Preparing for New Orleans 2019

Outer Journey 

There are so many things to think about when preparing for a trip, but planning the time to go shopping for food, packing clothes, making arrangements with family for the dogs or cats can be overwhelming. Although, I have really put off preparing for this trip because the last few weeks I have been in Houston, Texas visiting my boyfriend . But I flew home for the holidays so, I just unpacked all of my clothes on Wednesday, December  26^th. Then, I had to work for three days and came back to visit my parents in DeKalb, Illinois for a few days until New Year’s Eve then go back to Peoria for work. Since I have been so busy, I probably won’t pack my suitcase until New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day after work. Usually, I pack things just before I leave because I have a better idea of what the weather will be like. Therefore, I can’t tell say what all is packed in my bags yet. 

            My parents and I plan on going grocery shopping this weekend and getting snacks and drinks for the trip so I won’t have to buy too many things on the train. Some of the drinks that I will get include, pop (or soda for some of you), water, and body armor which is a sports drink. Personally, the drinks are easier to prepare and think about bringing. I plan on making some caramel Chex mix to bring with. I will get some chips, bread, and peanut butter and jelly to make a sandwich while on the train. However, to get the “full train experience” I plan on having one meal on the train with my peers. As far as sleeping on the train, I am going to take my pillow and blanket, but I hope that it is comfortable. When I was younger, I took the train with my brother and grandma from Chicago to New York City and that was two very long days on the train. 

            I have not done too much research on the trip other than looking over the itinerary, going through our D2L page, and preparing my E-Travel Guide for the class. I have been trying to keep an eye on the weather there for the next 10-days so I have an idea of the clothes that need to be packed. I feel like I am pretty prepared for the class because I have done the assignments for the course and Mrs. Karn gave us a lot of good information prior to our trip. 

            Personally, I do not have to make any arrangements for my “normal” life because I do not own my own place, I do not have any pets that I need to worry about while I’m gone, and I don’t have children. This makes things a little bit easier for me when planning for a trip because it is less stress for me and it gives me the ability to just get up and go whenever. Overall, I believe that this experience is going to be wonderful and I am excited for all the things I will get to learn. Stay tuned for future posts about our trip and the experience with food, the culture, and different sites I get to see. 

Inner Journey

New Orleans, Louisiana is a destination that I have always wanted to go. You hear about the unique culture there and how fun people’s experiences are. When I heard of the opportunity to get three credits for a week course in New Orleans, I was so excited. I contacted a classmate and told her that we had to go hear what it was like and while I was sitting in the meeting, I text my dad and said “I’m going to New Orleans, I hope this is ok. It will cost $750 plus the cost of the course, but I get three credits for my last upper gen ed”, he said “we’ll talk about it later”. Well, later for me was calling him when the meeting was over and convincing him how great it would be and all the things that would happen and he said “ok that’s fine, you can go”. Therefore, I went and wrote a check for the security deposit to secure my position on the trip. I thought about the different things that we would do and how I would have the opportunity to go on a “vacation” with my close friends from nursing school in my last semester at Methodist College and all the wonderful memories we would get to make. 

To me, the travel course would be extremely fun and I would have the opportunity to learn hands-on which is how I learn best. I had always wanted to take a travel course in college and go somewhere that I had never been with an individual that has been there because they could teach me so many things. When I was in 8^thgrade, I went to Washington D.C. on our class trip and I had a wonderful time visiting an area that has so much history and I truly enjoyed the learning experience. Although, another thing that got me excited about the New Orleans travel course was when I talked to peers that went on the trip last year and they all talked about how much fun they had and how it was such a great experience. 

I can’t say there is one thing I am more excited for than another on this trip because I have never been there and I don’t really know what to expect with each thing we do. Overall, I am very excited for the trip and the learning experience. I believe it will be interesting to see another culture and the unique things that they do there. Although, I will admit I’m very nervous to try some of the food there because I’m a picky eater. I’m not a fan of seafood or lots of beef so it will be a unique experience for me in that aspect of the trip. Stay tuned for future posts about our trip to see how I feel about the food and places we visit.