Arrival

It was finally that time. We had arrived at the train station in New Orleans! When I first got off of the train, I could not see or experience much. Once we were inside the train station, I saw a beautiful colorful mural all across the wall. Unfortunately, since I was carrying two suit cases and two shoulder bags, I was unable to take a picture of it. The next thing I noticed were the different types of people surrounding me. There was one man in particular that stood out to me. He was wearing these baggy sweat pant-like pants that were covered entirely with a galaxy pattern. I also noticed that he was extremely short.

We, as a group, had decided that from the train station, we were going to walk to the hotel. I thought, "yeah that's a good idea, I have been sitting on this train for 14 plus hours and the walking will do me good". The weather was sunny and warm, I think it was about 70 to 75 degrees. Plus, I was excited to start sight-seeing! Okay, so we have started walking. I am pulling one big, heavy suit case on wheels in one hand, as well as another smaller, lighter suit case in the other. I have a shoulder bag on each shoulder and they each were sliding off every few minutes. So, at first I was really enjoying the walk; the weather was perfect, compared to the cool dreary weather back home. However, with each step I took my bags became heavier. My arms began to hurt as well as my shoulders, legs, and feet. What was said to be 0.8 miles was beginning to feel like 8 miles. I swore my heavy bag didn't even have wheels, that's how hard it was becoming to pull. I began to sweat in every unfortunate place women tend to sweat. My feet began to drag and I was honestly thinking I wasn't going to make it. As I fell further and further behind, I kept looking forward in amazement at how my instructor just kept on truckin' like it was no problem! Finally, I see my classmates start to turn inside a building. At this time, I got a second wind and pushed on and, after what felt like forever, I finally made it to the hotel!

Once I walked into the hotel, I was impressed with the decor. But, I was more focused on getting to my hotel room and plopping down on my bed. Once we navigated the 3rd floor hallway and found our room, I quickly took my shoes and socks off and plopped onto my bed. I laid there for a good 5 minutes. As I am laying there, I am enjoying the air conditioning. I was sweaty, winded, and experiencing slight tachycardia. I can feel my pulse all throughout my body, especially my lips. I had not had to exert that much energy in quite a while; which goes to show just how sedentary my life may be.

After my roommates and I had gotten cleaned up, it was time to go on our first outing! The city was, and typically always is, very packed, busy, and fast paced. However, I was very impressed on how well my instructor knew her way around and how efficiently she got us to the restaurant. I was constantly looking around, admiring all of the sites and Christmas decorations. Christmas is my favorite time of year and seeing a big city all decorated makes me very happy!