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Home on Recruiting Leave

(The Cadet Experience, Class of 2012) Permanent link All Posts

Hey everybody and Happy Thanksgiving! I am writing this blog from home right now, and have just finished recruiting at my old high school (St. Francis High School in Mountain View, California) and her rival (Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose) as well. It’s crazy going back to my roots and seeing how much has changed. My old high school is being renovated, and already has a new multimillion dollar theater!

I must say, that last week was absolutely ridiculous… I don’t think I have had a busier week at the Academy (and I thought senior year was supposed to be easy…). Between academics, working out, filling my duties as Company Commander, and all the new video games that came out (Call of Duty, Skyrim, and Saints Row), I am pretty sure I only had about three hours asleep every night. I guess that is okay however, because it made my transit from New London, Connecticut to San Francisco (about 12 hours of travel time) a really easy one…because I was pretty much asleep the entire time. It has been great coming home for Thanksgiving, and it has been my first Thanksgiving at home for quite some time. I finally was able to get Recruiting Leave this year… since I was able to get my grades high enough. For those of you who don’t know, Recruiting Leave essentially gives me an extra four days of break, and those extra four days makes it worth going home (cadets usually only get 4-5 days for Thanksgiving and Recruiting Leave expands that to about eight, another incentive to do well in school).

It has been really nice to be able to relax at home, and I have enjoyed being able to hibernate each day. I probably should have eaten less, and exercised more, but I have really been enjoying myself. Unfortunately, I have also have had to start doing some homework. I know that some might say, “Why are you doing homework over break!?!?” but to be honest this is all about time management. I know if I don’t do some work over break, I am going to be miserable when I return to school, and not turn in quality assignments. I have four papers to complete, multiple presentations, and a slew of other work that all must be done in less than two weeks. On top of that, finals are just around the corner, so I need to start studying for those. It’s the sad truth, but when you go to the Coast Guard Academy, you’ll probably have some work to do even during your breaks.

I can’t complain however, as I am set to graduate very soon, and will have a job out in the real world in a few short months. There are a lot of things I am thankful for, and one of those things is being able to go to the Coast Guard Academy. Although the Academy at times can be a thorn in my side, it has given me so many friends, taught me so much, and set me up for a successful future. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving, and even in hard times remember what you are thankful for!

More about Chris.

Last Edited by Leann Strickland at 2/2/2012 4:22 PM