The biggest lesson I’ve learned about weekends at the National Academy is that you have to keep moving.
I spent Saturday night in New Jersey with close friends which was a much needed release from the dorm life. I got back to the NA mid-morning on Sunday.
It didn’t feel like it was Easter Sunday despite my Skyping with the family that morning. I watched the kids search for Easter Eggs and it almost felt as though I was there in person. Almost. They found 23 eggs which meant one was unaccounted for (the Easter Bunny apparently forgot where the last one was hidden). Keeping with the glass half full theory, I will be glad to be far away from home when that 24th egg that is missing starts revealing itself!
Most of my classmates planned day trips to Washington DC and surrounding points of interest over the weekend. Those who stayed back and hung out in the dorms seemed out of sorts. It’s hard enough to be in a new environment — even harder to do so on a holiday with unstructured time. Seven us from the Chicago area decided to go out to a “family” dinner Sunday night to get our mind off of being away. It was a bit melancholy even with the Bloody Mary’s I drank!
Yesterday (Monday) was probably the most stressful day for me thus far. I finally started to get a real sense of the culmination of assignments that each course requires. The instructors eased us into the first week with gentle reassurance. By the end of the day on Monday, many of us felt overwhelmed by the work load. I had to download a college app for my iPad in order to keep my classes and assignments organized. I saw many returning to the dorm with bags from the nearest office supply store who had the same idea.
Tomorrow is our first Challenge Run and the beginning of training for the Yellow Brick Road — the 6+ mile obstacle course that we will attempt in week 10 to achieve the much coveted yellow brick. Tomorrow is also the first in a series of Wednesday Night Karaoke in the Boardroom. I’m definitely looking forward to hearing the inner rock stars that will emerge from these police executives.
Onward and upward.