The Honeymoon Phase

Before we get too far into this week and start getting to REALLY know everyone, I would like to talk about what we are referring to as "The Honeymoon Phase" which basically sums up the fact that we are all excited and happy to be here and have 30+ potential new friends in front of us, and are all willing to play games and sports together and go everywhere together and be a big happy family. We all know this phase will come to an end, but we're also enjoying it while it lasts.

Our first week (2-3 days) was long training sessions and getting used to uniforms, and learning to navigate the kitchen with 20+ bodies in there at once. Our first weekend was exploring the city (bars and restaurants) and various outdoor activities. I've LOVED it. We went to town and there are these murals along the river canal that are gorgeous and show the historical progression of Vicksburg. They're fascinating. I also played my first softball game EVER, and even though I felt silly and nervous that everyone was going to judge me, everyone was at different skill levels and we all cheered each other on, and all competition was lighthearted. We also kept the music playing through the speakers, and it was a very positive experience. And no one kept score! We also have made excellent use of the pool here, which is new to me because even though I have one at home, I never use it and I'm not a huge fan of swimming. But after a game of softball or kickball (which we played on Sunday) in the hot humidity, it feels really nice to swim. I'm also enjoying the feeling that I am active and athletic, because moving around so much feels great and I feel like I'm treating my body really well. We eat well, and the TLs and STLs that do our grocery shopping make really healthy decisions but also keep in mind variety and everyone's dietary needs/preferences. They do a great job. I'm glad that over the weekend we all let our personalities out a little bit more, and they shyness is starting to wear off. I'm still not the best at being open and outgoing, but I'm not going to be and I think I'm doing perfectly fine right now.

I am starting to have a bunch of questions about leading a team and managing a team (they're two different things!) but I have to remind myself that training will cover them, so wait until we get to the lessons and ask at the end which questions I have left. I can't stress about them now, because it won't be useful for anyone. I also need to remember that I have led teams before  and I have plenty of time to better the skills I already have and everything will come together. I need to keep reminding myself that confidence is key, and we keep getting little pointers from various staff members that I will keep in mind because they seem like really sound pieces of advice.

In other news, today was our drivers education course and we had a morning of classroom instruction followed by our road tests. I felt really comfortable driving the 15 passenger van, even though at the beginning I was so nervous that I made myself feel nauseous. Once a couple people drove I was relaxed enough and took my turn, and did well. I was happy. Tomorrow we practice backing up and learning to help others back up, and park the vans and stuff. It might be a little more difficult but I don't feel that it is anything to stress over.

We went out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner tonight I'm looking forward to a relaxing evening and going to sleep early. Happy Honeymoon, folks!

I Made It!

It feels like my plane ride here was a week ago. It was yesterday. I arrived safely and happily, and was met by some wonderful members at the airport. After arriving on campus, in-processing was a lot of paperwork, running back and forth to my room (up a million flights of stairs) and waiting. After getting all of that done, I was able to eat lunch, unpack, and relax. I also got my NCCC uniform yesterday, which sums up to far too many pairs of cargo pants. I had a really nice welcome here and I have been 100% happy and so glad to meet everyone. Everyone so far is really nice and friendly, I love it.

Today was our first training day. Unfortunately, about two hours in, I got a massive migraine and couldn't leave the room to go upstairs and take anything for it, so it had a nice long time to settle in and cause serious pain. We finally got a quick break and I got to take some meds for it, but I was too far into it. So for the next four hours after that, I was fighting to stay focused and conscious. It was a battle, but I won. I'll have to read through my notes and the training materials they gave us again, but I also know the important stuff will be repeated and the uniform stuff we went over is in our handbook. I just have a little homework to do.

We went to a pizza social at the Mississippi River Museum, and the hosts were so nice and really sweet. Everyone was so welcoming. The museum itself was really cool, too. They had a bunch of interactive exhibits which taught me a lot more about rivers and were really cool to see/use. I think I'll go back at least once more, I like museums.

Oh, we also live on the 4th floor, which feels like 6 because the old style building has high ceilings and LOTS of stairs. It's been a day and a half and my thighs/legs are feeling that workout. Not that I'm complaining, I'll be in great shape from climbing those stairs a couple dozen times per day, but wow I definitely feel that workout.

Speaking of workout, tonight we have free time, but I'll be going to bed early. We have our baseline PT test at 6:30am, which means be downstairs at 6:00 and depart in the vans at 6:15. Yuck! Wish me luck!

And sorry for the lack of blogging. There's no wi-fi, so I am in the computer lab- which I really only have time for at the end of the day, and yesterday's excitement was better than sitting by myself writing a blog post :)