Hits You Right in the Feels

Outer journey

Today we visited the Cabildo which was full of information on New Orleans history. There were pieces about the Pontalba family, Andrew Jackson, past wars, maps of the city throughout the years, and much more. We also went to the Presbyter museum which was my favorite part of the day. This museum had two floors and the first one was all about Katrina while the second was about Mardi Gras. The first floor is filled with pictures, videos, voice recordings and other things from the hurricane that ripped this city apart in 2005. As soon as you walk in there is the sound of strong winds and recordings of the news from that day. I instantly got chills down my whole body. It seems so real while you are watching the videos just like you were in New Orleans that day, listening to the news deciding on whether or not to evacuate. Then once you move further into the room there are videos playing of people's houses flooding and recordings playing of real people speaking about what was happening. It is absolutely soul shaking. Then as you move further there is different stations of readings and videos labeled "super dome", "hospitals", "first responders", etc. As each video would play the sound would shift and the lights would zero in on that area. Voices of stranded people, nurses, doctors, and first responders would play overhead. The one that really hit home was the nurses and doctors speaking about how they were stranded in the hospital, but the media still reported they were rescued. They had to create signs and get attention from people to let them know they were still there and needed help. They spoke of how patients had to be triaged by who they could get out the fastest and needed the most assistance. I teared up during this video because I imagined myself as a patient or nurse in this situation and how terrifying it would be. The faculty watched an air force plane fly over with the president thinking they were being rescued, but they had to watch the plane fly off into the distance. I can't imagine being in their situation and how great they preformed. After a certain amount of time you would start to lose any hope in being helped. Watching patients and their families die in this natural disaster would be traumatic. In one of the videos a victim spoke of how this was a natural disaster that turned into a man-made disaster because of how the media did not declare a state of emergency and evacuation until it was almost too late. Many people left behind their animals and personal belongings thinking they could return after a few days and everything be fine. The disaster was not handled as well as it should have been and while it was terrible, it was a turning point and lesson for the city of New Orleans to be ready for the future.

Inner Journey

At the end of the walk-through in the Katrina exhibit, there was a place to sit and watch a show. It was a compilation of people speaking of how much they love their city and what makes it special. Many spoke about how the hurricane was a terrible tragedy, but they returned and help put it back together. It took years, but they did it. In my previous posts I have wrote about how the city has spoken to me through the love and sense of citizens being so proud and I continue to believe this every day. I learned that this hurricane shook New Orleans to the core and broke them, but that didn't stop the residents from coming back and building their lives back to what they were. It speaks volumes that so many people love this city and how amazing it makes you feel and Katrina only proved that point. New Orleans could have been abandoned and left in the shambles it was in, but that wouldn't be th New Orleans way. It is commonly spewed that we are a divided country these days and while that may be true, you do not feel that when you come to this city full of life. I was concerned about being in a heavily populated city such as New Orleans, but I do not feel that way at all. The city has a way of making you feel like you're the only one here and that you are important. While the city has taught me of how proud they are of their efforts after Katrina, it has also taught me something about myself. I have always had a small itch to do a mission trip or join the red cross for when there are disasters as a nurse, but after yesterday I am sure that I want to do that. This city showed me how proud I am of the profession I have chosen and the opportunities I can bring even in the depths of a tragedy. I am so utterly proud to have been to this city and contribute to their thriving community. It truly is a city that speaks and while it teaches you a thing or two about it's history- it teaches you a thing or two about yourself.

Front room in the Presbyter

Another Day, Another Tour

Outer Journey

Today was another day full of walking and exploring. We started off our day with going to the Old Ursuline Convent, then to the St. Louis Cathedral, the French Market, and then on a cuisine tour. The visit to the Convent was the most interesting to me. Our tour guide was the cutest old man who cracked jokes and loved talking about the history of the convent. I found this tour so interesting because he explained to us how for a long time it was illegal to practice any other religion other than Catholicism in New Orleans. People could practice other religions in their homes but they were not allowed to own a church. The nuns did a lot for the city of New Orleans. They were nurses, teachers, and ran an entire hospital. It is interesting how far New Orleans has come from being this reserved town that was set one way, to being one of the most accepting and open cities in America. I also found it interesting how the plate inside the Chapel of the convent was worth so much money. This gold plate is the center piece of the chapel and it so special to the people who practiced there, so they all donated their prized family jewels. It is worth so much money that it was kept under lock and key for many years, but now is kept under heavy surveillance. The church was also lined with beautiful stained glass windows that immediately caught your eye upon entering the room. The incredible history of this city shows through every single tour that we take and every building that we enter.

Gold plate in the Convent

Inner Journey 

As I have every day on this trip, my knowledge has grown about things I didn't even realize existed. Before this trip I was unaware of Catholicism being the only religion legal or about the Cathedral being rebuilt so many times. I also learned about why they created firewalls between each house in the French Quarter. The Cathedral has been rebuilt so many times that it only has one chunk of it that is of the original building. The first time it was burned down in the Great New Orleans fire.The Great Fire is also the reasoning behind the firewalls between each individual home. The second time the Cathedral was rebuild was because during a renovation of the building, the middle tower collapsed into the middle of the church causing almost the entire building to collapse. Now it has a fresh new face and some updates due to the tragedies. Learning about all of the religious history today has taught me how far this city has grown.


New Orleans started out as a divided city. It had one religion legal and the Spanish and French hated each other. I am sure that all of the citizens from back then could have never imagined how much this city would grow. Today New Orleans is a safe haven for people of the LGBTQ community and many other people who struggled to find their home. It also is home to so many people who grew up here and never wanted to leave due to the greatness of the city. I stated in my previous post about how proud this city is of their history, and I continue to see that every day that I am here. No matter any person's religious affiliation, color of their skin, age, or gender this city knows how to come together and create a welcoming environment for everyone.

Stained glass in the Convent

A Day Full of Learning and Exlporing

Outer Journey

Female/male urinals & bedpans

Today was a long day full of exploring the city and learning all about the history. We met with our tour guide Milton and walked all the way from the Cathedral to the St. Louis Cemetery number 1. According to my apple watch we walked 11 miles and my feet are feeling it. My favorite part of this long day was the pharmacy tour. I enjoyed the pharmacy tour because I learned a lot about older medicine that I did not know. It is amazing to see how far we have come in the medical world. The guide was very knowledgeable about everything and made jokes. Even though the building was packed and full of people, he was loud and knew how to draw you in. The upstairs of the building had many old medical tools that I had no idea looked the way they did. It was very interesting. There were advertisements for alcohol used as medicine and old bed pans/ female urinals. Medicine has come a long way and I am so grateful that I am in this profession in this time and day. As we walked through the building you could just imagine this old pharmacist standing at the counter and costumers walking in asking if they could buy the magical sleeping syrup for their child that wouldn't sleep. We also learned that old needles had a very interesting sterilization technique while being made out of lead nonetheless. Another thing that baffled me was they used little devices with razors and other times leaches to get rid of their "bad blood", when in reality all they were doing was bleeding out. If you were lucky enough to survive then you are considered healed of the bad blood.

Inner Journey

Fun pharmacy tour information

Today as we explored the city I was captivated by all of the art that some artists had hung on fences of the street. The amazing architecture that had meaning behind it and you would have no idea unless someone told you that. The way that every little detail was for a reason, such as cooling and venting the house or a meaning that this house was in a certain family. It really taught me how much New Orleans people care about their city and their roots. I also learned about how much the people of this city take care of their families even when they are in the grave. Our tour guide explained how his family has one day a year where they spend the whole day cleaning up their ancestors tomb and making it look nice. It shows how much love and compassion comes from this city. This city really speaks to a person about their love and openness to everyone. The way that they bring you in and want to teach you about their history is amazing and I wish that I came from a place like that. New Orleans natives are so proud when it comes to their history, which makes you proud and interested as much as them. One thing I really learned today about this city is that they might get hit with tragedies such as fires, hurricanes, shootings, etc., but they will always come back stronger and show the world just how united they are. 

Arriving in the City that Speaks

Outer Journey


The day that we all have been waiting for since we signed up for this course has finally come. We made it to New Orleans. My first impression was of the bridge coming into the city. I recalled it from the video we watched the previous day. It seemed as though it stretched from one side of the state to the other and would never end. Around the bridge were broken trees and overgrown wetlands. It seemed slightly rugged at first. As we got closer to the train station there were
mounds of trash under the bridges with graffiti scattered across the cement. I was taken back at first. I had it in my head that it was this beautiful, well taken care of city. Later I learned that it was much different than my initial impressions.

The train station was bigger than I imagined it to be. There were many people sitting and waiting for loved ones to hop off the train. It was difficult to get our luggage because so many people gathered around our gate thinking their luggage would be there as well. It was like the Hunger Games trying to get past people to get our own luggage and people were getting more irritated by the second when they didn't see their suitcases. Once we got our luggage we made the hike to the hotel.

Traveling to the hotel was a very good start to this wonderful city. Our Uber driver's name was Keith and he was the most kind a southern gentleman I could've imagined as our transportation. He spoke to us about how he drives almost 5 days a week and how he loves the freedom of going home when he pleases. He drove a silver dodge caravan that had snacks in the middle of the seats. He strategically fit all of our suitcases in his trunk like a game of tetris. I was very pleased with his service and gave him a generous tip for it.

Walking the streets of New Orleans

As Keith dropped us off we walked into our hotel and I was very impressed. The ceilings looked like the wood in a beautiful log cabin house. Every inch of the building was updated with all of the latest technology and remodels. It was like winning the lottery when our name was finally called to grab our room keys. We quickly ran upstairs and threw all of our luggage on the ground. My roommates and I were all amazed at how nice our hotel room was. We all took turns taking 1 minute and 30 second showers after the grueling day on the train. Then we met in the lobby at 5 pm and adventured into the city.

We made it to the streetcar and all of the class sat in the back of the car while our group of 4 sat in the front. We sat next to this woman with short blonde hair, glasses, a sweater, and clenching a bag to her chest. She asked us where we were traveling and if we were getting off at Jackson Square, because she was terrified to walk alone. She seemed very odd to me at first. She told us about how around 8 am this morning her husband was stabbed by this woman walking through the square and was rushed to surgery. She was wanting to find a big group to walk with so that she didn't have to walk alone. In our quest of trying to help this woman, we did not realize that our entire class had gotten off the streetcar and we were a stop behind them! As soon as we realized it, my stomach felt as though it fell straight out of my body. Luckily we were close and found our group, but we are still unsure of whether this woman was telling us a true story.

Outside Original Pierre Maspero's

Lastly, we visited Original Pierre Maspero's for dinner. This building was beautiful and just the atmosphere was grand. A few people at my table got the crab cakes and they were delicious. Rachael and I shared the chicken and waffles, which was also amazing. It hit all of my taste buds just right and definitely lived up to the hype. If I ever get he chance to return to the French Quarter, I will be coming back to this restaurant.  

Chicken and Waffles from dinner

 Inner Journey 

 Being in New Orleans has taught this small town girl some things. I have never been one for the city, but I had a love at first sight moment with this city. First, I learned the classic lesson of not judging a book by it's cover. When we first arrived I was sort of disgusted by the amount of trash and debris, which made me very nervous to see the rest of the city. Once we got to our hotel and explored the French Quarter I quickly changed my mind. It was so beautiful and made me feel at home. Secondly, I learned to be very careful with my surroundings. The older woman on the streetcar convinced us all about her story and if we would have gotten off at her stop, we most likely would have walked with her. Who knows what could have happened or if the woman was telling the truth, but we need to learn to not take everyone we see at face value. Along with that, I have learned to keep my purse and valuables close to your body so that someone cannot walk up and take off with it. Thirdly I learned that going out of my comfort zone can be good. At the Original Pierre Maspero's I tried the crab cakes and I have never had real crab before. Usually when I am at home I will not try new things like that with the fear of not liking it or it making me ill. I thought the crab cakes were delicious and I never would have known that if I didn't step outside my comfort zone. A popular saying I always hear is that "If you don't step outside of your comfort zone, you will never grow as a person". I am starting to realize that this quote is very true and it inspires me to try new things while on this trip. 

Here's to doing more things that push me outside that comfort zone!

Peace out ILL. Next stop NOLA

Peace Out Illinois. Next Stop NOLA

Water tower seen from train

On Wednesday night we made the trip to the Champaign train station. As we left my apartment we yelled out “Peace out Illinois, next stop NOLA”. Kate, Rachael, Brynna, and I drug our luggage into the building huffing and puffing. We sounded like we just ran a marathon and got smacked in the face from the cold hitting our faces. We waited in the station for what seemed like forever. The anticipation of getting on the train and getting to New Orleans was excruciating. Little did I know that I would get the smallest amount of sleep possible. 

Once on the train Rachael and I settled into our close and cozy seating. If she and I weren’t close before we most definitely were after that night. At first, I found it difficult to sleep. There was this small sense of adrenaline running through my body because I was so excited to be finally on our way, but some of the surroundings on the train threw me off. There was an overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke coming from downstairs. It was so strong I could just feel the stench sulking into the fibers of my clothes. While the smell contributed to my insomnia, the train sways side to side most of the time. I was not accommodated to this, but I feel as if I am now. Rachael spent most of the night sleeping on my shoulder causing me to be cautious with every movement I made with the fear of waking her. I slept in twenty-minute intervals and probably got around 3-4 hours all together. Throughout the night when I woke up, I would check our location. Around 12:30 we had just gotten to Kentucky. I tried to look out the window but couldn’t see much besides some lights every so often or when another train would pass us. Then I noticed around 3:30 we were in South Fulton, TN. Again, not much was seen due to the darkness. Finally, when I woke up at 7:15 we were in Mississippi. I have never traveled through Mississippi, so I instantly woke up. Feeling like I did on Christmas morning when I was 9 years old, I perked up and looked out the window to see my surroundings. I saw miles and miles of flooded fields. Still as I am typing this and we are going through Tchula, MS it looks as though someone has been watering the lands and forgot to shut the hose off for weeks. I can only imagine what New Orleans will be like with the impending doom of rain all day today. 

Despite my lack of sleep, the nose burning smell of smoke, and lack of caffeine, I am not letting this damper my mood because soon we will be in NOLA!

As I sit here in the observation room, I can’t help but think how incredible it is that I have this opportunity to do things I have never done- riding a train and traveling through many states being huge right now. It makes my night of sleep seem like a small grain of sand in the ocean. This realization has helped me reflect on some things thus far.

Breakfast on the train. Featuring terrible coffee

1. Make sure you bring plenty of snacks and drinks on the train because a bottle of water is over $2. 
2.  Traveling from train car to train car should be in the next Olympics. The amount of skill and timing you need to have when in between the cars is exhausting.
3. Sleep the night before or nap prior boarding the train because you will get a wink of sleep which also comes along with a stiff neck and back.
4.  If you order the coffee on the train you might as well grab the entire tray of sugar and creamer. The taste and smell takes me back to when I was younger riding in the tractor with my grandpa and he would drink straight black coffee out of his thermos.
5. People on the train differ on which car you’re in. When in the observation and food lounge, everyone seems happy and full of life. One woman even commented on how comfortable Kate and I looked sitting on our laptops. Many of them will exchange smiles with you and friendly comments. When going to the regular cars most people appear to be dead. Multiple times I thought I needed to stop and check someone’ pulse. Many people extend themselves over two chairs and look right at home. You might even get a few evil stares that you feel all the way to your soul if you walk through at the wrong time.
6. This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I intend to make every minute count by being positive to the negatives and having an open mind.

Another realization I have for this trip is that I want to be pushed outside of my comfort zone. I am going to try foods I would not normally try. I am going to create conversations with people I would usually throw a smile at and go on with my day. I have a craving to get to know the people and culture of this vibrant city we will be experiencing. I hope when I reflect back at the end of the trip, I will be able to say I stepped outside of this cushion of comfort I often hide behind, and it helps me grow as a person. Furthermore, when it comes down to the good and the bad of this trip thus far, I am so anxious to continue expanding my horizons outside of Illinois. See yah in a week, ILL.

Prepping for the big trip!

Since the day I turned in my deposit for this course I have been mentally creating a list of everything I will be bringing. Something about making a list and checking off those duties makes me feel so accomplished for the day. I love to take trips and look out the window to observe new surroundings so I am looking forward to this train ride just as much as everything else! While I love to travel, I despise packing because I ALWAYS end up packing numerous things I don't even use, so my goal for this trip is to only pack the necessitates (wish me luck). Now onto my preparations!

I am going for "cute comfy" when it comes to my clothes to pack due to the amount of walking we will be doing. I am terrified of the story Mrs. Karn shared with us of a student getting excruciating blisters during her trip to NOLA. I will be packing some jeans, leggings, light jackets, comfy shoes, and of course my umbrella. important personal items include my contacts (no one wants to see me in public in my glasses. YIKES), headphones, laptop, chargers, and as always some money to spend. Educational items I will be bringing include my ATI NCLEX book to hopefully review on the ride to and from, my travel itinerary, and my groups educational information on New Orleans! Lastly, FOOD. My day pretty much revolves around when I am going to eat so I will most definitely be bringing food. I am packing all the essentials to make myself a turkey sandwich at anytime of any day. Along with cuties because they are the perfect snack that can fit in your purse or pocket, granola bars, and water to quench my thirst on our long walks around town.

The only thing I have actually purchased specifically for this trip is a small umbrella. I only had a big one in the trunk of my car and I knew I would not want to drag it around all day in case of rain. I am positive I will find some adorable things that I will need to purchase so stay tuned.

Any nursing student knows that google is our best friend. We google EVERYTHING. Clearly I had to google New Orleans and do my research. I researched the history and big events around the area. I watched a bit of the spin off series of the Vampire Diaries, The Originals, which is based in NOLA so I am VERY excited to learn on our ghost tour and about the other history. Coincidentally enough I have been on a kick of watching The First 48 on A&E during winter break and there have been a few big murder cases based in NOLA, so that is one thing I wish I could erase from my mind!

I haven't had to make many arrangements from my "normal" life to go on this trip other than I had to find someone to cover my two shifts on January 5th and 6th. I have also had to save money here and there to ensure I am comfortable enough to afford food and other purchases to really emerge myself in New Orleans. 

As said earlier, I love traveling so the train is one of the most exciting things for me. I am making sure I bring enough snacks and entertainment for the trip to and from. I will be bringing my headphones, ATI NCLEX book, laptop, and the food I mentioned above so that I am ready for this long train ride. While preparing for the train, I also found myself preparing for the class by logging onto our class site. I looked at all of the links for the hotel, train, restaurants, and other information. I also prepped for the class by making sure I have the blogging due dates together and all of my expectations.

Inner Journey

I have very high expectations for this trip because every student that I have spoke to has raved about it. I see it as a class, but also as an opportunity to see a part of the world I have not yet seen.I always use the excuse of "I'm broke" or "I don't have time" when it comes to traveling, but this trip is allowing me to make time. I imagine this trip will be very busy due to the amount of things that we have planned, but exciting at the same time because we will be exploring new things. I hope to get more experience and knowledge about this amazing city that so many people love. I am from a small town of 700 people so I am always amazed at how culturally different parts of the world are, which will only make me a better nurse with the knowledge I continue to grow on. I took this course due to the popularity of it but also because this is my last semester and I want to experience all that I can before I enter the "real world" in May. I want to experience the culture and exciting lives of the people in NOLA. Everyone seems to free and laid back with their eye-catching attire and style. It's truly inspirational for me to be more open minded in life and to enjoy every second. I am most looking forward to the memories I will be making. This is something I will never forget. I have only traveled to a few states and one other country, so the more places I get to see the better. I am looking forward to this because we only get one life and you never know when it could end so I want to live my life the best I can. Hopefully my blog inspires more people to go out and explore this amazing world!

I say I am done packing, but this will most likely be bursting at the zipper come Wednesday