Railroad, Take Me Home

Yesterday, I took a same-day return trip to Chicago. Having traveled there by train for four times, I was not as curious and excited; instead, I was more worried about the classes I missed and the back pain caused by the long sedentary train ride. Taking a break from reviewing lecture slides on my laptop, I looked around and noticed people doing different activities and had various states of mood. Interestingly, from the things they were doing, their talking voices, facial expressions, and body gestures, I could almost take a guess on their purposes of traveling. Below are the three major moods I found among people around me upon my very sketchy observation.

Excitement

The two ladies who were seated several rows ahead of me were talking loudly about their travel plans for the following week in Chicago. The excitement in their voices was palpable, which reminded me of my first time to take a train to Chicago. It was the thanksgiving break two years ago, and I was traveling with four of my friends. We were so excited about the trip and were chattering along the way. And you know what, the train arrived on schedule that time! Actually we were so exhilarated and everything seemed like a novelty for us that we would not mind staying longer on the train.

Anxiety

Train rides, possibly the most old-fashioned form of transportation, could be enjoyable, as long as one has enough patience and nothing urgent to do because the train is often delayed, especially in snowy winters like now. Unfortunately I did not have as much patience this time because I had an important appointment at noon which I strongly didn’t want to miss because otherwise I would have to stay for an extra night and skip all classes of another day. The train moved at the painfully slow speed, and as the appointment time was approaching, I got more and more anxious but could do nothing about it. The guy sitting behind me made several phone calls to adjust the meeting time with his friends. His voice was filled with impatience and frustration. I felt deep sympathy and compassion for him, and myself.

Contentment, Tiredness and Boredom

On the returning train, there were fewer passionate travelers because most night train rides were “homeward bounds” for wanderers and students returning to schools.  Thus, the train had a quiet ambiance, mingled with occasional sounds of typing the keyboard, peaceful, almost imperceptible snores and whispers of people answering the phone. Feeling exhausted after the errands on foot in the afternoon and more than ten hours of train ride, I opened my laptop and started doing the readings for Wednesday’s class. It was almost midnight, and everyone on the train seemed lethargic after a long day, waiting in silent for the train to reach their destination.