Mandatory fun is mandatory.

So mandatory fun is when you have to go do some activity with your classmates. Usually people go see a movie or have a cookout. The main purpose behind it is to get some time (half a day or so) off school, relax, and have a little fun. Well, our enterprising class decided against a simple cookout and decided the class would go play paintball. So I wasn't looking forward to it, but we had fun. I'd never played before, but I actually got a kill. :) And there was another surprise: one of the quiet guys in class who said he had never played before turned out to be a really good player. Yeah, his team only lost one match.

We started ICE (Instrumentation and Control Equipment). A few weeks ago our class of EMs and ETs split. Now it's just us ETs. It took a while, but we finally got rid of them. :P This new class is so much more difficult than the ones we've done so far. People are putting in more study hours and getting lower test scores.

Anyway, we graduate from A school next month and we get to go on 10 days of leave right after that. I'm really excited to visit with my family. I read forums before I joined the Navy and they all said I should be spending time with my family, not reading forums. If you're in DEP, stop reading this and go spend some time with someone you love, because you'll be cutoff from them and you'll discover just how much you rely on your interactions with them. My mother was worried I would change when I joined the military and she was right, but I think it was for the better. :)

Later. :)

Making It Through

So I'm about half way through A school now. We had Math and Basic Electricity (BE) for the first 2 weeks. After that, Math was over and we just had BE. Then starting with the 3rd month we started Electronic Fundamentals (E Funds). Next there's Digital Electronics (Digital) and ICE (I don't know what it stands for) for the ET's and E Quip (that one either) for the EM's. When I got here, I had a roommate, but she's an MM; she graduated and moved into a "Petty Officer Suite". Those rooms are 1 person per room, 2 rooms to each bathroom.

The work is tough, but doable. When I'm feeling demotivated, I think about how lucky I am to be here and all the crap I've gone through to get here. Here, the Navy holds everyone to a higher standard than elsewhere in the Navy. I know how that sounds, but it's true. Sailors who are "de-nuked" go one (most of the time) to become outstanding sailors in other jobs. Everything here has to be perfect: grades, uniforms, room inspections, PFA scores, watches, cleaning...

Goose Creek, SC

It feels like it has been years, but I've finally made it to nuke school. I was nervous at first, but this place is so nice. Anyway, I'll get to that part later. You probably want to know how bootcamp was, huh? I really prefer not to think about it, so I won't volunteer many details. If you have a specific question, please ask and I'll answer. :)

Bootcamp was a 2 month long mind game. The RDCs (Recruit Division Commanders AKA the boss) spend the whole time messing with your head. The best advice I have is to be quiet and pay attention. The RDCs will tell you exactly what to do and there's always someone who does it incorrectly. Bootcamp would've been much easier if I had been able to pass the PFA before I left. Other than that, the most difficult part was learning to live with 79 other females. It's always loud after taps. Everything in your rack (bed) has to be folded and arranged in the rack specific way.

After I graduated bootcamp, I was in THU (Temporary Holding Unit) for a while because medical screwed up my medical record. So I had to get that straightened out, then wait for new orders to nuke school. heh :) The Navy's motto should be "Hurry up and wait." If you have to go to THU for any reason, just know life there isn't so bad. He had fun and there are usually some nice people there and there's certainly more freedom and less work than bootcamp. So be grateful! :)

THU has phases 1-3 for the "THUers" there. Each phase provides more freedoms, like getting to wear "civies" (civilian clothes) and more fun jobs, such as getting to pick up new recruits at the airport. That's especially fun; I got to do it once. A blast. :p I bought a laptop, along with a mobile hotspot and a bunch of movies and video games. While we did clean and stand watches, we still had lots of time on our hands.

Anyway, that's over and I'm at NNPTC (Navy Nuclear Power Training Command) now. I'm in "Indoc" (Indoctrination) and I'm an "Indocker". I'm just learning the rules and regulations of the base. It's much easier since I was in THU. Apparently the phases are the same Navy-wide. There's a lot of fun stuff to do around the base and there's always something going on at the MWR (Morale, Welfare, Recreation). My roommate and I went to see a free movie at the base theater the other weekend. There's also the bowling alley and a hobby car shop.

The rooms are great. There's a bunk bed with drawers under the bottom bunk, two nightstands, two armoires, and a whole closet. I share the room with one person and we share the bathroom with 2 people in the adjoining room. It's a big change from a compartment with 80 people. :)

I think I'm doing well with the adjustment. I haven't been late for muster and we did a mock PFA today and I passed! Looks like I'll be in Indoc at least another week, so I need to formulate some goals to improve myself, because I'm sure I'll consider this downtime when I start A school. ;)