I-Day

  Intense. Emotional. Crazy. Hectic. Chaotic. Exciting. Traditional. It's hard to put into coherent sentences what Induction Day is like on the yard. From 600AM to about 800PM the USNA is a carefully planned mad house... if that makes any sense.

  My day began at 4:50AM. I left the apartment around 5:25AM and arrived at the yard just before 6:00AM (what can I say, I'm a fast driver and there was no traffic). The building I work in is directly next to Alumni Hall, aka the coordination of chaos (i.e. haircuts, vaccines, uniform issues, breathalyzers, etc.) so parking there was not an option today, which is why I was told by a fellow co-worker to leave so early.  I drove behind Alumni and then behind the Library to an empty parking lot. I was not happy.  Thankfully I had brought some homework.  Our internationals went through the I-Day processes yesterday so they were patiently waiting in their rooms in Bancroft to be placed together with the other incoming Plebes.  

  Around 800 my co-worker called to inform me one of the vans we had been using to transport the internationals to activities throughout orientation was parking in a zone next to the Mid Store where it would be towed for I-Day purposes.  I certainly did not park it there!  And so began my "white mission."  Tracking down the Ensign I work with, dressed in white among 100 others dressed in white to retrieve the van key from him to move it.  Mission accomplished.  Then, based on his description I went to where the van was to be located and as I rounded the corner, stood looking at nearly 20 identical white vans.  Panic button... mission accomplished.  As I attempted to drive it to the library lot, I was greeted with a blockade and a familiar guard gate.  This guard gate was the very one who laughed at me one morning when I accidently showed him my debit card instead of my license.  Remembering my comical event, he secretly let me on the lot.

   Another task of the day was to return the said van, along with the other one, to the transportation unit just off the yard.  The plan was for me to follow the Ensign and 2nd LT (with his wife who was tagging along with us to help out) to drive them back.  Unfortunately the plan did not go as such and we were unable to track down the 2nd van, which we later found out had been taken and was on its way to Bethesda.  In the mean time, as I was waiting in my car, parked illegally, the Ensign called me, "Park along the seawall, and meet me at the end of the parking lot. You've 

gotta see this."  Oh my God, I thought. What could be going on?!  All day I had been firing off annoying questions at them about everything Plebe related under the sun.  As I walked up to him he told me to wait 5 minutes.  Sure enough- a bus of tiny Plebes in fresh, crisp uniforms spilled out, each grabbed a laundry bag of gear that easily had to weigh 30 pounds and the yelling began.  "PICK UP YOUR BAG! GET AGAINST THAT WALL! RUN FASTER THAN THAT! YOU WILL GREET ALL YOUR SUPERIORS! GET UP THOSE STAIRS!" Today I also learned the proper, and more importantly, ONLY responses the plebes may say: Yes, No, I will find out, and No excuse... always started and finished with sir/ma'am. Apparently, one poor plebe thought thank you was a response and he got his a$$ handed to him. Comical, but you can't hate him for it!  

   After a quick break, the four of us, along with the colonel went over near Bancroft, where the Induction Ceremony was to take place, to wait for 2 Ambassadors and 3 Naval Attaches, to escort them to their seats.  Only the Naval Attache of Thailand showed up, which was very disappointing. But in the 45 minutes we waited, I thought to myself How do they do it?  How does the USNA manage to bring in the very best?  I do consider myself to be a good judge of character- I think I am able to spot things in others rather quickly and before others can.  I have yet to encounter a midshipmen (with a very slight exception... possibly for another entry) or graduate or worker that doesn't seem good down to their very core.  This is what I seek in life, I thought as I stood there with 4 wonderful people.  A Colonel who imparts his wisdom (and humor) on everyone he meets, an Ensign who shares my love of the world, a 2nd LT who is ambitious and strives to help and please all who he meets, and his lovely new wife, a young happy fresh face.  I want to consistently be surrounded by such good people.  As we stood there, we weren't worried about what our Director would say to us Monday when he found out this catastrophe, instead we planned a happy hour for tomorrow and what to stock our mini-fridge with, and how to celebrate the Ensign's birthday and the Colonel's wife beating cancer.  These are good people, and the USNA is a good place, and I was so utterly happy in that moment that I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

   And as I watched my 17 internationals stand up first, in front of the entire Class of 2016, there have been few moments I have been so proud.  They raised their right hand and said the Oath and I knew how much some of them had practiced it so that they didn't sound like a "foreigner."  I didn't get to spend much time with them during the week, but particularly in the past 3 days my conversations with them have been so touching. After the ceremony, the Plebes have 30 minutes to mingle with their families and we gathered them all together and gave them food and drinks, took pictures, let them call home, and I tried to build them up as much as I could (as I have heard tonight will be the worst). Most of them shook my hand and called me ma'am already, but a few hugged me and I promised Evelyn her hair would grow back quickly.   

arrival of the internationals aka motherhood

  Before this week, if there was any part of me that wanted to have children soon, it is gone.  I have just collected 15 wide-eyed international plebes who are even more clueless about life at the USNA than I was when I first arrived (is that even possible?!).  From 6:00pm Sunday night until 1:00pm today we had various flights from 12 different countries coming between BWI, Dulles and Reagan.  We gave Derek the midnight runs because he ever so politely decided to vacation in France the rest of the week.  The biggest challenge during this time was that I had 2 Ensigns and a 2nd LT (the new recent graduate who has joined us, he is a Marine) all telling me information, but not each other.  It was difficult to make sure all 4 of us were in the loop as well as our supervisor and the director of the office.
  When I arrived bright and early this morning it was a relief to see them all finally together (minus the last 2 from Gabon who finally arrived in the afternoon).  "Have you all eaten? How did you sleep? Did you have pillows? How is your mental health? Does anyone feel like they need to call home right this minute?" I fired off questions the second we were done with an admissions debrief.  Flashing back to my first week in Madrid and then my first week in Salamanca, Spain- though it was an incredibly exciting time, much of it was scary as hell.  My little Sarah looked like a deer in headlights when she traveled to our accommodation on her own, as much of our internationals had done. I remember wanting nothing more than to curl up in her, Amy, or Jan's arms at several times during my first week and I barely knew them at that point.  I also knew that there were times I would have killed for my own bed and a hamburger.
   It concerned me that a tall lanky boy from Thailand immediately shot his hand up when I asked if anyone was homesick.  I arranged for him, a boy from Bangladesh, and a boy from Kazakhstan to be the first round to call home.  Unfortunately we could not work out the Bangladesh country code and never made contact with his family before we had to quickly move to our next appointment.  "Will I get to talk to my family before I am a Plebe?" he asked.  It broke my heart.  I knew this feeling too, as it was about 10 minutes after our arrival to Madrid when someone asked how to get to an internet cafe, we were all so desperate to make contact home.  "Yes," I promised, "I will figure out a way." It's an international programs office for God's sake, why isn't this working!? Later during an unnecessary library brief I pulled him aside to hunt for a computer with me.  The odds were just not in this kid's favor.  We found 1 computer but it would not turn on, and another that did not have internet.  "Can you use an iPhone?" I asked. "You found me a phone?!" he said. "No, but I think I have an idea... does anyone in your family speak English and have an email address?"  Jackpot!  He had an uncle with an email address and a cousin who speaks English.  It took him nearly 30 minutes to send a 3 sentence email on my iPhone letting his family know he had arrived and was okay, but we did it.
   This morning we gave them index cards with our phone numbers on it.  An adorable Filipino called me 30 minutes ago and kindly asked if he would have bed sheets tonight.  Let me just say, laundry did not have a pleasant phone call from me after they brushed it off as no big deal.  I asked how she would like to go to the Philippines and sleep on a bare mattress. She replied that he would have an extra pillow tonight.  I said make it two.
   And now I have 9 more days of this.
 
 

the "calm" before the storm

  As I've mentioned before, a few weeks ago the Ensigns and I began planning the orientation for the international students which will begin on Monday and last nearly 12 days until the following Thursday which is Induction Day to Plebe Summer.  We found out today that the Peruvians did not complete all their paperwork so they will not arrive until sometime next week.  The first midshipman arrives from Bangladesh around dinner time Sunday and the next from the Republic of Korea at 12:30AM.  The rest all arrive between Dulles and BWI throughout the day Monday.  My role will be to (wo)man the fort back at the IPO office when the Ensigns drop them off in groups.  I'll assist them in calling/emailing/skyping home to let their families know they've arrived safely, and get them checked into Bancroft Hall.
  Concurrently with this huge event, I am also helping my mentor with SF182's.  These are the financial forms for the (American) midshipmen from the academy we have studying abroad this fall.  These forms are super important as it is ultimately how they will receive their pay while abroad, and especially their advance before they leave.
   And on top of it all- my director asked if I could "help out" with a project on Tuesday.  This project is the complete and total development of the orientation for the semester exchange midshipmen.  Interestingly, the USNA grants 4-year degrees to students from countries where we are attempting to foster better relations, but only allows students from nations where we have excellent relations come for a semester (each year Russia goes back and forth between this category.  They were scheduled to send 2 mids for a semester exchange but then canceled at the last minute after long conversations with my director).  This orientation is a mess.  I've mentioned before that my director is not well liked, and is a micromanager.  In a nutshell, he took this responsibility from one of my co-workers, made it more chaotic by involving a 3rd party (i.e. me) and then tossed it at me to sort out.  Thankfully my mentor and the person originally supposed to plan it have been my saviors.  It has been a great experience building this from the ground up- but with 2 huge responsibilities already going on, it has been more than stressful.
   Of course in the midst of everything, Derek & I had to venture BACK to D.C. to fetch the holy Chinese visa for my boss.  After sitting in rush hour traffic my mentor called and asked if I could hold the passport for the weekend and bring it Monday because she was locking up.  HOLD MY DIRECTOR'S PASSPORT ALL WEEKEND???  Thankfully, a few minutes later the Colonel called on his way home and stated, "Meet me at Gordon Biersch, I need an alcoholic beverage," and we were able to pass the passport off to him.
   My days are getting more insane, and the nonexistent pay makes me think I am crazy.  But I should say- even when I am up to my eyeballs in Naval lingo, foreign bullshit, fine details, and pink post-its on every surface of my desk, I love every second of working in an international programs office.

"Want to learn the visa walk-through process?"

    A few weeks ago when the Ensigns began working full time with me, the 3 of us were assigned to a tiny little office next to my mentor's.  It's quaint, and we've attempted to decorate it. Most of it however remains tan, and the Ensigns tan uniforms do nothing to help this.  As I walked in Monday morning (having been off Friday), I was pleasantly surprised to see several more odds and ends scattered around in an attempt to decorate.  It makes me laugh to think about all this "stuff" that the office has received from foreign nations that's been shoved in the back of a closet for years- and now we're decorating with it.  My favorite is a bronze plate from Cambodia that says "International Cambodian Naval Commetee" (yes, spelled wrong).

  After examining the decorations, my mentor walked in with a thick packet and said "Want to learn how to do a visa walk through?"  Of course.  I want to learn everything.  Of particular interest to me is immigration/passports/visa requirements, so I thought this sounded fascinating.  At this moment, Derek walked in, informing us Pete had a nasty bout of food poisoning from a questionable omelet over the weekend.  "You'll have to go with Patricia then, no sense in you staying here alone."  Go?  Go where? I thought.

   Fast forward 15 minutes- we are in route to Crystal City, Virginia,  with coffee in hand, and a playlist of French music on the speakers of my corolla (Derek studied in France) with specific directions to get our office's director his Chinese visa before he leaves in 11 days.  Obviously, for a normal trip (like when I traveled to Spain for example), you can either visit the country's embassy or go online, fill out the visa application and within a short amount of time you'll receive it.  In this case, since he waited until the last minute we had to travel to Crystal City, VA to receive a department of defense diplomatic note requesting special permission for his Chinese visa to be expedited.

   Crystal City was full of tall buildings and inside was full of people in uniform.  As we approached the front desk and they asked what type of ID we had, Derek said something all official, and I simply said "A driver's license." Apparently this was the wrong answer. I had to have an escort up to the travel services division on the 10th floor.  Talk about feeling incompetent as Derek walked off through the elevators and left me in the lobby.  

   One hour later- dip note in hand, and thankfully no parking ticket, we began the search for the Chinese Consulate.  Between my iPhone, Garmin and our common sense we were unable to locate it before it closed for lunch hour.  We did however locate the official embassy where I am assuming the ambassadors, attaches, and other super important people work- but this is not where the visas were issued from.  It was here that I was talking very obnoxiously about hopping the fence and voicing my frustration about my arm pit sweat that Derek suddenly turned around and told me to shut-up!  There were 2 gorgeous Chinese women meditating and praying under traditional umbrellas next to the embassy out of protest for a religious group that is apparently being persecuted in China.  If I spoke Chinese I would have apologized for ruining their peace (and asked where I could get an umbrella like that for my mom, who loves Asian culture).

    After a Chipotle break, a short recess to check the French-English soccer match, and some more frolicking around the local D.C. area we placed a phone call to my mentor who gave me more specific instructions of how to locate the consulate.  The consulate was not in fact a building on its own with a large chinese flag waving outside like we were looking for, but inside a tall office building we had driven and walked by several times that morning.  We finally got there, waited in an oven of a hallway, and then went in. Our saving grace was being recognized in having an official passport (different from a tourist passport) since Derek was in uniform.  We were able to bypass the tourist line and walk right up to a window.  

   The awful part?  We have to go back Friday to pick it up.  It wasn't all bad.  We got out of the office, saw nearly every road in D.C. (I discovered through his navigational skills why Derek choses to bike and not drive most places), bonded over our love of Europe, and learned even more about Dept of Defense travel.  Hopefully Friday though, knowing where we are going I will not accidently interrupt any peaceful prayers. 

The Circle of Trust

  When I arrived at the USNA almost 5 weeks ago, I knew how to walk from the parking lot across from Alumni Hall to my building.  And for the first 2 weeks I walked to the opposite side of my building because I didn't know there was a simpler way to go.  But now, after having gotten lost more times than I can count (and wandering off sometimes too), asking more questions than I ever have in my life (thank God my office has enough people to spread these out on), and just simply listening at all times- I can give a pretty decent tour of the Academy, which I have done for a group of Peruvian cadets (who specifically called ahead and asked for females... bizarre?!).  Refer to a previous post for why I did not give tours to the Saudi Arabian cadets.

  A lot of my recent "insider" information has come from the 2 Ensigns I'm working on international orientation with.  In working with student affairs, I never want to feel like I'm stuck in an office away from students.  I feel like the change working with the Ensigns now is allowing me to understand more of what it's like to be a midshipmen at the academy.  I enjoy hearing their stories, especially because they are so unique from what a traditional college student experiences. And I feel like a proud older sister as they're about to go off and train in the Navy.

   The 3 of us have developed a great working relationship.  It has been comically deemed the "circle of trust," since we have all accidently sent emails from each other's accounts, having to share just one laptop.  One is from Alaska and one is from Texas (the same small town as my sister matter-of-factly, and he was fascinated to learn that the Chrissy he'd been listening to on the radio was her!).  It's a breath of fresh air to have young (sane) people in the office.  Since we are so ahead of the tasks assigned to us for international orientation, we spend a lot of time making fun of each other, parking illegally around the yard, decorating our tiny office with post-it notes, arguing over which of the 3 of us should be the employee of the month, and quizzing me on my Naval Knowledge (you would not believe the amount of acronyms that are used).  We have another Ensign joining us in a week (he's off getting married right now, yikes!) and I hope he is able to fit in well.

    It's hard to describe the dynamic of our whole office and the leadership style of my director.  Let me just say- my director is not well liked and I think he sleeps better at night only when he's thrown people publicly under the bus, or insulted them. In an incident that was of no fault of my own, the Ensigns quickly came to my defense.  They also were very disappointed in my daily Pop-tart lunches and have insisted on bringing me some of their creations for lunch each day, for example home made salsa, nut clusters, and sandwiches with potato chips smashed on them (Mom, I know you will be glad to hear that people are making sure I eat, haha).  They are quite the chefs.  They spend quite a bit of time asking me about my experience at a "real" college, which I think is adorable and strange all at the same time.  They just don't understand what I did with all my free time between classes, and sadly I don't have a productive answer for them.

    Today after being mocked repetitively for my headband matching my shoes, I received the comment, "You're the woman, I don't know why you haven't baked for us or something yet." I suppose I need to run to the store and purchase something that appears to be homemade.

May activities

  My duties in the IPO have drastically changed with the incoming month of June.  However in May, aside from sneaking out to see the commissioning week excitement around the yard, I actually accomplished more in my first 4 weeks than I anticipated to all summer.  Most of it was helping my mentor catch up on things that the office desperately needed done, but didn't have the time or man power to do.

  The first task I started with were fact sheets for all the countries we send midshipmen to.  These included basic things like capital, population, ethnicities, religions, etc (which hopefully the mids already know).  But the exciting part was putting together a cultural section.  This is where having studied abroad and traveled a lot came in handy.  For example, I spent nearly the first 2 months in Spain answering the phone "Hola?" the equivalent to Americans' "Hello?"  When in fact, Spaniards say "Díme," which literally means "tell me" as soon as they pick up the phone.  Finding little nuances like this proved difficult yet fascinating, especially for the countries I essentially knew nothing about like Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Morocco.  I have become much more cultured and inspired to stay current in world news.  In fact, just the other day there was a devastating fire near the school where we will be sending 2 mids this fall in Qatar, which I read about in the news.

   Another task I was especially proud of was compiling a list of transfer credits.  I made a multi-tabbed spread sheet (I've very quickly taught myself excel) with each major and the courses that will transfer from each foreign institution, organized by language.  It was incredibly tedious, time-consuming, and required a lot of translating.  However, this will be, and already has been useful for mids interested in certain programs that want to see what courses will apply to their major.  The final document was sent to department heads, the Dean of academic affairs, and most nerve-wrackingly, my director.  I got a quick response of "great work."  If you knew my director, this is like a billion dollars :)

   I've also been working with the website a bit, I've coordinated & assigned midshipmen who have previously studied abroad to incoming exchange students, compiled pre-departure travel packets for the 48 mids we have going abroad in the fall, and helped record financial information.  I have been registered with the Dept of Defense to submit APACS (Aircraft and Personnel Automated Clearance System), which is the system that all military personnel, and associated military personnel (i.e. USNA professors and staff) must be entered in and cleared from to travel on official orders.  I have also sat in on a command brief for NETSAFA (Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity) officers visiting the USNA to learn about the training of future Naval officers.  This proved very interesting.  Most of the officers were from Saudi Arabia, with a few from Ukraine and other countries.  When the topic turned to women at the Academy, I felt very awkward being in a room full of men.  Although I respected the Colonel before, I especially respected him after his responses to the Saudi Arabians, who clearly were not in agreement that women should be at the USNA.  And finally,  I helped my mentor with a introductory session for rising Youngsters (what sophomores are called) to introduce our programs abroad.  This was neat, as it was a few days after the Herndon Climb and they were anxious to show off their bruises of triumph.

   For the month of June, I am working with our 2 newly commissioned Ensigns on the international midshipmen orientation which will last almost 2 weeks before Induction Day and the start to Plebe Summer.  More on this later- as it has already proven VERY interesting!