Expectations

I have a feeling that the course and the trip will be very enjoyable and full of learning experiences. I can hardly believe that we leave in less than a week. The more I think about it the more excited and nervous I feel. The nervous feeling is coming from being outside of my comfort zone, but that also excites me at the same time. I believe that the trip itself will be very busy, and that is not a bad thing at all. I am mentally prepared to take in as much information as I can on every tour and from simply walking around looking at the sites. I am interested to see how life differs in New Orleans compared to Peoria. It is difficult for me to imagine that it is extremely different considering they are both in the same country, but I could be completely wrong.

Peoria, IL

New Orleans, LA

As for the course, I have never kept a travel journal or a travel blog, so I hope that I will be able to accurately capture my experiences in New Orleans through blogging. I have kept journals and had a blog before, but nothing like this. Honestly I am slightly self-conscious about my writing, so the inner journey posts may take me longer than others to write. Nonetheless, I expect that this course and keeping this blog will enhance my experience in New Orleans by providing a chance for me to deeply reflect on my experiences.
What I hope to get out of this travel course is completely new experiences, and to open my mind about what life is like outside of Peoria, Illinois. I have always loved to travel. When I went to Ireland it was the best three weeks of my life. Why? Because it made me realize that there is so much more to this life than what we see in our daily lives. There are so many amazing people in the world, and we are all different. That is surely something to be celebrated. I also took this course to learn firsthand the history surrounding New Orleans. Simply put, I love learning about history and New Orleans has some very interesting historical spots. This course is also my very last upper level general education course, so I figured this would be my chance to choose something different and exciting.
I am looking forward to so many things on this trip. The first thing that really caught my attention on the itinerary was the ghost tour, and that is on the very first day! I am not sure why, but ghosts and supposed hauntings have always interested me. I am also looking forward to visiting the Museum of Death on our free day. I wanted to visit the one in Hollywood when I was in California, but I did not get the chance.

Museum of Death in New Orleans

But what I am most looking forward to on this trip is experiencing the culture and people of New Orleans. As I stated before, differences are to be celebrated, and I am very excited to experience firsthand what life is like in New Orleans. I am unsure of exactly what to expect, but one thing I know for sure is that I am ready.

Preparations

If I am being completely honest here, I have an awful habit of procrastinating. I have not begun packing yet, but I have almost completed my list of everything to pack, which is a step in the right direction. I am a person who must write everything down or else I will forget it, so I am trying to include every single item that I may or may not need for the trip. I found an old notebook of mine, grabbed a pen, and have begun writing down everything from my toothbrush to my iPod.

My sad packing state so far. My rabbit is a little confused about what is happening.

According to weather.com, the temperature in New Orleans ranges from the low 70's to the low 50's from Tuesday to Sunday. Also included in the forecast is rain on 5 of those 6 days. Right now as I type this blog post my fingers are freezing, I am wearing a hoodie, thick fuzzy socks, sweatpants, and I am wrapped up in a comforter. I can hear the wind raging outside, and I can practically feel the coldness down to my bones. I know I am ready for 70 degree weather, and hopefully I am ready for nearly 100 percent humidity!
I am packing mostly casual and comfortable clothing, with the exception of one nicer outfit to wear to dinner one night. In my list so far I have included just the basics. I have a habit of packing too much when I travel, so I am trying to keep my bags as light as possible. As I said before, I am a procrastinator, therefore I have not bought anything for the trip yet. I plan on buying a new SD card for my camera, snacks, drinks, and possibly a rain jacket.
The research I have done so far has mainly included what is considered a "must-see" in New Orleans when you are visiting. Repeating destinations that are not included on our itinerary are The National World War II Museum, Hermann-Grima House, Beauregard-Keyes House, and New Orleans City Park, just to name a few. Every site that I have visited so far has stated that New Orleans is a wonderful city to visit, and it has a rich and interesting history.
I am more than happy that we are taking the train to New Orleans. The swaying of the train is very relaxing to me, and I much prefer it over driving or even flying. For the train ride I am bringing a blanket, pillow, headphones, iPod, a book, snacks, and a drink. I have taken the train four times to Kansas City, Missouri, and I have had an enjoyable and relaxing experience every time.
Lastly, in preparation for the class, I have read Walking in the City, mostly all of Globejotting, and I plan on reading the rest of the material tonight after I have completed this blog post. The template for my blog is complete, and I have met with my group to finish the template for our group blog, as well. I have also downloaded the Google+ app on my phone in order to easily access my blog from anywhere. Now back to reading, researching, and packing!

Assumptions

I realize that my assumptions about urban settings are most likely very typical and stereotypical, especially my assumptions about New Orleans. I have a romanticized version of New Orleans in my mind, but I know that it is most probably not the case. I gave my descriptions about general urban settings based off of my few trips to downtown Chicago. I have been to downtown Chicago and downtown St. Louis multiple times, but for some reason I have it in my mind that New Orleans is much different. Perhaps I think this because New Orleans is in a completely different part of the country, and the culture may be different there than here in the Midwest. Every urban setting is different, and I had it in my mind that New Orleans is more similar to Dublin, Ireland than a city like Chicago or New York. When I went to Dublin 3 years ago, I was shocked to see that the tallest buildings there could not have been more than five or six stories tall. Every building seemed to be different, and there was unique and interesting architecture everywhere. Also, it seemed like there was a piece of history around every corner. From the few pictures I have seen of New Orleans, and hearing about all of the history there, I was immediately reminded of Dublin. This is why I described New Orleans as I did in my previous blog post. This is also why I realize my assumptions are most likely wrong because every city is different, and I cannot picture any city like Dublin here in the United States.
I honestly feel as if I do not know very much about New Orleans. I have seen many pictures of the most iconic places in New Orleans, talked to a couple people who have been there, and I have watched a few shows involving the supposedly haunted places in the city. Other than that, I feel like I have much more research to do prior to the trip so I can get the full experience out of it. One of the assumptions I made was New Orleans is not as modern as other cities, and I made this assumption because I was thinking of all the history there that is hopefully preserved. I know that this assumption is most likely entirely not accurate, and I am excited to see for myself how right or wrong I am. As for my assumption about people in New Orleans being more friendly than those in Chicago, that remains to be seen. It is unfair to judge an entire population of a city of course, but from my past experiences it seems as though people in cities are more on edge than most. I am looking forward to looking back on these posts and realizing how right or wrong I was. I know that most of my assumptions are most likely romanticized in some way, but I am very excited for this trip nonetheless.

Urban Settings

When I think of urban settings I immediately picture tall and gray buildings, lines of cars honking, people rushing from place to place, and I feel this sense of wonder and awe. I feel this because I think of what it took to make the city, and I think of all of the people who are accustomed to the craziness of city life. The buildings in an urban settings are all fairly similar to each other, and there is only occasionally a building with unique and detailed architecture. Everything in a major city is modernized, and built to maximize efficiency with the limited space available. I hear constant noise from the cars, people walking, and the screech of the train. When I think of the people in an urban setting I picture them as being in a hurry, not very personable, and everyone minding their own business. I cannot picture myself ever living in a larger city, so I am amazed by the people who see the city as part of their every day life. Also, I think of the homeless who live in cities and I get a feeling of sadness for them. I picture these images and feel this way because my mind automatically thinks of walking through the city of Chicago. I also get a slight feeling of anxiety when thinking of an urban setting such as Chicago because at times there are so many people and sounds surrounding you, and it can become a little overwhelming.
When I think of New Orleans, for some reason I get an entirely different picture. I do not immediately picture tall and gray skyscrapers, and instead I picture colorful buildings on either side of the road. I picture the architecture of New Orleans as being much more elaborate and detailed. I think of the St. Louis cemetery and Mardi Gras. I think of the historical significance of the city, and not the people rushing to work or the constant noise. I realize that every major city has historical landmarks and significance, but for some reason I immediately think of the history surrounding New Orleans as one of my first thoughts when thinking of the city. I think of New Orleans being a little less modern than Chicago or New York. Overall, I picture New Orleans as being entirely different from my stereotypical images of a busy and noisy urban setting. I picture the people of New Orleans as being more friendly than the people of a larger urban setting, especially in areas that have more tourists. Speaking of tourists, I picture New Orleans as having more tourists than the city of Chicago or even New York at times. There is so much history in New Orleans that I think many people appreciate and want to see, and it does not hurt that the weather in winter is much better in New Orleans than Chicago or New York. I still picture New Orleans as being crowded with people, but I picture the setting to be more pleasant than that of a larger city.