Time flies when you’re having fun! I have found that saying to be so true here at Riddle. Already it’s October and the middle of this week marks the halfway point! In my Business 101 class, our advisor was talking about how registration is coming up and we need to decide what classes we want to take. I am excited about picking new classes! My schedule now has mainly morning classes and I hope to keep it that way because I would rather have my afternoons and evenings free. As an incoming freshman, you don’t have any say in your schedule so you might find that you really like morning classes after all. I will keep you updated on the whole registration process.
ROTC continues to be an adventure! These past two weeks have been jammed packed with all kinds of activities including: a cookout, paintball, uniforms, volunteering, and painting the spirit rock. First of all, I had the pleasure of taking the AFOQT (Air Force Officer Qualifying Test). Think ACT or SAT testing and you kind of have an idea of what it was like. The test lasted about four hours; if you would like to see the format or take a practice test you can find a book at your local bookstore. The test has two math parts and the great news is you cannot use a calculator. I don’t know about all of you but I NEED a calculator! However, I think I did okay and in a couple of weeks I will find out for sure. The same weekend my flight commander had a cookout at his house after extra drill. I had a wonderful time and got to know some people in my flight a little more. My favorite part about ROTC is the instant bond between all of us cadets.
Paintball was something I had never done before and signing up for this was equal to physical training. The Air Force only trains twice a week on Wednesday and Friday. I don’t mind running but every once in a while your legs would like a break. All I knew about paintball was from the movie Failure to Launch and this was a little bit different. We were in the sand pits and I don’t think I actually hit anyone. I got hit once and in my finger—my trigger finger! I could see someone and right as I put my finger on the trigger they fired. I couldn’t believe I had been hit and I will admit it did hurt a little. I do plan on trying paintball again and next time I will have a better idea of what I am doing!
Ever since school started my Air Force uniform has consisted of blue jeans and a t-shirt. Well, I received my service dress uniform which is blue pants and a light blue shirt. The detachment had an alterations company come to alter our uniforms which is good because my pants needed to be a lot shorter. A pointer for anyone doing AFROTC next year—be early! I was waiting in line to get my uniform and had to leave because I had class. The next day I made sure I was there ten minutes before schedule and there were already several people in front of me. I should be getting my battle dress uniform soon which is the camouflage pants and blouse.
Another cadet from my flight and I volunteered to help a local soup kitchen serve dinner. I had never volunteered at a soup kitchen before, so I was ready for another new experience. We got lost on the way there and drove out of Daytona Beach because the road to turn on was hidden and didn’t have a very big street sign. We eventually figured it out! Once there, we helped wash the tables, make cheeseburgers, serve dessert, and then clean up. I enjoyed the evening and we only spent two hours at the soup kitchen. Unfortunately, we got lost on the way back to campus and we traveled into Port Orange; however, we made it back about an hour later. The soup kitchen is about fifteen minutes from campus. My flight also painted the spirit rock and I posted some pictures of the wonderful artwork. The spirit rock is a big rock in the middle of campus that all the clubs and organizations can paint. We plan on painting it again because later that night someone painted over our artwork.
One of the clubs that I am involved in is Silver Wings, but before you can actually become a member you must go through the associate process. The process involves doing a group service project, taking a test, and going through an interview. Members can be both Air Force cadets and civilians and what the organization does is service projects throughout the community. My group is doing a clothing drive on campus to collect clothing for the homeless shelters. Next week for the meeting we have to wear a suit and since I didn’t bring one to campus I got to go shopping. Luckily, I was able to find a suit that fit perfectly and everything I bought was on sale.
Well, I think these past two weeks have been the busiest. Homework keeps on coming and I have really had to take advantage of the time I get between classes. On Thursdays there is a free movie and I went to the one last week—Evan Almighty. I enjoyed relaxing and watching a movie. Next week is Live Free or Die Hard and I plan on going to see that because I didn’t get a chance to see it when it came out. One last word of advice – bring a good umbrella because it rains daily and the wind can be ferocious.
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
