Blog 2

Outer

            There was much excitement, curiosity, and nervousness that went into leaving Peoria.  I had a lot to get done before leaving, and I really didn’t think I was going to be prepared to leave when we did.  I had a hard time sleeping the night before class, and I wasn’t able to.  This led to me being awake for almost 30 hours before finally getting some sleep (unfortunately I feel as if I do this at least once a week between my work and school schedules).  The car ride to Champaign was a fast one, and I traveled with my friends Holly and Ashley.  This was a relief to me, because I didn’t want to drive that far after getting no sleep.  On our way we stopped and got some snacks, then we took off.  After arriving to Champaign 45 minutes before we had to get there we stopped at a local restaurant and got some food (I had my favorite sandwich, ribeye steak).  After we had dinner we met with the rest of the class at the train station to wait for our train.  While waiting on the train Holly and I watched one of my favorite T.V shows, Game of Thrones.  This helped pass the time till we got on the train.  

Once getting on the train I realized that this train was a little different than ones I had previously taken.  This train was much more spacious, and wasn’t that hard to fall asleep.  The only bad thing was that this train ride was a lot rougher than previous ones I had taken, so I woke up a few times after falling asleep.  As I started typing this I finally realized that the leg part could extend also (would have been nice to realize earlier, but oh well).  Kim and I sat with each other and the train ride went smoothly.  I also lucked out sitting next to Kim, because she let me borrow her blanket (I thought it would be a good idea to be comfortable and wear shorts on the train).  While on the train I took advantage of the observation cart.  I saw a few deer, turkeys, coyotes, horses, and lots of landscape.  This also gave me some time to just sit by myself and listen to music (which I enjoy doing a lot).  I started listening to a band I hadn’t previously listened to much, Primus, and found a new appreciation for a band.  I had only gotten food on the train once before, but I decided to get something to eat today.  I had their turkey club sandwich, and it was pretty good for the price. Overall The train ride wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting.

Double decker train

Inner

            One of the first things I learned through this experience was although I am good at procrastinating; I need to get better about not doing it so often.  The day we left I had to get a wallet, get a drivers license, stop by the bank, pack, and do the classroom section.  Something I am good at is waiting till the last minute to do something and still getting it done.  One thing I was impressed with was how much faster the Peoria DMV is than the Pekin DMV (I will never go back to the Pekin DMV).  This made the process of getting my driver’s license over lunch break a smooth process.  If I hadn’t already learned it before I now know that Holly and Ashley like to depend on me to be their personal bag boy and help them with lifting their heavy items (I don’t expect that changes).  I have also learned that trains can tend to be a little early, but they wont depart from a location until the departure time.  We had to stop in Memphis, Tennessee and have a one hour “delay”, because we were running ahead of schedule and couldn’t leave without the people that had been waiting on us in Memphis.  I am very happy that our train is early compared to late though.  While in Memphis I also learned that there our water fountains on the train, because I was thirsty and asked a conductor.  I don’t know if the trains I had been on before had this or not, but this was my first time realizing it.   Overall I think there were some things I learned through the train ride, but I am most excited to learn about what the city of New Orleans has to offer.