Inside Information Friday, Nov 13 2009

Ok I know I’ve been neglectful to the blog but I’m hoping this is a decent update. My traveling, and well…life in general has been put on hold while I’m deployed. Where you ask? Afghanistan? Nope. Iraq? Wrong again. I will be spending the next five months in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba! No I can’t talk about my job so don’t even ask. Which honestly leaves very little to talk about unfortunately. Geographically I’m on a corner of an island with fences on one side and water on the other which leaves a very small mass of land to work with. So what I can talk about is what I do in my spare time. The work hours aren’t as demanding as I thought they would be so I decided to take up a new hobby or two.

First on my list was scuba diving! In my first few weeks here I’ve gone through both the open water and advanced dive class which means I’m allowed to dive down to 100 ft. So far, I’ve done nine dives including a wreck dive and a night dive. Turns out I’m not terribly good at the search and recovery dives. During class, not only could I not find the bottle the instructors strategically placed for us to find, but I succeeded in losing my dive buddy in the process. However, thanks to that class I can tie knots under water. I’m not really sure how I’ll use that skill but it’s in my repertoire nonetheless. Unfortunately on my last dive, the night dive, I had a reverse squeeze in my right ear which was pretty uncomfortable until just recently. It still hasn’t cleared but the doc said I could try diving again. I’m registering with port authority tomorrow so hopefully this weekend! *fingers crossed*

The joint environment is really interesting and I’m enjoying interacting with members from other services. Friends and I celebrated the Marine Corps birthday on Tuesday and we had a cookout on Veterans’ Day. All the officers live in the same neighborhood so it’s easy to meet new people and be social. It’s definitely one aspect of the island I’ll miss when I leave.

The naval station has all the amenities of an air force base plus a little more since we can’t exactly go out on the economy for anything…at all…ever… We have a NEX (Navy form of BX), library, outdoor theater, pool, bowling alley, a few restaurants/bars, and a couple of decent gyms. You can buy pretty much anything you need…well if your bank doesn’t randomly decide to cancel (not put on hold but entirely cancel) your debit card a month into your deployment because apparently spending large quantities of money on dive equipment in a communist country means the card was “compromised.” *sigh* After spending roughly an entire day on the phone with various levels of customer service, the resolution was they’ll waive the fees for transferring money into my USAA account (if they ever get around to acknowledging that it is a valid and trusted account online) and wait for my replacement card to come in the mail. It should be here in roughly two weeks…maybe… I suppose the lesson to be learned in this, and as a novice traveler I’ve been learning quite a few, is that you should always call the bank and let them know when you’re jumping to a different country for an extended period of time. But honestly, I really want for nothing here and feel quite spoiled on my first deployment. While I would have happily gone to serve in the desert I’m quite happy to be here.

With that pleasant warm fuzzy thought I’ll leave you with some pictures of the local wildlife (which you’re not allowed to feed by the way). I’ve developed a fascination with banana rats which are rodents the size of small dogs that wander around the island at their leisure. I still can’t decide if they’re cute or if they’re gross.

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Moment of Truth Wednesday, Sep 23 2009

Ok I know…I know…I haven’t posted in a really really long time. I had grandiose goals of posting pics and tales of my latest trips to Valencia, Spain for the world’s largest tomato fight, a three-day weekend jaunt to Liverpool for the simple reason that tickets were 26 euro, a random trip to Gemona, Italy when we were really trying to reach Venice, and to Zagreb, Croatia.

I still plan on writing about these…really I do. Unfortunately the past few months have been seriously overshadowed by the fact that I’m now expected to actually do attorney type things at work…like review government contracts worth lots of money. Due to the fact that I’m incredibly paranoid about screwing this up, I’m usually working late when I’m not traveling. On top of the work I’ve been doing, I’ve also been preparing to deploy to Guantanamo Bay. I’m sad to leave Italy for six months but I’m really excited about going to Gitmo and working there. I’m actually taking a break from packing to write this as I will be leaving tomorrow morning. On a side note, for those of you that were around to witness the charlie-foxtrot that was TMO the past few days, no I will not be strategically airlifted to Cuba…sadly…

Anyway, I do need to finish packing. Contrary to popular belief in my office, I’m going to need more than just flip flops and sun screen. I’ll leave you with a few pics from the trips over the past two months and write all about them later! Ciao!

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Rev on the Red Line Monday, Jul 13 2009

This past weekend was a nice relaxing one. Unfortunately I’ve been sick for most of it. Fighting off a minor cold but nothing too bad. At least nothing that kept me indoors at any rate.

Friday night I met some friends in the square in Sacile to watch a concert. Apparently every Friday night during the summer, Sacile hosts musical guests on stage for the town’s entertainment. I was excited until I realized they use the term “musical” very loosely. I drank a spritz while watching what I can only describe as Italian Idol…and not the Idol winners…the beginning of the season Idol that everyone watches to see wannabe singers make train wrecks of themselves while begging America to love them. I finished my spritz and decided to go to bed.

Saturday I woke up feeling icky from the cold but got up when MBK called and offered to drive to a winery in Gorizia. I wasn’t going to turn down a girls’ day that centered on wine tasting just because I couldn’t breathe or really taste the wine. Four of us set off and drove to a winery called Fiegel on the Slovenian border. The owner was happy to let us in and brought us to a long dinner table in the tasting room. It felt like we were in someone’s house…a house attached to a wine bottling and storage facility. The owner was a little chagrined at our lack of Italian speaking skills. It’s hard to explain to Italians that learning another language when you work 8-12 hours a day in an English speaking office is a bit difficult. Regardless he called his nephew (who spoke perfect English) in to sit and serve us. We sampled every wine they made, and the nephew chatted with us about the business, what we do, where we’ve traveled, living in the US, etc. Again, it felt just like we were hanging out in their house drinking wine. He even opened a dessert wine for us to try. After the tasting he showed us around the facility and explained how they make Prosecco and where they store all the wine. Then it was time to make our purchases. (Christian if you’re reading this…I love you). Between the four of us, we bought more than a restaurant would have so their time serving us was well spent. I came home with 12 bottles and I spent the least amount of money.

Once we made our purchases, we left with a promise to call ahead next time so they could make food for us. We went to a restaurant Martin (owner’s nephew) recommended, and then headed back to Sacile for a night out. At the first bar I quickly realized I’d left my keys in my house… This was my first lock out. I should note that doors in Italy, like most things, just simply aren’t convenient in anyway. They self lock upon closing and have no exterior lock. They’re like vaults that have bolts into the door jam. This is great to make you feel secure at night. Unfortunately it makes it impossible to break into your house when you’ve left the keys on your couch. Fortunately many Americans make this mistake so the LE desk interfaces with the town fire department who can break into your house for you. Four fire department members used what can only be described as a giant two pronged suction cup in order to shake my door back and forth while wedging a giant piece of plastic between the door and the frame in order to get it to release. After witnessing this I realized I could never EVAR break into my place even if I wanted to. It also made me doubt the stories Right Start tells you about how gypsies can get into anywhere and steal anything. Regardless they let me into the place and I fumbled around for a good five minutes trying to prove that I do in fact live here until I found a Telecom bill I’d forgotten to pay. Good times…moving on. We went three bars that night, ending at Cafe Sfriso which is quickly becoming my white whale. The owners there are wonderfully fun, heavy handed with their pouring, and love making the entire bar do shots at random. I walked home and went to sleep as the sun was coming up.

The next day I decided to sleep late then get up and clean and cook. The cooking was prompted by my promotion on Monday. The cleaning was prompted by the fact that I dont want my house a mess when I go TDY next weekend…also by the fact that the four firemen that broke into my house got a nice look at the bras I had hanging in the living room while I was trying to find proof that I lived there… *sigh* I decided to make bacon and biscuits to take for breakfast the next day since I had bacon I wanted to use before I left. This, of course, resulted in my entire house smelling like bacon. I opened up the windows (with screens closed) to air out the house while I got ready for bed. While I was upstairs brushing my teeth I heard a loud bang from downstairs. When I went downstairs to check it out I saw that one of the screens had popped up leaving the window wide open. I shut the window not thinking much about it and went to bed to sleep peacefully in dream land until morning…yeah right.

About 1am I woke up. Mind you this isn’t an unusual occurrence. I wake up a lot when I sleep. Sometimes I wake up fully, sometimes it’s a half wake/sleep in that weird in between, usually I can just go back to sleep with no problems. This time however, I woke up fully and completely and quickly realized that…I definitely wasn’t alone in my house. I’m not sure how to describe how I knew, I just did. There was something off, something different, and I was scared. I froze in my bed…and listened, trying to discern what was a normal house sound from something that shouldn’t be there. I pulled the covers up around my chin and my mind decided to delve into the recesses of my subconscious conjuring up the scariest thoughts I could imagine. Apparently I can be really creative at 1am and my thought process went something like:

Oh god is my house haunted…if its haunted will the ghost even understand me if I can’t speak Italian…what if i just piss it off that I’ve been here for a month and can only speak English…what if it’s not a ghost…what if it’s gypsies…are they going to rob me…what would they even take…I dont have anything…they’re not violent…maybe they’ll just leave…I dont even own a TV…I wish I’d gotten a dog

While my mind was having it’s own field day, my eyes were straining around the room trying to see something (yet praying I wouldn’t) in the dark. The shutters keep out all light which makes my house very cave like. Awesome when I’m hungover. Horrible when I’m scared of the dark…or whatever is lurking therein. I looked from the door that leads to the hall, scanned the room as best I could…over the foot of the bed seeing nothing but black and landing on the other wall which opens to my balcony. Maybe I could make it to the balcony. If I could make it to the balcony I could scream for help…scream what? All of my neighbors are Italian…I can order all manner of pasta and wine yet somehow “Help! There is a strange intruder in my house” has not made its way into my vocabulary. None of them would understand me. I decide I’ve had enough and sit up in bed. Still seeing nothing I decide I MUST have just imagined things. I’ll just go turn on the light. As I shift in bed I definitely here a scuttling sound directly in front of my bed. Whatever it is had made its way into my room. My heart is pounding so hard that I’m positive whatever it is can hear it. No, I refuse to let this thing scare me. I’m going to turn on my light. I turn over and put one foot…then the other down on the hardwood floor. Standing up and laboring for breath I slowly start making my way to the light switch. All of a sudden something swipes at my left foot and I scream so loud I’m sure the entire block heard me. I try to jump back on my bed (which is on wheels) and entirely misjudge the distance in the dark. I land half on the bed which shoots across the room dumping me onto the floor. And then I’m waiting for whatever it was to attack me…and I hear…purring? You’ve got to be effing kidding me. I crawl over to the light (because my hip is throbbing from the fall) and turn it on. There, as audacious as anything, is Conrad, the black cat that has been trying to get into my house since I moved in. I just stare at him for a few minutes and then throw a few choice obscenities at him. In response he licks his paw. Finally I get up, pick him up, and hobble downstairs to my front door. All this would be much funnier if I could walk straight and actually got a good night’s sleep afterward. I couldn’t and I didn’t. I think I hurt Conrad’s feelings though because I haven’t seen him since I ejected him from my home…and I think he threw up on my door mat in retribution…

This has been a long post so I’ll probably end it here. I’ll talk about my promotion to captain, the ceremony, and my party later.

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Out of the Blue Sunday, Jul 5 2009

I’ve decided to entitle my future posts (at least the immediate ones until I get bored or run out of songs…likely until I get bored) after Foreigner songs. 1) Because Foreigner is an awesome band and 2) because my creativity is swiftly waning. I should note that I’m only picking the song because of the title and not because the underlying lyrics hold some secret special meaning to my heart or emotions. What do you take me for? A desperate attention seeking teenager? (dont answer that).

Anyway I picked this title because of my recent trip to Germany. Two friends and I decided to take a road trip up to Garmisch. Our original road trip was going to be to Amsterdam to see a jazz musician but that ended up being a little more involved than we had originally planned. Apparently there’s an army resort in Garmisch called Edelweiss. I was skeptical because it was technically an army establishment but this place ended up being amazing! Pool, spa, hottub, bars open late, connections with local establishments. I was impressed.

We drove into the area around 4:30 on Saturday and went straight to Newschwanstein castle. Disney actually stole…ermm..borrowed this architecture for his castle in Florida. We parked our car and decided to take a horse carriage up to the castle instead of walk…only peasants walk. The castle was built for Ludwig II of Bavaria. It’s actually incomplete as the king was deposed on the grounds of mental illness during its construction. The surroundings of this oust from power are contested. Apparently the common folk as well as the government weren’t fans of his idiosyncrasies, specifically, the fact that this building was his third castle… Anyway, they carted the poor mad king off and he mysteriously died a few days later. Coups seemed so easy back in the day. This is not, of course, to say that anything untoward or underhanded happened to the king. It just so happens that the castle was opened as a museum to the public a week after his death.

After the castle we checked into the aforementioned Edelweiss resort with plans of getting up early and doing more sightseeing. I have to admit, it’s difficult to get me motivated to do anything in the morning when I could just as easily stay in bed. It’s not that I’m lazy. I just really enjoy sleeping. However, I’m glad one member of our entourage was ambitious and woke up to schedule us for…you guessed it…paragliding! For those of you not familiar with the sport, it’s just like it sounds. One big free fall from a stationary base while attached to a parachute. I’ve never done anything like this before so of course I wasn’t going to back down. Jump to the top of the alps where I’m being physically attached to a harness and a German guy who specializes in jumping off high things and surviving. We had to do this tandem as, not even in Europe, will they allow people to just jump off mountains on their own… The exchange went a little something like:
German guy: Ok…when I count to three, you run as fast as you can…
Me looking back at the parachute splayed out behind us: Run…what you mean like off the mountain???
German guy: Just run hard and don’t stop.
Me: Umm you’re attached to me and I’m a lot shorter than you…are you sure this is going to work.
German guy: Yes Left foot first.
Me: Uhhh…
German guy: Ok, one two three GO!

Obviously since I’m writing this to you now, I did run adequately enough to avoid an untimely death. The sensation of falling slowly was a little unnerving at first. Once you ran, took off, and sat down in the harness, you finally realize that you’re at a ridiculous height with nothing to keep you in the air except the fabric above you. In a span of five second it went from surreal to nauseating to awesome! We slowly glided through the air about 15 minutes until we were above the landing field. My German guide asked if I wanted to corkscrew down…which just means that he pulls hard on one end of the chute such that you plummet to the ground going in circles much like a corkscrew. I said yes and watched as the world spun in circles and the ground rushed to meet me. That was nauseating and awesome as well.

The rest of the day was spent hiking in a gorge Drew found. It was beautiful and wet.

I’ve posted pics for everyone’s viewing pleasure below:

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New Home Thursday, May 28 2009

This past Memorial Day I picked up the keys to the new house. I was so excited to get off base and to get my own place and my stuff back. Keep in mind my goods and furniture were picked up in January before I left for COT so I’ve been living a Buddhist lifestyle without my “stuff” for five months. It was definitely getting old. I walked into my landlord’s office and signed some paperwork then we both headed over to the house so she could show me what keys go in which doors and generally how things work in the house. I’m not sure why she thought I couldn’t figure this out on my own but like most things that I don’t understand here…I just went with it.

It’s about a five minute walk and it was peaceful. Mostly because she doesn’t speak much English (only enough to explain how to pay her each month) and I haven’t learned much Italian yet. We got to the house and she unlocked it for me, then let me try the lock. In all fairness, the locks are different here than in the states. We walked through the house and she showed me how to open the windows and draw down the screens. She rambled on in Italian and I smiled and nodded as I was only able to pick out one or two words at a time. When we walked to the garage she picked a stem of holly berries, handed it to me, and said Buona Fortuna, which I correctly interpreted as good luck. Apparently the berries are supposedly good luck and since my house hold goods were due to arrive the next day I left them on the kitchen table hoping they would do their job. After she left I took pictures of the house and walked around town:

Tuesday morning I got to the house bright and early and waited for the movers. I kept repeating my mantra, Buona Fortuna, to no one in particular except maybe the stray cat that has decided to befriend me. It tried to come in when I was bringing in some of my bags from billeting. I’ve named him Conrad. The movers showed up and I was thankful that one of them spoke English. I communicated mostly via hand gestures with the others. My bookshelf, wine rack, bike, and bed survived the five month ordeal. The couch was beaten up pretty badly. My desk…well I’m going to have to get a new desk. I also think I miscounted and am missing a box. =[ I can’t locate my coffee maker and the wine glasses so I’m pretty sure a kitchenware box was lost en route. I bought the bed 2 days before the movers came in January so I never put it together. When I went upstairs to check it out after the movers left, I found out the frame has wheels on it… weird.

Everything seems to be falling into place. I’m still no where close to settled but I’m sitting on my couch with internet access and a wine rack full of Prosecco…so I’m settled enough for now.

Note: This new post should be dedicated in large part to Andy (and to a lesser degree, JJ and Denise), who helped me get my router working. After an hour and a half of sifting through an Italian website dedicated to registering my router and trying to not only understand the tech advice, but also understand the tech advice in Italian, Andy came over and helped get through it. JJ and Denise provided some translations. Thanks to all!

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Live from Aviano Saturday, May 2 2009

I realize it’s been a while since my last post. During my hiatus, I attended JASOC (JAG training for you non-lawyering types). I won’t discuss much regarding my time there but will say it was an amazing experience. I learned a lot about being a lawyer for the Air Force and met some wonderful friends that are sorely missed.

After JASOC I took leave in Chicago, and during those ten days, got engaged, got married, visited with family, said goodbye to some close friends with promises that they would come visit Italy soon.

Last Tuesday I boarded a plane out of Midway to start my journey to Aviano. The trip here was…an ordeal. My flight from Midway to Baltimore wasn’t horrible. I hit my first snag when I landed in Baltimore. I wrangled my four tightly packed bags onto a cart and made my way to the impressively long line that was waiting to check in with Air Mobility Command. When it came my turn to present my orders and ID at the first checkpoint I handed over the envelope that the TMO office at Maxwell had given me. As lawyers we are taught to think quickly on our feet, to always have a reponse prepared and to convey it confidently. I exhibited none of these skills during this particular transaction which went something like:

Checkpoint guy: Ahh Lt Holder, going to Aviano. Your boarding pass looks good. Oh…where are your NATO Travel Orders?

Me: Umm…what?

Checkpoint guy: Your NATO travel orders…you have to have them to get on the plane. Everyone that goes to Italy has them…

Me: Umm…I dont really know what those are…so…I probably dont have them.

Checkpoint guy: Well you’re going to need them before you go any farther.

Me: *sigh*

In the end, JAX worked their magic and drafted, scanned, and emailed the airline my orders and I finally got my boarding pass three hours later. Checkpoint guy even took me to the head of the line, much to the ire of my fellow travellers. We boarded the plane about an hour late. Luckily I had an aisle seat. Unluckily my neighbor was a 6′3″ very broad airman that required at least a seat and a half. I know this because I relinquished most of my space to him…because he fell asleep…and began to sprawl. The flight went fairly smoothly. We had a lay over in Ramstein then I was on my way to Italy! I had visions of landing on the flight line, running off the plane, and being greeted with cheese and wine. My visions were stymied 1) because obviously there’s no wine on a flight line and 2) because of the spectacular thunder storm which the pilots flew deftly through. We landed safely only to be greeted by a loudspeaker announcing that due to lightning within five nautical miles, no crews would be allowed to approach the plane. They would have to wait until the storm ended. This also meant that we had no way off the plane until the storm ended… We passed the time by staring out at the torrential downpour and watching Madagascar 2. Finally the storm ended and we were allowed off the plane and taxied to a passenger area where we waited for our bags to arrive. And waited, and waited, and about 45 minutes later they were brought to a warehouse next door.

Yay! Finally my day could end. Huge Nike bag, check. Black garment bag, check. Green duffel…green duffel…green duffel…*sigh* When I pointed out my missing green duffel (yep the one that looks just like everyone elses’) I was told that the plane was being refueled and that no one would be able to go out and look for another 45 minutes or so and that I could just come back tomorrow and get it. When I pointed out that I would need my ABUs located in said bag for tomorrow, the staff kindly invited me to have a seat and wait some more… I walked outside and, while I would normally be exceedingly frustrated at this point, I took a few deep breaths and stared at this:

I was in Italy, I was staring at the alps, and I was happy. In the end, my bags all made it safely to lodging and my sponsor and I had dinner.

The transition has been interesting. All throughout the first day I felt like I was a guest in someone else’s body and in someone else’s life, like I was just along for the ride. Maybe it’s the jet lag but that feeling is slowly passing. I think I will like working in the office but there will be a big turnover this summer so we’ll see how everything works out. I bought a phone today so I can be put on the on-call roster. I’m still looking for a car and a place to live. Looking for an automatic in Europe is kind of like winning the lottery. You know some people win it but its likely never going to be you… I know I should learn to drive a manual and it’s definitely on my to do list but it’s just not a priority right now. I need a car now and I dont have time to learn. I’ve also found the city I want to live in. Sacile is a cute little Italian village with cafes, bars, and boutiques. It has a bell tower, a square, and a little river that runs through town.

I looked at a few places today and have some appointments next week. Luckily we have an Italian speaking person in the office that helps interface with landlords that do not speak English. I have a lot to do in the following weeks but since I got the phone today, I think I’m going to reward myself with a trip to Venice tomorrow… Hopefully I’ll come back with some fun pictures!

I think I will really enjoy this place. It still hasn’t really sunk in that I’m living in Italy. Everyone I have talked to says it takes about six months to adjust. That seems like a long time but at the rate I’m going I’m not surprised. Getting settled in a place and having reliable transportation is step one.

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1st Lt Joni Holder, USAF Sunday, Feb 15 2009

So COT is finally over and I’m elated. Part of me feels like it flew by, but when I think back on certain days it feels like I’ve been here for years. Every day felt like 2 or 3 days in one. Each day broke down something like this: wake up 4:20 get dressed in the dark since we weren’t allowed to turn the lights on til 4:30, PT at 5am to a little after 6, breakfast from 7-8 (though we were only allowed 20 minutes to eat and during “tight meals” everyone finished in about 7 minutes), class from 8-12, lunch from 12-1 (same timeline as breakfast), class from 1-5 or 6, dinner at 6. After dinner we had personal time…which sounds nice but we had to cram everything we couldn’t do during the day into 4-5 hours so we could get to bed at a reasonable time to pick up and do it ALL again the next day. 

I honestly can’t complain though. COT was not as hard core as I though it would be. It was definitely challenging both mentally and physically but I made it through with fewer problems than I thought. I attribute this mostly to how well I worked together with the rest of my flight. We had some conflicting personalities but it was nothing we couldn’t work through. I hope I get as good a flight in JASOC (JAG training). I think it really made all the difference. 

My biggest accomplishment was probably getting through the ropes course and the toothpick (which is much scarier than it sounds). Turns out I’m not a big fan of heights. I think jumping out of a plane wouldn’t be bad, but heights where staying up on a rope is completely contingent on my own strength is pretty unnerving. We started out climbing a cargo net and attaching our harness to cables about 12 feet up. Then we climbed/drug ourselves across ropes to small platforms on telephone poles connected by the ropes. The highest point is probably about 40 feet. I was scared pretty much the entire time I was on the course but it wasn’t as bad as the toothpick. The toothpick is basically a 50 ft telephone pole attached to a repelling tower by a horizontal telephone pole 40 feet up. We had to walk out to the end of the horizontal telephone pole, touch the vertical pole, turn around, and come back. It doesn’t sound scary but when you get up to the top of the tower you can definitely see it swaying in the wind. I did it. I didn’t like it, but I did it. I’ll post pictures since I’m not terribly great at describing it.

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Week 1 down, 4 to go Tuesday, Jan 20 2009

*Just a quick update*

So I finished my first week, and to be honest it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. This last week was a blur of processing, marching, classes, and bad cafeteria food. I think the point is to throw you into a hectic situation to make sure you can maintain your “military bearing.”  The instructors do not yell so much as forcefully correct. The sleep deprivation was offset by a long weekend thanks to MLK day. We have a LOT more freedom than I thought we would. I assumed there would be somone yelling at you/observing you from the time you wake up until bed time. Once the training day is over we’re basically on our own. We’re limited to staying on the complex and detailing in groups of 2-4, but we’re basically free to hang out or play on the computer (provided your roommate has turned her phone into a modem) so long as we’ve finished our responsibilities.  I’m in a flight with 13 other people (a mix of JAGs, nurses, doctors, and engineers) and we compete with other flights for rewards and notariety. There are some interesting personality clashes but, for the most part, we all get along and work well together. Sleep dep is more tolerable when you’re with people you like. I’m a little nervous about next week. I’m still paranoid that the instructors are going to throw some surprises at us that we will have to deal with on the fly. Anyway, I’ll try to do a more indepth post later. Right now I need to finish studying and go to sleep so I can start strong for the week.

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“This is O’Hare, as far as this train goes.” Friday, Jan 16 2009

It sounds so ominous when you’re staring down 14 weeks of training with no real concept of what to expect, well other than the fact that the first five are just going to suck. Christian and I took mass transit together to the airport. I was really happy he decided to see me all the way to the gate. Saying goodbye was harder than I thought. I think we both ignored my imminent departure until the alarm smacked us both in the face this morning. I’ve decided not to dwell on the sad parts too much, and instead focus on the fact that I get to see him for graduation in 5 short (please dear god make them short) weeks.  

After I kissed him goodbye for the 20th time I turned to head through security and found my first military perk! Delta has a separate security line for service men and women. So instead of waiting in the normal people line I was able to by pass straight to a security guard who wanted to see my military ID. This victory was short lived as I do not yet have a military ID and had to produce a picture ID along with my orders. By the time I sorted out the paperwork and security compared my ID with my orders, I’m pretty sure the normal people line caught up to me. Whatever. I’m still considering it a perk.  

The flight from Chicago to Atlanta was uneventful, other than my neighbor who played his iPod entirely too loud. The Atlanta airport, much like the rest of the city, is appalling. The terminals are entirely too small for an international airport, they are spread so far apart that taking an underground train is necessary, and I think the staff hates both their own lives and anyone within a 25 yard radius. The plane from Chicago arrived 15 minutes early, which they proudly broadcast upon landing. This, of course, was offset by the 25 minutes waiting for the doors to open. I ran from terminal A to D afraid that my flight to Montgomery was already boarding. When I got to the ticket counter there were 4 flights listed on the board with mine listed as “at gate.” When I walked up to the ticket counter to ask if my flight was boarding, the woman with dead eyes and a monotone voice cut me off and said nothing is boarding yet…and that’s the only response I received. I let it go and waited to board. After 30 minutes of waiting we walked outside and boarded a tiny plane. I was in a daze when I heard a voice in the row beside me say something about being in the air force. I made a mental note to check it out upon landing.  

After we landed I decided to come out of my shell and ask the gentleman who said he was in the air force about getting to the base. I assumed I would have to take a taxi but didn’t know if specific ones were allowed on base. As it turns out, he and a friend of his are here for officer training too, though they’re in a different class than me. Mark and Amanda are both enlisted going through OTS, which according to them, is very competitive and rare. They’ve been in the air force 11 years AND lived overseas for much of their time. I found them both to be very fascinating and helpful. We shared a cab to the base, checked in our lodging, and went out for dinner. They were very encouraging about my upcoming training, and gave me a little insight about their own experiences and jobs. Mark is going into logistics and Amanda is a federal agent doing criminal investigations. Apparently her line of work doesn’t rely on military ranks so much since she’s considered a federal agent rather than a military officer. I really dont know what all of this means but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. Anyway, it was nice to make friends so soon.  

I should probably get some sleep as tomorrow is the big day. I doubt I’ll have much time to write in the coming weeks but will try to keep everyone posted.  

**Author’s note: I’m writing this in 11 Jan 09 but probably will not be able to access my blog for a while. I’ll likely send this to Christian and ask him to post it for me when I get computer access.

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Welcome Readers Monday, Jan 5 2009

Hi and welcome to my blog. I’ve decided to start keeping track of my experiences and adventures in the Air Force and during my travels while in Italy. Since I will not get a chance to chat with friends or family often I figured this would be a decent substitute. As most of you know, I’m leaving for Commissioned Officer Training next Monday. That training will last 5 weeks then I’m off to Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course (JASOC…the military loves acronyms) for 9 weeks. Fourteen weeks seems like a long time but jumping through these hoops will land me in Italy for the next two years so I won’t complain. 

This time next week I will be in Montgomery, Alabama preparing for my first full day of training. Honestly, I’m getting really nervous. It seemed like so far away during Christmas break and now I feel it breathing down my neck. I feel there are so many things I should have done to better prepare myself. I should be in better shape. I should have read more of the OTS manual. I shouldn’t be on the couch right now drinking a beer. Regardless, I’ll face it in a week and deal with whatever it throws at me…mostly because I will no longer have the option of sitting on my couch and drinking a beer. Ready or not Air Force here I come! 

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