Transportation

Let’s pick up where we left off: transportation. I discovered in the fall that March for Life and Reorientation retreat (affectionately called ReO) overlapped. Disappointed, I asked my department chair if I could somehow do both. We brainstormed and found that the bus for March for Life drove through Indianapolis, where I could get a train to Chicago (destination for ReO)! We had to check a few small logistics before committing ourselves. We called the director of March for Life at the archdiocese to ask for permission to drop me off in Indianapolis- he approved. I emailed JVC to ask for permission to be late to ReO and coordinate a ride to the retreat site- permission granted and transportation organized. JVC emailed FJVs to ask for someone to come sit in the train station in Indianapolis with me from 2-6am while I waited for the train- Rachel, a saint, volunteered! Victory! I booked the train ticket for the morning of Wed. Jan. 22. 

Now, if any of you were reading closely you’ve probably realized my first error. I booked the train ticket for the wrong day! Of course, I didn’t realize this until Mon. Jan. 20 at about midnight. If any of my roommate faculty members were awake, they probably saw me kneeling beside the bed, my face lit only by the light from my laptop, frantically searching online. Fortunately, Amtrak allowed me to switch my ticket, at no cost, to the right day. Crises averted. 

Or so I thought. Immediately after boarding the bus after the March, our trip coordinator started peppering me with questions. Where exactly did I need to be dropped off? What time did I need to be there by? Could they drop me somewhere else? Evidently, the archdiocesan coordinator had not communicated to the bus caravan coordinator that I needed to be dropped in Indianapolis. The bus coordinator was none-too-pleased. I explained to him that we previously arranged this drop off and if it didn’t happen I would be stranded-- there were no alternates. He begrudgingly agreed. 

As if this whole endeavor wasn’t debacle enough, the trouble continued. When my department chair and I looked at the route, we estimated that I would arrive in Indianapolis around 2am. That gave me four hours in between arriving in Indianapolis and departing by train- good leeway in case we ran into issues. And issues we had, abundantly. Not only did we depart from DC late, but we also ran into traffic on the way home. By the time we got out of traffic, our eta in Indianapolis was 4am. I still had plenty of time. I texted Rachel to tell her it would be later than expected. However, that eta didn’t account for our numerous, lengthy stops. Each time we ate or changed drivers or had a bathroom break, I nervously checked my watch. Our eta crept closer and closer to 6am. I only slept for about 2 hours that night. Finally, we made it to Indianapolis around 5:15am. Rachel met me and we chatted in the train station. At 6am I boarded the train and headed to Chicago, grateful to be on an established route for the next four hours. 

I slept most of the train ride, but anxiety woke me once again for the last leg. Another train delayed my journey an hour. That meant I would miss the metro I had intended to catch to the outskirts of Chicago. I called JVC and informed them of the circumstances, hoping they would simply send someone to Union Station to pick me up. Not the case. The same metro ran again an hour later, and I was to take that. 

So, after arriving at Union Station, I tramped, with luggage in tow, through downtown Chicago to the metro station (which took 15 minutes to find due to construction). Once there I purchased my ticket, sleepily guarded my luggage, and eventually got on the metro. When I exited the metro and found the JVC staff, relief swept through me. I could stop traveling now.