Hut!!!!!!
To all who shall see these presents greeting...!
Well I'm getting settled in at The Basic School now. I'm not entire sure where to begin to describe this place. It's a bit like a college atmosphere... but not really. ODT (on deck time- i.e. be dressed and in the passageway ready to go) probably averages between 6-6:30am. Which really isn't that bad- I'm getting to sleep later here than I did during college! So far we've just been having classroom instruction all day- and that's the way it will stay for a while, until we begin field work.
Everyone here is very nice and it's good to finally be around Marines and the Marine Corps. We all tend to think the same and act the same (relative to the rest of the general population, that is...). It's the ultimate peer group! Most things that Marines "get," others would probably just shake their heads. A few examples: anytime an instructor asks the class how we are doing, the perfectly acceptable an usual response it a loud, lively grunt ("errr!"), or perhaps "KILL!!" Or maybe that at anytime during the day, I can usually hear someone calling some form of marching cadence as they march down the passageway by themselves (not actually calling candence on themselves, but in a joking manner). Those two are only the tip of the iceburg. Sometimes I wish I could be videotaping all of this so my family could see what it's like. I think they'd be amused... But then again, telling stories is fun, too. Until next time, YUT*!
*definition: Another typical Marine response. As I type, I realize how futile it is to explain these things. It's just what we do.
Well I'm getting settled in at The Basic School now. I'm not entire sure where to begin to describe this place. It's a bit like a college atmosphere... but not really. ODT (on deck time- i.e. be dressed and in the passageway ready to go) probably averages between 6-6:30am. Which really isn't that bad- I'm getting to sleep later here than I did during college! So far we've just been having classroom instruction all day- and that's the way it will stay for a while, until we begin field work.
Everyone here is very nice and it's good to finally be around Marines and the Marine Corps. We all tend to think the same and act the same (relative to the rest of the general population, that is...). It's the ultimate peer group! Most things that Marines "get," others would probably just shake their heads. A few examples: anytime an instructor asks the class how we are doing, the perfectly acceptable an usual response it a loud, lively grunt ("errr!"), or perhaps "KILL!!" Or maybe that at anytime during the day, I can usually hear someone calling some form of marching cadence as they march down the passageway by themselves (not actually calling candence on themselves, but in a joking manner). Those two are only the tip of the iceburg. Sometimes I wish I could be videotaping all of this so my family could see what it's like. I think they'd be amused... But then again, telling stories is fun, too. Until next time, YUT*!
*definition: Another typical Marine response. As I type, I realize how futile it is to explain these things. It's just what we do.
posted by Stephen at 8:00 PM
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