A Transfer's Insight: Linda's Blog

This weekend begins an experience the Gamecock Army cadets have been preparing for, and now it's time to put our practice to use. From 11:00 a.m. Friday to 12:00 noon on Sunday, we will be at Ft. Jackson deep in the woods for some intense training.

For the duration of this training, we will be doing a variety of things. On Friday, we will be doing land navigation, and we also get the chance to ride up in helicopters, which is what I'm really looking forward to. Then we will occupy our patrol base, which is where we will be sleeping - outside. This is what I'm a little nervous about because the temperature has dropped quite a bit since the beginning of this week, so I know it's going to be cold. The only thing we have to sleep with is our sleeping mat, and we are to use our poncho liner to cover up with.

Saturday we wake up at 5:00 a.m. and get ready (which there are no showers or restrooms) so perhaps it won't take too long. Then for the entire day we do missions, which the MS III's are responsible for (the juniors). Next year, I will be finally evaluated on how well I conduct and lead these missions, which go from squad attacks, knock out a bunker, to recon and much much more. For each mission, one of the MS III's is chosen randomly to be the platoon leader, so each leader must be prepared to handle any of the types of missions. They will be going to camp at Ft. Lewis, WA this summer for 5 weeks to be graded on all this stuff, so it is important for them to do well this weekend.

Also, this day we once again get to ride in helicopters to be transported to another position. Then finally, at night, we get to stay up the entire time to do a night-time patrolling mission. But, who hasn't stayed up all night before? I'm just trying to keep an optimistic attitude so I won't be miserable from being cold and tired. It shouldn't be too bad ;)

Finally, on Sunday, we get a hot breakfast, and then we need to clean our M-16's (rifle) since we will be firing blanks all weekend, which should be more realistic then shouting "bang bang!". It usually takes almost 2 hours to clean this weapon, but it's getting easier for me since I've done it a few times already.

Another perk to this weekend is that we get to eat MRE's, meals ready to eat. I admit that they're not so bad, but that's because you get so hungry in the field, that almost anything would taste good. On a typical basis, MRE's are by no means a delicacy, but sometimes you get some really good stuff. My favorites are the meatloaf and chicken in sauce, and the dessert is almost always tasty.

So this is not your typical college weekend, but it will be an experience I'll be excited to share with my family and friends. My goal is to learn a lot so I know what to expect next year. I get nervous to think that I will be in the leadership position next year, but I hope to gain a lot of confidence and knowledge so I will be a good and effective leader. This way of thinking makes me look forward to this weekend. Have a good weekend everyone! You know where I'll be.

Posted by Linda at 07:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My initial opinion of doing and submitting homework on-line was and still is a great and expedient method. However, this semester I have been feeling a little overwhelmed because it also allows the professor to assign written homework.

With on-line homework, it doesn't have to be due the day of classes, but the deadline is often times on the days the class does not meet. So in my Statistics class, the professor has been increasingly assigning on-line homework twice a week, plus written homework due on the days of class, and a lot of the times in-class homework. Wow.

So with the convenience on-line homework brings, it also gives the professor a convenience to have the ability to assign even more homework. And the on-line homework is graded automatically when submitted, so it is not extra work for the professor, just the student.

I don't like to complain about school work, but it is to the point where I can't keep track of the homework anymore. There are an overwhelming amount of due dates, and it is difficult to match the assignment to the correct notes as the assignment isn't due until a week after the material is covered. And it is handling at least 2 assignments at one time, and right after one is due, the next one comes. All I know is that I'm not good at juggling.

So, on-line homework has both its good side and bad side. Most of the time, it is good. It's just in this class it is evident that it is used as an extra method of assigning work to students on top of regular homework. Be careful, because it is easy to forget about doing on-line assignments since there is no hard copy to refer to. On-line work easily creeps up on students, especially if that's not the only homework you have to worry about!

So beware! Better learn how to juggle now; you'll do just fine!

Posted by Linda at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trying to get back in the groove of school after winding down from spring break, I tried to reflect on any accomplishment I may have made over break. I must admit that this Army Ten-Miler thing must be rubbing off on me because within only 2 days of my spring break, I got up at 6 a.m. and ran 14 miles.

Doing this was always in the back of my mind, but I never knew when the time would come for me to actually run it. It's a route from my house to my sister's house a town away which I have traveled by bicycle several times, taking me about an hour to bike. I had no clue how long it would take me on foot or if I would even make it.

So I set out on the road with about 6 hours of sleep, a Power bar, and my MP3 player all set to roll. I didn't know when or if I would have the need to walk or make a phone call for someone to pick me up along side the road. Better yet, I had the wind blowing against me the whole way, which at first was very discouraging for me and tempted me to turn around several times.

So after about 5 miles, I was still trying to decide when I would take a walking break. I kept keeping in mind all the landmarks where I would walk, and I kept telling myself that at the next one, I would walk. But after passing each mark, I kept putting off my break when I finally got used to the pain (runner's high) and told myself I could make it to the next one.

After finally getting to the next town, I had about 2 more miles to get to my destination, and I told myself I'd walk, but I didn't. I could make it; I had 12 miles down, and what is 2 miles compared to that? So I did it. After 2 hours and 14 minutes, I made it to my sister's house. It was about 9 a.m. and my brother-in-law, who is a mailman and was working, drove by me with tired eyes and asked me what the heck I was doing. I walked into my sister's house as she and her kids were just waking up and they couldn't believe what I had just done. I couldn't either. I still had my runner's high from all the endorphins killing the pain in my body.

I all know is that if I didn't run or do any more major activity over break, then it was alright because of that ridiculous run, which is the farthest I have ever ran. So it gave me a boost of confidence to actually complete something that I set my mind to, which is hard for me to do. It's sure something I didn't think I could do without walking or stopping to rest, but I was focused and set to finish strong.

I credit my ability to do this to being a cadet in the Army ROTC. I wasn't able to do this overnight; over the last two years I have really developed a lot of strength and endurance. A word to anyone out there: if I can do it, you can do it ;) No sweat!

Posted by Linda at 09:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some great advice I can give to future out-of-state students is to plan well when flying home. It is difficult to find a straight shot flight with no layovers from Columbia. I've flown home four times this year, and I haven't been happy with any of those travel experiences. I told myself I wouldn't fly home any more this year, but at the last minute, I decided to fly home for spring break and give flying another chance.

My flight to Ohio went alright, but it was coming back to SC that made it a horrendous traveling experience. Sitting on the runway ready to take off in Dayton, the pilot informed the passengers that there was a mechanical problem with the computer. So waiting for our gate to open back up to de-plane, we sat on the plane for about 45 minutes just to go back inside and wait for another hour. After finally landing at the Washington/Dulles Airport, it was 10:30 p.m., and I missed my flight to Columbia by 30 minutes. So then I waited in line for an hour to get a hotel and another boarding pass for the next flight back to school.

I didn't get a flight until 7:25 p.m., so after a decent night's sleep (something good finally), I sat in the airport all day just to wait even longer as my flight was delayed and didn't take off until 9:00 p.m. So after landing and more trouble finding my bag which didn't come out on the carousel, I finally reached my dorm room at 11:30 p.m. Monday night. This travel experience wins by far for being the latest getting to my destination, 1 whole day.

So missing two classes Monday and not doing very much homework over spring break, I was extremely behind beginning Tuesday. And just to top things off, I was too tired to remember to set my alarm clock one hour forward and missed my first class. So after finally catching up on some sleep, homework, and studying, I sat down to write this blog (which erased two times accidently, taking me one hour to write it).

We all have our dance with bad luck from time to time, and in some cases for a long streak, but I know I'll be able to laugh about it soon. I've been down about it, but I'm beginning to smile a little bit already. Next year, however, I am trying out new methods of travel to get home. I am bringing down my car and will rely on that to get me where I need to go ON Time. So that is my main suggestion: if you don't get stressed easily, maybe flying home is for you, but with driving, you have a little more control. I'm just glad to finally be back, except for the studying and homework part!

Posted by Linda at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been counting down the days since the day back from winter break, and now spring break has finally arrived! My little 5 year-old sister and I have made it a ritual to call each other on the phone every day and declare the number of days remaining until we would reunite. She called me at about 7:20 this morning before she got on the bus just to be the first to say "only 1 more day!".

Counting down the days really gives me something to look forward to and it definitely makes the days go by faster. Of course it's not that I don't like school, but I get a BREAK! I get to see my family after 2 months, and it's just nice to have a change of setting every now and then. A lot of people prefer not to go home, but it really is nice to be at home for once with no responsibilities because the rest of the family realizes that this is my break.

So, yes it would be nice to lounge on the beach for spring break, but I'd rather save that for summer vacation and get a break from my summer job. For spring break, I get to go home and be taken care of because it's not really enough time to do a lot of work, so might as well just use the break to do absolutely nothing. Isn't that what a break is for anyway?

When it comes to breaks, don't always feel like you have to do something extravagant. A lot of people feel the need to go way out of their way for spring break, but that may be stressful. There are many opportunities to vacation, so it is no big deal to just go home and relax. Many of the good places are full of other people also on spring break, so why take the chance? I'm one to definitely avoid the crowd when it comes to relaxation and peace.

Posted by Linda at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This semester I have been training with the Army Ten-Miler team. There is a 10 mile race in Washington, D.C. next October, which is a long way off, but Lt. Col. Brown wanted who ever was interested in running in it to begin training. Anyone is welcome to run in the race, but in order to have everything paid for (hotel, registration, transportation) it is required to commit to training.

For extra training, what we basically do is just more running after our regular Army workouts. It is a lot of extra running, with about average 7 to 8 miles every Friday. And then on Mondays and Wednesdays is not as far, but still about 20 to 30 extra minutes of running after everyone else in the Battalion is finished.

The extra running is not so bad considering we are allowed to run at our own pace, while during the regular runs is not really our own pace but usually faster. The only thing I am worried about is getting out of shape over the summer. I feel very capable of running 10 miles at this stage, but I have 3 months over the summer to do whatever I want.

However, I will be going to Airborne School in Ft. Benning, Georgia for 3 weeks, so that will hopefully get me on the right start. All I know is, the Army is definitely good to me by keeping me in shape and keeping me optimistic. It is truly such a rewarding place to start in life, and it will definitely prepare me well for what I will face in in the future.

Running this race next October is very exciting, and training for it now will make the accomplishment of crossing the finish line even more meaningful. All the work may sound  discouraging, but by participating in all the training the Army has to offer is much more different. Only the experience can be enough; hearing it from others and even the cool Army commercials on television are not enough to know what it is really like.

Posted by Linda at 02:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)