Hello all! I just wanted to get off a quick post and let everyone know that I am still alive and well here at college. I have been very busy lately but not with anything particularly worth writing about. A lot of class work and homework thrown onto the already full plate of juggling that with military training.
I just want to say a general thanks to all of you who have written me letters or emails or cards!! It has been so great to hear from you! Sorry that I have not yet had the chance to reply to many of you on a personal basis. I will try my best to get back to you but I can't guarantee exactly when! I just want you to know that I do greatly appreciate the letters! Thanks!!
Well it is getting late and I need to be up at 5 am tomorrow to get ready to go to PT (physical training). Bye for now!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Two and a half weeks down
Hello everyone!
Thanks for checking out my blog. It has now been a little over two weeks since I have been at Norwich and it is time for a quick update on how I have been doing lately.
Well, on Sunday the 19th of August, I started my college adventure! After spending Saturday night at a hotel in Vermont, my family took me to the school in the morning and by the afternoon they and all the other parents had cleared out and the cadre had control.
Sunday was mostly dedicated to checking in and getting uniform issue. Uniforms are worn 24/7 up here at Norwich. I haven't been in civi clothes since the 18th!
The first week of freshman year at NU is called Rook Week. It was a long and tiring week but it wasn't really as difficult as I had imagined it would be. Throughout the week we did a lot of learning about school policies, military customs and courtesies, drill and ceremonies, getting our barracks "inspection ready", and physical training. The Friday of rook week (the 24th) was set aside for military skills day. It featured events such as an obstacle course, rappell tower, rope bridge, orienteering, grenade throwing (with dummy grenades), and uphill relay races against other companys. I am in CHARLIE company!
The traditional end to Rook Week is a run through the Dog River. It was awesome and so much fun!!!! Pretty much running through the dog is where the entire company goes into this cold river (and it is darn cold) and runs/swims through the river. Along the way, stops are made in order to do push ups and sit ups and other excersises in the middle of the water. It was a very motivating day for the entire company! If you are interested in reading more about the Dog Run then check out http://norwich.edu/about/news/2007/083107-dogRiver.html
Classes started on Monday the 27th. Academic days (Monday-Friday) are kind of nice because we have between 0730-1700 (5Pm for those of you not on military time) to ourselves. The day is dedicated to attending classes, doing homework, or doing whatever else needs to be done. Sometimes it can get boring but it is usually better than doing drill or something. Haha. I am taking 4 classes this semester in addition to my Air Force ROTC class. It is nice to have classes though because they are one of the few times where eveyone is equal and rank is disregarded. While in class, it is almost possible to forget that I am at a military school! :-)
So far things have not been too difficult with my classes. The hardest part is usually trying to stay focused and awake during class. At Norwich the days are pretty long. We usually get to bed around 2300 (11Pm) and wake up at 0500.
There is really not a whole lot of things to say about the academics. I wont bore you with the details. If you have any specific questions then feel free to email and ask me and I will be more than willing to answer when I get the chance.
On Labor day, the entire corps of cadets marched in a parade through the town here. It was long and tiring (about an hour and a half long while carrying a rifle on the shoulder). But afterwards we had a couple hours of leave and got the chance for some rest and relaxation.
It seems like I have covered most of the major details of what has gone down over the past couple weeks. This is already getting long and I'd hate to bore any of you with my post! :-)
The last thing that I will say is that my mailing address here at the school is
Norwich University
Jonathan Kinsky
NU Box #950
158 Harmon Drive
Northfield, VT. 05663
I would love to hear from any of you if you ever have the chance to write! Getting mail is the highlight of my day when I get a letter. And if you send a package with something yummy and delicious enclosed, then I will pretty much be in heaven!! I'm not asking for handouts but I'm just throwing the idea out there... hahaha.
Again, thanks for taking the time to read this! I will try to update regularly.
Thanks for checking out my blog. It has now been a little over two weeks since I have been at Norwich and it is time for a quick update on how I have been doing lately.
Well, on Sunday the 19th of August, I started my college adventure! After spending Saturday night at a hotel in Vermont, my family took me to the school in the morning and by the afternoon they and all the other parents had cleared out and the cadre had control.
Sunday was mostly dedicated to checking in and getting uniform issue. Uniforms are worn 24/7 up here at Norwich. I haven't been in civi clothes since the 18th!
The first week of freshman year at NU is called Rook Week. It was a long and tiring week but it wasn't really as difficult as I had imagined it would be. Throughout the week we did a lot of learning about school policies, military customs and courtesies, drill and ceremonies, getting our barracks "inspection ready", and physical training. The Friday of rook week (the 24th) was set aside for military skills day. It featured events such as an obstacle course, rappell tower, rope bridge, orienteering, grenade throwing (with dummy grenades), and uphill relay races against other companys. I am in CHARLIE company!
The traditional end to Rook Week is a run through the Dog River. It was awesome and so much fun!!!! Pretty much running through the dog is where the entire company goes into this cold river (and it is darn cold) and runs/swims through the river. Along the way, stops are made in order to do push ups and sit ups and other excersises in the middle of the water. It was a very motivating day for the entire company! If you are interested in reading more about the Dog Run then check out http://norwich.edu/about/news/2007/083107-dogRiver.html
Classes started on Monday the 27th. Academic days (Monday-Friday) are kind of nice because we have between 0730-1700 (5Pm for those of you not on military time) to ourselves. The day is dedicated to attending classes, doing homework, or doing whatever else needs to be done. Sometimes it can get boring but it is usually better than doing drill or something. Haha. I am taking 4 classes this semester in addition to my Air Force ROTC class. It is nice to have classes though because they are one of the few times where eveyone is equal and rank is disregarded. While in class, it is almost possible to forget that I am at a military school! :-)
So far things have not been too difficult with my classes. The hardest part is usually trying to stay focused and awake during class. At Norwich the days are pretty long. We usually get to bed around 2300 (11Pm) and wake up at 0500.
There is really not a whole lot of things to say about the academics. I wont bore you with the details. If you have any specific questions then feel free to email and ask me and I will be more than willing to answer when I get the chance.
On Labor day, the entire corps of cadets marched in a parade through the town here. It was long and tiring (about an hour and a half long while carrying a rifle on the shoulder). But afterwards we had a couple hours of leave and got the chance for some rest and relaxation.
It seems like I have covered most of the major details of what has gone down over the past couple weeks. This is already getting long and I'd hate to bore any of you with my post! :-)
The last thing that I will say is that my mailing address here at the school is
Norwich University
Jonathan Kinsky
NU Box #950
158 Harmon Drive
Northfield, VT. 05663
I would love to hear from any of you if you ever have the chance to write! Getting mail is the highlight of my day when I get a letter. And if you send a package with something yummy and delicious enclosed, then I will pretty much be in heaven!! I'm not asking for handouts but I'm just throwing the idea out there... hahaha.
Again, thanks for taking the time to read this! I will try to update regularly.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
And away we go...
So here I am with just a week to go before leaving for college and boy it sure has been one heck of a journey! For those of you who may not know… I am leaving to attend Norwich University. Norwich is a small military college in the middle of nowhere (okay so it’s in Vermont which is pretty much the same thing)! I’ll be taking part in the Air Force ROTC program and the Corps of Cadets. Basically what that means is that the cadet cadre (student leaders for lack of a better term) will “own” me at college and the Air Force will “own” me after college.
For the past couple weeks, I have just been working a LOT to get things gathered, packed, and ready to go. I guess I would have to say that shopping for college has been a bit easier for me than most college students. You see, the joy of going to a military school where I have to wear uniforms all the time is that I don’t have to worry about buying all sorts of new clothes for college! I know that I will very quickly miss my jeans and T-shirts! Pretty much all I have to bring are school supplies and underwear. :-) And Walmart has been very good to me for getting those items…
The freshman year at Norwich is called Rook year. As a Rook (freshman) I will not be allowed many “privileges”. I can have no cell phone, no car, no hair (okay so very little hair), no music, and pretty much anything else that I take for granted. I know it will be very challenging but I am looking forward to it a lot! Go ahead… call me crazy!!!!!!
I hear that time is very precious up at Norwich but I wanted to create this blog as a place where I can attempt to keep everyone updated with the general details of how life at a military school is going for me. Hopefully I will be able to keep it updated regularly (I am hoping at least once a week but I make no promises )! My email address at school is going to be jkinsky@student.norwich.edu. And just in case anyone is interested, I will also post my “snail mail” address on here when I know what the address is going to be. I do PROMISE that I will reply to any personal emails or letters! So please keep in touch!!
Also if you are interested to know more about the school, check out their site at http://www.norwich.edu/. More from me to follow when there is actually something worth writing about…
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