Lodging and Checking In

I drove onto Ft. Sam for the first time Tuesday morning and it happened to be pouring rain. It is not a large post but its hard to find anything in the rain and fog that I was in. My orders said to check in to building 592 for lodging and then building 902. I found 592 first and they gave me the key to my room. We were supposed to stay in the big, newer BOQ that has single rooms however the Captains Career Course is going on right now also and they had priority. So we got put in the old BOQ that usually houses those going through the NCO Academy. It is on the back end of post and not too bad. Its a double with the two twin beds, a small chest of drawers under the bed and a tall closet each. (I took pictures but am having trouble finding my camera cord so they will be up soon) Each room has a bathroom with a full tub and shower and a full length mirror on the door. We have a flat screen tv mounted on the wall and a small kitchenette with a sink, microwave, and a mini fridge/freezer. We each have a desk with lamp and there is AC that we can control. I think its great but those that were expecting single rooms were slightly disappointed. The only bad thing is there is only one ethernet cord and if you want 2 computers hooked up you have to bring your own splitter. However, there is a decent wireless signal from a random linskeys account that is unlocked that you can get onto. Houskeeping cleans the rooms twice a week and you get fresh towels everyday.

I moved a couple of my things in and then decided to locate building 902. There is alot of construction on post with random road closings so I decided to walk. I had my ACUs on since I thought I had to check in with them on. Well 3 hours later I had found building 902 and was told that was a typo and I didn't need to do anything until the following day. Very frustrating but I did explore alot. There are many E1s and E2s that are here for various schools and it was exciting the first couple times to be saluted but it got old pretty quick. It was also still very humid from the rain so I was glad to go back to my room, change and finish unpacking.

My roomie came in later that afternoon. She is a direct commissionee that is coming in as a Captain since she is a nurse practitioner in maternal/fetal medicine. Basically she deals with high risk pregnancies. She is prior air force and her husband is retiring form the air force in March. She has two children that are 21 and 23. The 23 year old graduated from the Air Force Acadmey. She is pretty nervous about the course but I'm sure she'll be fine. I was exhausted and slept great but she told me it was pretty loud at night.

I met two other ROTC guys that came early and we went into downtown last night for dinner. Of course we had to have Mex and we went to this pretty cool restaurant with singers and everything. The food was spicy but good. We also briefly walked around the riverwalk and I will be excited to go back when I have more time. It looks super nice with some really great shopping opportunities.

Things I learned:

DO NOT go to building 902 apparently this is on about half of everyone's orders every time.

If you arrive before the start date of class all you have to check in with is lodging.

Have your rank sewn onto your patrol cap before you come (for the field)

Have a good beret shaved and formed before you come. I have been helping my roomie with hers all afternoon.

Earplugs for light sleepers.

Careful where you park downtown. We parked in a university parking lot unknowingly and got a $100 ticket!!! We are going to appeal it though since the only sign they had posted had fallen to the ground.