Week 3 done!!! 2 weeks from today, we will be graduating! Wooo hooo. I can't wait. I was really hoping we'd get off base liberty this weekend so we could go down to Newport and check out the town, or maybe drive out to the famous mansions and check them out. We are confined to the base this weekend. On the bright side, no time limits on internet time and now we can go anywhere on base... which means real food at the Officer's Club instead of nasty galley food and bowling.
The motto here among my shipmates and I is "Proceed until Apprehended" and "It is easier to ask for forgiveness than it is for permission". But the main idea here is not to get caught, whhich might be one of the reasons we're confined on base this weekend. A couple people decided to go to the bowling alley during the weekday. They never really specifically said that we couldn't but senior chief was there with his family and caught some people there. When another group showed up and had no excuse, he got pretty pissed. We've also been yelled at for not working as a team. Some people just have bad attitudes and don't want to be here. We call these the Flotsam... or is it Jetsam? I forget... lol
We took two exams today. F.O.C and B.O.C. which stands for Fleet Officer Ciriculum and Basic Officer Ciriculum. They need to come up with a better acronym... lol. Anywho, I'm just glad I passed and I was guessing a lot by the end. Woot, one step closer to graduation!
The next two weeks should be fun. We are starting the DAWSEY courses... leadership stuff. I'm excited cuz LT said we can have coffee and food in class! We also get to do the Buttercup wet trainer and Fire Fighting training next week. I can't wait!
Now that we have some liberty this weekend, I'm gonna try to come back and post some pictures. We had our Dress Blue inspections today and I'm getting my pictures taken tomorrow. Can't wait til we can leave base!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
AYE SIR
Time is running short so I'll have to make this a quick one. "Indoctrination" phase is over! W00t. That means less getting yelled at, less getting hammered, and less push-ups! Our days are getting better with more free time after dinner. Case in point, even tho it's like 30 degrees out and pouring rain, me and my shipmates made the treck over to the internet cafe just to have access to gmail and facebook. We were thinking about changing out of our uniforms into our PT gear but decided we were already stretching our luck. haha. Makes us jealous to see the CDO clothes wear civilian clothes walking around the mess hall. We like to make fun of them too. We were obnoxiously loud today at dinner with our "AYE SIR" and "FORWARD MARCH" and "LAST SAILORS". I wish we could video tape our class and the OCS class so we could show everyone at home.
I'm missing home a lot and it's kind of hit me that even after I'm done here, I won't get to go back home... I'll be moving all the way across the country to go to Cali. A part of me doesn't want to go anymore... I miss home too much but I know this is just a new chapter and something I have to do. Maybe I'll request for them to send me to Bethesda Navy Hospital Center after my 3 years are up if I want to continue with the Navy.
There's so much to say about my experiences here so far but so little time! I'm hoping we get more liberty soon so I can upload some pictures and share some more stories. In the meantime, I'm loving all the mail from home! It's like gold! Love and miss you guys!
I'm missing home a lot and it's kind of hit me that even after I'm done here, I won't get to go back home... I'll be moving all the way across the country to go to Cali. A part of me doesn't want to go anymore... I miss home too much but I know this is just a new chapter and something I have to do. Maybe I'll request for them to send me to Bethesda Navy Hospital Center after my 3 years are up if I want to continue with the Navy.
There's so much to say about my experiences here so far but so little time! I'm hoping we get more liberty soon so I can upload some pictures and share some more stories. In the meantime, I'm loving all the mail from home! It's like gold! Love and miss you guys!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Freeeeeedommmmm.... ok not really
We were granted our first days of "liberty" this weekend. The parameters are: you're not allowed to leave base, you're only allowed out in your uniform, you only have a 30 minute limit at the liberty center and 30 minutes at the NEX, and you have to travel everywhere with a buddy. Hey, I'll take it. It's been a rough couple weeks and I'll take anything that can help me feel like normal person again, i.e. checking my personal email. Hooorahhh
Everyone here is constantly exhausted. Days usually begin at 0430 and we start with PT. MWF are run days and Tues Thurs are strengthening days (i.e. 8 count body builders, push ups, sit-ups, jack webs, etc). We don't usually know what's going on but we are usually in a rush to get ready cuz the motto is "hurry up and wait". We do that a lot around here... standing around and waiting. It's also a rule that if you're not early, then you are considered late. I'd give anything to sleep past 0500. Sundays are supposed to be our days off but now we have to do PT and drill practice on weekends. The weather has gotten sunnier and warmer which is really great and uplifting.
It's been quite an experience here... I'm still trying to grasp the concept that I'm really part of this now. Wearing this uniform, marching in formation, saluting, answering "yes, sir" or "yes senior chief" and making sure not to mix up the two. The uniforms look pretty spiffy but they've messed up my pants a couple times now. The first time they were too long and too tight but I had to bear with it since my second pair hadn't come in yet. I took them back to hem up but now they are too short and still too tight. I'm still waiting on my second pair of pants to come in... lol.
It feels pretty awesome and weird at the same time to walk around base and have people salute you. I'm learning a lot here... especially about working with other people. Some people here just don't really give a crap and have bad attitudes. I really have no idea what they're doing here. They have a mind of their own and always want to put out their opinion. My thoughts are, just suck it up, do what you're told and it will all be over in 3 weeks. The more we work together as a team and the less we screw up, the more liberty and freedom we get. Case in point, we were given back our chairs at chow and now are allowed to lean back in our chairs! Woot victory. Now if only we can get senior chief to allow us to have dessert and regular soda.
Well my time is up. until next time!
Everyone here is constantly exhausted. Days usually begin at 0430 and we start with PT. MWF are run days and Tues Thurs are strengthening days (i.e. 8 count body builders, push ups, sit-ups, jack webs, etc). We don't usually know what's going on but we are usually in a rush to get ready cuz the motto is "hurry up and wait". We do that a lot around here... standing around and waiting. It's also a rule that if you're not early, then you are considered late. I'd give anything to sleep past 0500. Sundays are supposed to be our days off but now we have to do PT and drill practice on weekends. The weather has gotten sunnier and warmer which is really great and uplifting.
It's been quite an experience here... I'm still trying to grasp the concept that I'm really part of this now. Wearing this uniform, marching in formation, saluting, answering "yes, sir" or "yes senior chief" and making sure not to mix up the two. The uniforms look pretty spiffy but they've messed up my pants a couple times now. The first time they were too long and too tight but I had to bear with it since my second pair hadn't come in yet. I took them back to hem up but now they are too short and still too tight. I'm still waiting on my second pair of pants to come in... lol.
It feels pretty awesome and weird at the same time to walk around base and have people salute you. I'm learning a lot here... especially about working with other people. Some people here just don't really give a crap and have bad attitudes. I really have no idea what they're doing here. They have a mind of their own and always want to put out their opinion. My thoughts are, just suck it up, do what you're told and it will all be over in 3 weeks. The more we work together as a team and the less we screw up, the more liberty and freedom we get. Case in point, we were given back our chairs at chow and now are allowed to lean back in our chairs! Woot victory. Now if only we can get senior chief to allow us to have dessert and regular soda.
Well my time is up. until next time!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
First Days
Been enjoying liberty since I arrived here yesterday. Gotta make the most of our free time before all of our freedom is stripped away tonight at 2000. Met some cool people and went bowling last night. Today, a couple of us went to downtown Newport. It reminds me a lot of Annapolis... I miss home!
There are a lot of rules and regulations to go thru with even more things to memorize. Making my bed and setting up my room was no easy feat either. It took me like 30min to get my bed just perfectly right; I didn't want to sleep in it afterwards. Since we haven't been issued anything yet, and I forgot to bring a pair of sweatpants, I was freezing my butt off last night. Lucky thing I stole my nonexistent roommate's blanket. We're all supposed to have one other roommate but for some reason I don't have one. I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse cuz I'm gonna be the odd man out and will also be responsible for cleaning the entire room instead of just half.
Not sure what to expect come tonight but all that I know is that I'm really nervous and a little scared. Now time to go study!
There are a lot of rules and regulations to go thru with even more things to memorize. Making my bed and setting up my room was no easy feat either. It took me like 30min to get my bed just perfectly right; I didn't want to sleep in it afterwards. Since we haven't been issued anything yet, and I forgot to bring a pair of sweatpants, I was freezing my butt off last night. Lucky thing I stole my nonexistent roommate's blanket. We're all supposed to have one other roommate but for some reason I don't have one. I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse cuz I'm gonna be the odd man out and will also be responsible for cleaning the entire room instead of just half.
Not sure what to expect come tonight but all that I know is that I'm really nervous and a little scared. Now time to go study!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Happiness and Passion
"...the saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there's nothing to make it last..."
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The most agonizing 3 days
Taking the NCLEX has got to be one of the most traumatizing experiences ever. Granted, I can be pretty melodramatic sometimes, but this exam really got the best of me. I had been studying and doING practice questions on repeat since graduation. I was still scoring in the 60-70% range. There was just too much information and too little time! My emotions were going crazy. One minute I was thinking, shoo I got this... I was educated at one of the best schools on the east coast. No CNL has ever failed before... Then one minute later, I went to the dark side... omg what if I fail? I can't do this. I suck at exam taking! My life will be over if I fail! Yes, this was the yo-yo whirlwind I was going thru for a good two weeks before the exam.
So the big day comes. Of course, my face has completely broken out in blemishes and I couldn't sleep for the life of me. As I was standing there waiting with the other students, I could feel my heart pumping out of my chest. OMG, this is really it. After being finger printed, palm scanned, picture taken, and security checked I sat down and began the exam. First question... hey this isn't so bad. Second question... wtf? And so went the rest of the exam; I guessed on about all of them. When I got up to 60 questions, I just kept thinking please shut off at 75, I'm tired of this. (You can get anywhere from 75-265 questions). Well, the machine cut me off at 76 questions. As soon as the screen went blue and said, "thank you, your exam is now complete", all I could think about was how badly I had just failed.
So the next 2 days were spent in prayer as I waited for my results. While at work, I decided to check the Maryland Board of Nursing website and look up my name. Lo and behold, there was my name with a license number after it. I just about fell out of my chair. I had just passed the NCLEX!!! I am now officially a Registered Nurse!!
Words really can't express how happy and relieved I am. Now I can spend the next month relaxing, chilling with my friends and family, working out, packing, looking for a place to live, and getting ready for ODS and my career as a Navy Nurse. Woo hoo!!!
So the big day comes. Of course, my face has completely broken out in blemishes and I couldn't sleep for the life of me. As I was standing there waiting with the other students, I could feel my heart pumping out of my chest. OMG, this is really it. After being finger printed, palm scanned, picture taken, and security checked I sat down and began the exam. First question... hey this isn't so bad. Second question... wtf? And so went the rest of the exam; I guessed on about all of them. When I got up to 60 questions, I just kept thinking please shut off at 75, I'm tired of this. (You can get anywhere from 75-265 questions). Well, the machine cut me off at 76 questions. As soon as the screen went blue and said, "thank you, your exam is now complete", all I could think about was how badly I had just failed.
So the next 2 days were spent in prayer as I waited for my results. While at work, I decided to check the Maryland Board of Nursing website and look up my name. Lo and behold, there was my name with a license number after it. I just about fell out of my chair. I had just passed the NCLEX!!! I am now officially a Registered Nurse!!
Words really can't express how happy and relieved I am. Now I can spend the next month relaxing, chilling with my friends and family, working out, packing, looking for a place to live, and getting ready for ODS and my career as a Navy Nurse. Woo hoo!!!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Our nation's awesome capitol
It's always been kinda sad how much we take living so close to DC for granted. It's such a wonderful place with tons of things to do and explore! I know I've always felt this way but I think it's hitting me harder now that I'm actually moving away from it!
We had some guests visiting from South Carolina this weekend so we took advantage of the opportunity and took them to explore DC. I was excited because we got to go to the spy museum! I had heard a lot of great things about it but never really had the opportunity to go explore it. Unfortunately, they didn't let us take any pictures inside so I don't have any to share here. The museum was bigger than I thought it would be and there were a lot of cool things inside. I would highly recommend it, just make sure you have a lot of time to spend since there's lots of reading and exploring to do! Next time I want to try one of the missions where you're a spy and they give you a task to complete. I always wondered what it'd be like to be a spy...
After the museum, we went to see a bunch of monuments... the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Lincoln, Vietnam Memorial, Iwo Jima/Marine Corps Memorial, and the Roosevelt Memorial. LOTS! Let's just say my legs were ready to fall off by the end of the day. lol. Here are some pictures.
The US Capitol! Too bad we didn't have time to go here.
Taken at the WWII Memorial. Go Navy!
WWII Memorial, really liked how this pic turned out, well except for the pipes and dried up pool. haha but the background colors are nice.
Taken at the top of the steps to the Lincoln Memorial.
Iwo Jima/Marine Corps Memorial. This thing is massssive! Really awesome, it strikes a cord in me. Represents freedom and what we're fighting for!
I still have quite a lot more to explore, til next time DC!!!
*For some reason, the pics came out extremely small... don't know how to make them bigger so just click on them to get the bigger version. Really do love how these pics turned out*
We had some guests visiting from South Carolina this weekend so we took advantage of the opportunity and took them to explore DC. I was excited because we got to go to the spy museum! I had heard a lot of great things about it but never really had the opportunity to go explore it. Unfortunately, they didn't let us take any pictures inside so I don't have any to share here. The museum was bigger than I thought it would be and there were a lot of cool things inside. I would highly recommend it, just make sure you have a lot of time to spend since there's lots of reading and exploring to do! Next time I want to try one of the missions where you're a spy and they give you a task to complete. I always wondered what it'd be like to be a spy...
After the museum, we went to see a bunch of monuments... the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Lincoln, Vietnam Memorial, Iwo Jima/Marine Corps Memorial, and the Roosevelt Memorial. LOTS! Let's just say my legs were ready to fall off by the end of the day. lol. Here are some pictures.
The US Capitol! Too bad we didn't have time to go here.
Taken at the WWII Memorial. Go Navy!
WWII Memorial, really liked how this pic turned out, well except for the pipes and dried up pool. haha but the background colors are nice.
Taken at the top of the steps to the Lincoln Memorial.
Iwo Jima/Marine Corps Memorial. This thing is massssive! Really awesome, it strikes a cord in me. Represents freedom and what we're fighting for!
I still have quite a lot more to explore, til next time DC!!!
*For some reason, the pics came out extremely small... don't know how to make them bigger so just click on them to get the bigger version. Really do love how these pics turned out*
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