Today was the day that I passed the 700 point mark. I have officially passed Spanish! Of course there is one more test to take and the oral presentation to give, but I have the piece of mind that no matter what happens from this point on, I have completely made it through my training. So, to celebrate I went back to my room and packed my things! I know I have 8 more days here, but I really won't need all of the clothes I brought or bought, so I decided that they needed to get packed right away. I shared this happy moment with one of my dearest friends. Jennifer gave me her lunch hour to chat which I deeply appreciated. Girl talk is rare in these parts!!
That's it for now. Just a quick hello and some good news. See you all very soon!!
xoxo
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
A weekend away
This week was truly uneventful. I learned Spanish, I studied Spanish, and I was tested. Sound fun yet??? I'm happy to say that I did well on my exam and I am getting close to that 700 mark. I think my total after today's quiz is 597. Thursday is our next big exam and that will definitely put me in the 700 club which most of the native speakers will be at by tomorrow or Wednesday. Until then, I am living off of coffee and smiles.
The absolute highlight of this week came Friday night. My Texan flew in from Maryland for the weekend for a short and must needed visit. We spent two nights on one of the local islands that was recommended by one of my instructors. He thought we were going to walk around the historic downtown area and go into all of the little shops, but to his surprise I had an ace up my sleve. There is an fort on the island that was built back in the 1800's and the last time it was used was during WWII. On the first weekend of every month they have live reinactments and these role players tell you all about how life was back in those days. I had no idea that the woman who washed the men's clothes made $26 a month when a young private only made $12. Smart women!! We both enjoyed the history and he was happy that we weren't shopping. Although later that day we walked the streets of the historic downtown and enjoyed a great lunch and dinner. The weekend was perfect and we can't wait to have many more like it.
On a sad note, this past Friday, the father of one of my very best friend's died. They believe that he had a heart attack on the way to the hospital to seek treatment. Please keep her family in your prayers.
I miss you all.
xoxo
P.S. This is him....sorry about the squnity faces, it was bright out!
The absolute highlight of this week came Friday night. My Texan flew in from Maryland for the weekend for a short and must needed visit. We spent two nights on one of the local islands that was recommended by one of my instructors. He thought we were going to walk around the historic downtown area and go into all of the little shops, but to his surprise I had an ace up my sleve. There is an fort on the island that was built back in the 1800's and the last time it was used was during WWII. On the first weekend of every month they have live reinactments and these role players tell you all about how life was back in those days. I had no idea that the woman who washed the men's clothes made $26 a month when a young private only made $12. Smart women!! We both enjoyed the history and he was happy that we weren't shopping. Although later that day we walked the streets of the historic downtown and enjoyed a great lunch and dinner. The weekend was perfect and we can't wait to have many more like it.
On a sad note, this past Friday, the father of one of my very best friend's died. They believe that he had a heart attack on the way to the hospital to seek treatment. Please keep her family in your prayers.
I miss you all.
xoxo
P.S. This is him....sorry about the squnity faces, it was bright out!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The light at the end of the tunnel...
Phew! What a crazy and cranky week and a half. Spanish has continued to be challenging for me and I don't think I have ever in my life studied so much for anything. It has been a race to meet the passing 700 points so that just a little bit of pressure can be relieved. That's not to say that I can stop putting forth effort, it just means that I know that no matter what happens, I have passed. After today's exam my point total is 570 which means I will easily reach over 700 by this time next week. Until then it's all study study study!!
Last Saturday I ran a 5k with the academy led by Mr. K. It was all for one of the local PTA's and was a nice brisk jog around the island. I took my usual place in the back of the pack and noticed Mr. K looking around. He then says, "Ma'am what are you doing back there? Get up here!" With my usual yes sir, I moved my way to the lead position where I remained for the entire run. At one point Mr. K had me running with the guide(the agency flag) which was slightly more exhausting than I though it would be. Then as we were just a little past the half way mark, I tripped over some tree roots that were coming up from beneath the concrete. I scraped my elbow on the way down and all I could hear was one of the other PT instructors telling the guys to help me up. Little did that instructor know, this fall was not my first fall. Mr. K did not slow the group down nor did he stop. He knew I would catch back up to my spot in front and that's what I did. In true Mr. K fashion he looks over at me and says, "Nice tactical roll ma'am." Trying to hold back my laughter I answered with a quick thank you sir and finished the race strong. The best part about the whole thing was I made a new friend from one of the classes that started a couple months after I did. Her name is Beth and she is from Pennsylvania. We have already done one girl's day out and are planning another for next weekend. I'm just sorry I didn't make the effort to meet her sooner.
With that said, all work and no play makes me cranky! This weekend my Texan is coming into town for a short visit. We both have been looking forward to spending some time together and hitting that mental reset button. We are staying on one of the local islands that's full of history, cute shops, and great restaurants. It was one of the places that my instructor goes for a little R&R so I thought it would be right up our alley. Hopefully I can get some pictures of us to share with you all.
Well, I'm sorry for the boring blog, but there really isn't anything going on in this sleepy little town. The only good news is that I will be home in 15 days!!!!! See you all then!
xoxo
Last Saturday I ran a 5k with the academy led by Mr. K. It was all for one of the local PTA's and was a nice brisk jog around the island. I took my usual place in the back of the pack and noticed Mr. K looking around. He then says, "Ma'am what are you doing back there? Get up here!" With my usual yes sir, I moved my way to the lead position where I remained for the entire run. At one point Mr. K had me running with the guide(the agency flag) which was slightly more exhausting than I though it would be. Then as we were just a little past the half way mark, I tripped over some tree roots that were coming up from beneath the concrete. I scraped my elbow on the way down and all I could hear was one of the other PT instructors telling the guys to help me up. Little did that instructor know, this fall was not my first fall. Mr. K did not slow the group down nor did he stop. He knew I would catch back up to my spot in front and that's what I did. In true Mr. K fashion he looks over at me and says, "Nice tactical roll ma'am." Trying to hold back my laughter I answered with a quick thank you sir and finished the race strong. The best part about the whole thing was I made a new friend from one of the classes that started a couple months after I did. Her name is Beth and she is from Pennsylvania. We have already done one girl's day out and are planning another for next weekend. I'm just sorry I didn't make the effort to meet her sooner.
With that said, all work and no play makes me cranky! This weekend my Texan is coming into town for a short visit. We both have been looking forward to spending some time together and hitting that mental reset button. We are staying on one of the local islands that's full of history, cute shops, and great restaurants. It was one of the places that my instructor goes for a little R&R so I thought it would be right up our alley. Hopefully I can get some pictures of us to share with you all.
Well, I'm sorry for the boring blog, but there really isn't anything going on in this sleepy little town. The only good news is that I will be home in 15 days!!!!! See you all then!
xoxo
Monday, February 21, 2011
No entiendo!
Holy cow people, this spanish class is no joke! My grades are up, but I still struggle to remember all of the vocabulary words they throw at us. This week I would have rather been back in PT with Mr. K yelling at me to run faster! We had our first exam on Wednesday and I scored an 81% which I should be more than happy with, but for some reason it feel like I failed. Very odd!
The Texan is settling into the second half of his training and we continue talk every night. We both wish we were closer, but I'm hoping to make a weekend trip to see him in a couple of weeks. This place definitely isn't the same without him here.
The weekend was very boring which put me in a foul mood. Half of my class went home for the 3 day break and the rest of us tried to keep our minds occupied. At 10pm on Saturday when that wasn't possible anymore, I decided to run the perimeter of the campus. Apparently I like running now. Who would have thought?!
Well, I'm off to study. I hope your long weekend was more productive than mine.
xoxo
P.S. I'm home in 25 days!! I have a countdown widget on my phone!
The Texan is settling into the second half of his training and we continue talk every night. We both wish we were closer, but I'm hoping to make a weekend trip to see him in a couple of weeks. This place definitely isn't the same without him here.
The weekend was very boring which put me in a foul mood. Half of my class went home for the 3 day break and the rest of us tried to keep our minds occupied. At 10pm on Saturday when that wasn't possible anymore, I decided to run the perimeter of the campus. Apparently I like running now. Who would have thought?!
Well, I'm off to study. I hope your long weekend was more productive than mine.
xoxo
P.S. I'm home in 25 days!! I have a countdown widget on my phone!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Deep Fried Pickles
I forgot to tell everyone that while we were in Savannah we ate deep fried pickles!! It only took me 13 weeks, but I finally tried them. They were very salty and delicious! I don't think I will ever eat them again unless I'm looking for high blood pressure.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Graduation!!!
Holy cow...where to start!? Monday seems like a good place, but it was truly uneventful other than during one of our drills I got hit in the forehead and had a large lump that thankfully didn't turn colors. Of course the only thing I was worried about was it showing up in all of the graduation photos. I had to deal with a headache for a few days, but that was all.
Tuesday was the big day that all of my family would be getting into town. After picking up my mother from the airport we went to dinner with my father. If you know anything about my family, you know that it has been quite sometime since they had last seen each other. Dinner was great and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I ended the evening with a quick hello to my other family as they checked into their hotel.
Wednesday was graduation day. After a quick lunch my class and I filtered into the auditorium for our last rehearsal and awaited our guests to arrive. I was proud to be one of the only trainees with family that was going to attend. There were 9 in my group and only 3 others that filled the family section. Since the Deputy Director of our agency was in attendance they had pulled all of the classes associated from our agency from their studies as well as the faculty and staff. The auditorium was packed which gave most of us the chills finally making it feel very real. I think I'm still in shock that I made it through this program. but I did and it feels great.
Thursday and Friday was filled with 8 hours a day of Spanish class. I thought the academy was challenging, but Spanish is a whole new beast. We get about a weeks worth of information in one day and are quizzed on it the next. It seems impossible to pass, but in the history of this curriculum there has only one person who has failed. They tell us that he just didn't try.
Saturday I took off to Savannah with my mother, 2 aunts, and uncle. I was so disappointed that Paula Deen's restaurant was completely booked by the time we got to it. We all had a great time soaking up the history and doing a bit of souvenir shopping.
Sunday my mother and I went to one of the islands near by for lunch and a little sight seeing. The weather was perfect so we were able to eat on the roof top patio at one of the local restaurants. I felt bad later that day when I took her to the airport to go back to her negative degree weather. With that the week was over and it was time to get back into study mode.
Mom, Dad, Aunt Camille, Auntie Jo, Uncle John, Uncle Frank, Aunt Jeanne, Ian, and Taryn.....Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy lives to celebrate this day with me. I cannot put into words how it made me feel that you could witness one of the happiest and most proud days of my life. You all truly mean the world to me.
xoxo
Tuesday was the big day that all of my family would be getting into town. After picking up my mother from the airport we went to dinner with my father. If you know anything about my family, you know that it has been quite sometime since they had last seen each other. Dinner was great and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I ended the evening with a quick hello to my other family as they checked into their hotel.
Wednesday was graduation day. After a quick lunch my class and I filtered into the auditorium for our last rehearsal and awaited our guests to arrive. I was proud to be one of the only trainees with family that was going to attend. There were 9 in my group and only 3 others that filled the family section. Since the Deputy Director of our agency was in attendance they had pulled all of the classes associated from our agency from their studies as well as the faculty and staff. The auditorium was packed which gave most of us the chills finally making it feel very real. I think I'm still in shock that I made it through this program. but I did and it feels great.
Thursday and Friday was filled with 8 hours a day of Spanish class. I thought the academy was challenging, but Spanish is a whole new beast. We get about a weeks worth of information in one day and are quizzed on it the next. It seems impossible to pass, but in the history of this curriculum there has only one person who has failed. They tell us that he just didn't try.
Saturday I took off to Savannah with my mother, 2 aunts, and uncle. I was so disappointed that Paula Deen's restaurant was completely booked by the time we got to it. We all had a great time soaking up the history and doing a bit of souvenir shopping.
Sunday my mother and I went to one of the islands near by for lunch and a little sight seeing. The weather was perfect so we were able to eat on the roof top patio at one of the local restaurants. I felt bad later that day when I took her to the airport to go back to her negative degree weather. With that the week was over and it was time to get back into study mode.
xoxo
Friday, February 4, 2011
My bittersweet week
Tuesday morning at 07:30 we had our final fitness test. This was pass or fail and if we failed we were sent home and fired. Sounds harsh I know, but we have spent the last 12 weeks preparing for this event. I'm happy to report that we all passed and will graduate next week. The obstacle course was easier than ever and only took me a minute and 15 seconds, but it was the mile and a half that had my stomach in knots. I started out strong and prayed to God that I could keep up the pace I had set and he answered my prayers. I completed the run in 13 minutes and 5 seconds which is a personal best for me. I had never been more proud and happy. I crossed the finish line with a huge smile and of course the instructors thought I was losing it!
After the fitness test was our last exam that covered material that we have been learning over the last 12 weeks. Everyone was nervous and some people thought that they did a lot worse than they actually had. We all scored an 80% and above which meant that graduation from this program was a sure thing.
Wednesday I was in my own personal hell with all of the activities they had planned for us. There wasn't anything that we could fail so it took the pressure off of having to be perfect, but the physical requirements of the day were rough. I can't tell you on this blog the specifics, but I will gladly tell you all in person when I get home. We concluded the day with watery eyes and burning faces. Again another experience that will get lost in translation by reading it here. It's a much better story with a cocktail to enjoy!
Thursday was my last dinner with the Texan before he left.
Friday is the bittersweet part of the week. I woke up at 4 am to say good bye to my Texan and spend a short half an hour with him before the bus picked him up to head for the airport. It's never easy saying good bye to someone you are close to. Needless to say, I will miss him until we get to see each other again. So, after a hot shower and hitting my mental reset button, I was off to class. The sweet part of the day was packing up my books and notes so they could be mailed back to the office. It felt great to have an empty desk knowing that it was all over and that in 5 short weeks I will be home. Never in a million years did I think that I could do any of this. The mental and physical strength it took was sometimes overwhelming, but never did I want to give up. I amazed myself by never missing a day of training in any of the departments and keeping up with the boys even if it meant a few extra bruises at the end of the day.
Well, that's it for today. I hope all is well where you are and I will see you soon.
xoxo
After the fitness test was our last exam that covered material that we have been learning over the last 12 weeks. Everyone was nervous and some people thought that they did a lot worse than they actually had. We all scored an 80% and above which meant that graduation from this program was a sure thing.
Wednesday I was in my own personal hell with all of the activities they had planned for us. There wasn't anything that we could fail so it took the pressure off of having to be perfect, but the physical requirements of the day were rough. I can't tell you on this blog the specifics, but I will gladly tell you all in person when I get home. We concluded the day with watery eyes and burning faces. Again another experience that will get lost in translation by reading it here. It's a much better story with a cocktail to enjoy!
Thursday was my last dinner with the Texan before he left.
Friday is the bittersweet part of the week. I woke up at 4 am to say good bye to my Texan and spend a short half an hour with him before the bus picked him up to head for the airport. It's never easy saying good bye to someone you are close to. Needless to say, I will miss him until we get to see each other again. So, after a hot shower and hitting my mental reset button, I was off to class. The sweet part of the day was packing up my books and notes so they could be mailed back to the office. It felt great to have an empty desk knowing that it was all over and that in 5 short weeks I will be home. Never in a million years did I think that I could do any of this. The mental and physical strength it took was sometimes overwhelming, but never did I want to give up. I amazed myself by never missing a day of training in any of the departments and keeping up with the boys even if it meant a few extra bruises at the end of the day.
Well, that's it for today. I hope all is well where you are and I will see you soon.
xoxo
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