So many exciting things have happened in the past four months that I’m at a loss over what angle to write from the experience. My sister and I just graduated from boot camp, moved from one state to another, received further training, and are now at our ultimate duty station, all set and ready to sail the seas and see the world! It seems like a year though, for we had so much going on everyday---give me one more month and I’m sure it’ll feel like a lifetime.

On one hand, as everyone is eager to know, boot camp is so much fun despite the fierce treatment we received from our division commanders, and the retarded rules they made us obey each day. Training was like Amazing Race and Fear Factor rolled into one: we ran miles, shot real guns, entered a gas chamber, jumped off a tower into a pool, fought fires, rescued casualties from an attacked ship, moored a ship…all that without the comfort of 8-hour nightly sleep.

Our days would start at 4am, followed by physical training and whatever was in the plan of the day. There were bunk and locker drills, personnel and uniform inspections, marching drills, even academic classes and tests too! We even had to stand 2-hour watches (duty) at night which cut on our sleeping time, therefore adding fatigue to our already dog-tired bodies.

So where is the fun in that?

It’s in the adrenaline rush. Triggered by boot camp stress. I enjoyed how I was always in a constant motion, tired yet unwilling to give up. It made me alert and conscientious of all my actions. It also felt good to learn and try new things, especially those that I thought only muscled gigantic men were skilled at.

On the other hand, I’ve drawn some personal reflections from the experience. (If you haven’t noticed yet, it’s my habit to break down life into chewable pieces, then savoring whilst mulling over each bite.) One, the less baggage you have, the easier it is to move on with life. And by this I don't mean bulky bags, but our attachments to worldly things and comfort. For two months, I was deprived of things I thought I needed to survive--my laptop, my favorite clothes and accessories, my shoulder-length hair, my afternoon nap, my midnight snack, lotion, movies...but as the weeks passed by, I realized I was still up and breathing, and worrying less. My created needs weren't necessary after all. Detachment from these seemingly petty things served as an exercise for the bigger things that will come my way.

Two, the environment you have within you weighs more than what is around you. Life could still be pleasant even with a chaotic situation such as boot camp where you get punished, yelled at and cussed at. As long as you carry an interior environment of happiness and peace, it does not matter whatever happens on the outside. You possess an interior life which nobody else could mess up with.

Finally, I learned that even if you think you are strong, capable, and certain of yourself, you will always need people to get you through the other end. I wouldn't have passed my final PFA or completed Battle Stations if not for the motivation and helping hand of the people I trained with, for on the last week of training, my leg started to deteriorate. I woke up one day not able to bend my left knee, which scared me to death because that meant I wouldn't graduate. But because of my division helping me through, I passed the final challenges of boot camp...and on our graduation day, was even given the Military Excellence Award for being the top sailor of our batch.

It still thrills me up to now. It's simply unbelievable. But rather than give the credit to myself, I always pass on the recognition to my division. They helped me succeed; they pulled me back on track. And I can never stop thanking them for all that they've done. Truly, victory is sweeter when you share it with someone else.

So there goes the story of my first two months in the Navy. After boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, we flew to Meridian, Mississippi where we trained some more. But unlike boot camp, it was more laid-back and our freedom was restored. It was like a college atmosphere, since all we did was to learn about our jobs. I've made quite a bunch of friends in Mississippi, too! And you'd be surprised at how many Filipinos there are...majority just migrated to the US like us!

Right now, there's a sense of fulfillment dwelling in me. I've done so much in five months, grown older and wiser, and met new friends I know I'd keep for the rest of my life. The emptiness I've been suffering from migration has chipped away, and I'm starting to recognize the happiness that I've always felt back home.

It's been a year now since we moved to the US, and I should say that things are a lot, lot better. I have no regrets. I have no qualms. I just feel blessed for the way life has turned out for us. ;-)

****

I will be going out to sea for a few months, so I might not be able to blog again. Please bear with me, but I will have pictures of the places we'll visit when I get back! I'm surely going to miss a lot of holidays when I'm gone, so let me greet you all an early Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentine's Day, and Happy Graduation (to my batchmates and blockmates). Until next time!