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.