Everyone who has been through the National Academy explains that around the 5th week, the time seems to accelerate and the 10 weeks are over in a mere blink. I experienced that sensation during this week (albeit a bit premature).
Papers were due this week, speeches were delivered, mock television interviews were conducted and group projects were coordinated. All of which lent to the days being filled with a lot of work and little play.
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| Delivering my Informative Speech in “Public Speaking” |
The best advice I got before coming to the NA was to keep on top of all of the assignments and get them done as early as possible. I would also add that weekdays should be utilized for work so you can allow as much time on the weekends for socializing and exploring. I have noticed that my classmates are starting to linger away from the base to get real food on some weeknights. The cafeteria food does not sustain the foodies in our group and I’ve noticed the mess hall crowds getting more sparse. Thus far, I’ve stayed productive on my weeknights. Thus far…
There is always an adventure planned for the weekend (usually several depending upon interests) and I’m trying to take advantage of all I can. The New York trip is coming up next weekend followed by the trip to Philly. The Myrtle Beach excursion was last weekend but I decided to go for a well needed trip home instead. Officers from the respective destination cities organize and plan the trips. The coveted New York trip often results in a lottery because so many wish to attend. Fortunately, every person who signed from our session up will get to go and the buzz around the NA is anticipation of such.
This weekend I will spend some time sightseeing in Pentagon City and DC. Our class sommolier has organized another wine tasting tour for Sunday and even though I’ve already gone to one, I couldn’t keep from signing up again to experience more of the vineyards in Virginia.
There are many people going for the Blue Brick for swimming and the Yellow Brick for the 6+ mile obstacle course (and yes, these are literal brick awards I’m describing). While I plan on conquering the “Yellow Brick Road” in week 10, our session has introduced the “purple brick” for those of us who consume the most amount of wine on the weekends. I think I’m on my way to earning it.