Hello all,
Well I am in my second week in the Corps of Cadets and my first week of school at Vtech. I can’t say it has been a worthwhile experience. It makes me think of a scenario where all the resentful students at the Family Foundation School would get to yell and scream at everybody, tell you you’re wrong even if you know damn well you’re not, and make up the most outlandish sanctions. It’s EXTREMELY hectic, stressing, tiring, and often seemingly pointless. I really don’t want to be here but an unfortunate chain of events put me here with the only other option having been to not attend college. First I am not allowed to go to bed until 2300. Second, if I have PT the next morning, I have to get up earlier to polish my shoes, brass, iron uniform, clean room, etc. This means 0400 wakeup, 0500-0630 PT then cleaning up for formation at 0730. A lot of time I feel we do things that are unnessessary such as having to say good morning/afternoon/evening to all our ‘BUDS’ (freshmen in my Training Company) in alphabetical order without looking to see which ones are even in the hall, then proceeding to sound off to the upperclassmen in the hall starting with the highest ranking. Now is a time when I would happily settle for the rules and regulations at FFS. My chances of getting an NROTC scholarship are slim to none because I am red/green deficient (eyesight). Even if I could get a waiver the head of the NROTC here at Tech told me it would probably state restricted duty anyway which would limit positions. I can’t get out at least until Nov. otherwise I have to take the remainder of the semester off due to re-housing and such. I failed a room inspection today that I just found out about a few minutes ago. There’s paint on the mirror which was there from day one, they said my shoes were in the wrong order although I am reading the order they gave me compared with what I have and they match, and other such (I don’t know what to call them). Other things such as not being allowed to talk to upperclassmen unless on professional matters, talk anywhere on upperquad (area of campus), having to drag (30 in steps on the right side of sidewalks w/ facing movements) all over upper quad, and other rules make life a pain. On the other hand, the NROTC is a lot more relaxed on things like that. They focus more on leadership development and physical development. I look forward to NROTC activities because NROTC supercedes VTCC so I have more freedom and the upperclassmen don’t have to be….(bad names)… The Highty-Tighties, the regimental marching band, have tons of requirements too. I have to memorize all my music AND a different set of marching patterns ranging from 300-700+ steps for each show. Then I have to be able to play the music, while counting my steps, watching the drum major, keeping in line with the people to my right, and my distance from the person in front of me. Oh yea, then I actually have school work…
Other than that, the 10 minutes I have in life to myself are great!
With love that only Virginians have,
-B
P.S. If one person messes up – we all messed up
(And later as he settled in)
Hey everyone,
It was lots of hard work and practice, and ESPN wouldn’t cover it, but some nice person recorded the Highty-Tighties first pregame show (which I happen to be in). I am one of the sousaphones in the last rank.
On the other hand, life has been good. I am finally getting into the swing of my classes. My training company is sort of like a family at school. Usually on weekends we only have unity pass, which means if we go out after 7pm all 36 of us have to go out together. I laugh, the irony never ends. It still takes a bunch of young adults twenty minute to gather in a room and sign their name in a book. An no one listens…still. I am getting along great with all my BUDS (that’s what we have to refer to each other as). Some of them have interesting stories. Right now I am in math class…on a computer…sort of not really paying attention because I think we have just gone backwards to elementary integrals… I would have to say the hardest part of my day isn’t staying in the day, it’s trying to believe that noon I have been up for 8 hours and haven’t completed any significant work because all my time was spent in class (8am-12am) or doing Corps/NROTC stuff (4am-8am). After noon, the hardest part is staying awake! I miss you all and hope all is well.
-B
P.S. – I believe yesterday was the labor day race right? Family 5 kept the tradition right?
(and finally)
Hello all,
Well, this week we had a game against Boston College… we were going to win, we should have won, but alas, in the last 4 minutes BC came back and beat us. We didn’t get to march in the halftime show, according to the announcer, “The turf is not in the proper condition for the style of marching the HT’s would have been performing.” We changed our drill almost every practice for the past two weeks and it was a severe let down. Then again, it rained literally every day for the last two weeks, including all day Thursday. We were basically in the rain from 4pm until midnight when we got back from the game.. Things have been alright. I am not doing so hot in my vector geometry class…I think I failed the last test we just took. I still don’t get much of a chance to meet new people because I am all tied up with the Corps and academics. Then again, I guess a few close friends is better than a hundred acquaintances. It’s something like 2am right now so I don’t have much more to write about.
I did go by my school on Friday and talk to my old baseball coach and a few staff I knew. My baseball coach used to work Narcotics for the DC police and retired to work Safety and Security at the school when it opened and I started there. He was involved in a lot of my meetings about getting in trouble and knew a lot about what I used to do. It was great talking to him and not having to be like, “yea I still use.” He told me that of all the people he met, I had a character that could never be replaced. I didn’t know if that was good or bad. The ‘bad kids’ at school aren’t very bad by most standards and he told me that I am the only person he sort of looked forward to in a way when he heard I was in trouble because it always seemed to be humorous. I am still not sure if that is at all good. This weekend was Homecoming and I stopped by to see the principal and he invited me in without having to pay for a ticket so I could see people I went to school with. It gave me a chance to hear people’s opinions on the old me and the new me and for me to describe the situations I went through. People ask me when I am going to get a girlfriend and I think I am the only person that doesn’t really care that much. Maybe it would be good for me to get personal with someone but… I am not so sure I want to deal with it. I am still hoping to get a chance to come up for a few days in early December or January. There is something about the Family Foundation School I will never forget…everything. Well, I am sorry I don’t have a video this week but I can proudly say life is good not by coincidence but because I allow God to let things happen the way he should, and I implement what I have been taught to make the best of situations that I can change.
Love,
-B
Thankful to carry on the good work