Taking a Break

28 September 2011; 12:00PM

So it's day two of orientation and I am on a quick break.

You really couldn't ask for a more beautiful day to be sitting under a tree.

So far everything is great. The first night at the hotel was pretty uneventful, there were a few faces that clearly were looking to engage someone, hopeful that they too were new to the program. But the next morning it was all pretty obvious. As we waited for our busses at 7am, some smoking, some listening to their ipods, we all manged to find each other.

The first day was pretty quick. We all just double checked our paperwork, got our per diem, and took a ServeSafe class. We were let out way early, our group anyway, because we had nothing left to do, so, we went back to the hotel. It was a beautiful day, and everyone was pretty eager to get to know each other.

I ran to a store with a woman who will be a dinning room attendant, hit up Target and scored some cheap polarized sunglasses, which was the last thing on the list left to buy. When I got back, some people were already in the pool, and already a 12 pack down. So I hiked down to the store to get more supplies.

We were in or around the pool, having a few beers, ordering pizza, and getting to know who we will spend the next 6 months with, until about 10pm. It was awesome. Our boss hung out with all of us, and it's his first time down to the ice as well. There are only three people that have been down before, so they were there to answer some of our questions and give us a few pointers, and some stories, about what to expect.

Today we all woke up a bit fuzzy to say the least.

Each of us feels a little bad because we are trying to find our way through buildings full of people who are just doing their jobs. We are unsure of where we are supposed to be, and who exactly is part of our groups, but for the most part, it's all going pretty smooth. Many people are returning, so they know the ropes, but in other groups. It's pretty amazing to see how many people are here doing this, and we are only one small part of a bigger picture.

But, the day is almost over, all the briefings and paperwork, and security stuff finished up. I can say that without a doubt, I have a feeling all of us are going to get along just fine. We all have likenesses that would be hard to find in any other line of work. I think that our being here in and of itself is a pretty good sign. Obviously we are all looking for something different, looking to experience something, and looking to be part of something greater then ourselves.

So, now off to the travel brief to get my tickets for the rest of the trip. It's all very military.