seeing other children, made me
smile and miss my own children a little more.
My stomach has been upset, so I couldn’t eat much, but I ate a Quest bar
and drank a Spark and tried to muster up some energy for the day. I am ready to get to New Orleans!
We had to entertain ourselves somehow......
As I was telling my husband and my babies goodbye knowing I would
not see them for a week, my eyes welled with tears. I tried to hold back until I was in the car,
so my boys did not see my upset. Inside,
my heart was breaking at the thought of leaving them for the first time for
more than just one night and I was having second thoughts about going. I can’t do this. I don’t want to go anymore. Then, I remember, this is all for a big goal. My dream of being a nurse and having a career
that means something. I wipe my tears, fill
up my gas tank and head to my pick up my friends to head to the train station. I realized how strong I had become and how
far I had come from when I first started school. My boys would be proud of what I have
accomplished and hopefully be inspired to follow their own dreams no matter how
big and far away they may seem. When we
arrived at the train station, I remembered how big the world was. Living in a small town, I don’t see a lot of diversity. People watching is fascinating to me and
talking to people from different walks of life can be pretty amazing and entertaining. As the train kept getting delayed, there was
an older gentleman that knew a lot about trains and he was going on about the problems
our train was having. I always love listening
to older people share their knowledge and experience. I remembered how much I miss my grandparents
and being able to listen to them talk about their lives and share stories with me. Inside my heart smiles. I love people. This is one reason I chose nursing. As we were about to board the train, the
woman that was irritated at the fact that she would have to wait for a school
group to load the train, reminded me how important patience is and how we just cannot
control everything that happens in life.
Our train was delayed. Big deal. We will get there. The important thing was that the train was running
properly to get us to our destination safely.
As we boarded the train and I realized that this was where I was going
to be for the next 20 hours or so, I took a deep breath and could feel my anxiety
building. Not being able to sleep made
for a long night. My anxiety went down
as the morning went along and I began getting excited for this trip again! Learning to be able to go with the flow is something
that I need to work on, so this has been a good growing opportunity for
me. Being away from my family and away from
my “norm” seems like a great time to learn more about myself. I am excited to explore New Orleans and maybe
explore a little about myself. I am going
to the most unique city in the United States after all!
not see them for a week, my eyes welled with tears. I tried to hold back until I was in the car,
so my boys did not see my upset. Inside,
my heart was breaking at the thought of leaving them for the first time for
more than just one night and I was having second thoughts about going. I can’t do this. I don’t want to go anymore. Then, I remember, this is all for a big goal. My dream of being a nurse and having a career
that means something. I wipe my tears, fill
up my gas tank and head to my pick up my friends to head to the train station. I realized how strong I had become and how
far I had come from when I first started school. My boys would be proud of what I have
accomplished and hopefully be inspired to follow their own dreams no matter how
big and far away they may seem. When we
arrived at the train station, I remembered how big the world was. Living in a small town, I don’t see a lot of diversity. People watching is fascinating to me and
talking to people from different walks of life can be pretty amazing and entertaining. As the train kept getting delayed, there was
an older gentleman that knew a lot about trains and he was going on about the problems
our train was having. I always love listening
to older people share their knowledge and experience. I remembered how much I miss my grandparents
and being able to listen to them talk about their lives and share stories with me. Inside my heart smiles. I love people. This is one reason I chose nursing. As we were about to board the train, the
woman that was irritated at the fact that she would have to wait for a school
group to load the train, reminded me how important patience is and how we just cannot
control everything that happens in life.
Our train was delayed. Big deal. We will get there. The important thing was that the train was running
properly to get us to our destination safely.
As we boarded the train and I realized that this was where I was going
to be for the next 20 hours or so, I took a deep breath and could feel my anxiety
building. Not being able to sleep made
for a long night. My anxiety went down
as the morning went along and I began getting excited for this trip again! Learning to be able to go with the flow is something
that I need to work on, so this has been a good growing opportunity for
me. Being away from my family and away from
my “norm” seems like a great time to learn more about myself. I am excited to explore New Orleans and maybe
explore a little about myself. I am going
to the most unique city in the United States after all!
The very small stairway.....
The tiny toilet....
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