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College Carnival

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After a while, the days at the Academy blur together as if you have been spinning around and around on the Teacups at the carnival. Mid-terms have already past and the Corps of Cadets are working toward Thanksgiving, hoping we can last on this teacup ride, and hold on without getting sick; hoping the world will stop spinning enough for us to catch our breath. The college carnival scene is very much like the ones we go to back home where the Pirate Ship is full of ups and downs, where we experience the same queasy feeling in our stomachs that we have on the ride when we are about to take an exam. Pop quizzes also seem to occur at the Academy as spontaneously as kernels pop at a popcorn booth. The whole experience at the Academy is like being on a Ferris Wheel – there are so many views you can have of this place and it all depends on where you are on the giant wheel. As a 4/c, you start at the bottom, just getting on the ride, taking a seat, and joining the Corps of Cadets at the United States Coast Guard Academy. At the start of 3/c year, you feel on top of the world, seeing the whole purpose of the Academy and having the privilege of no longer being a 4/c. However, the academics sneak up on the majority of 3/c as we slowly descend and slump into a narrower view of simply trying to pass classes, do well on exams, and survive past the semester’s finals. Although, our view is limited and approaching the bottom can tempt us to get off, the Ferris Wheel keeps moving. The college carnival can really be tiring and at times you just want to Whack-A-Regulation, but like all carnivals, the Academy life is predictable. All the rides and games are expected and in the end, we will be walking out of this college carnival with a prize: a diploma and a pair of Ensign stripes on our uniform.

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Last Edited by Leann Strickland at 11/8/2012 10:13 AM