Please see Part 1 here if you haven't read it already.
A few months later after my ship and community selection , graduation came and went; things got really hectic. Honestly, I don't remember who spoke for the students, but I do remember the guest speaker being Michelle Obama. Also, I wore my gown over my uniform and I felt like a stripper because we had to "change" into our uniforms underneath after all the new officers did a public commissioning ( it's the whole raise your right hand and repeat after me stuff).
I received my orders and unfortunately had to get to Hawaii within two weeks of graduating. It sounds like ample time, but it requires a lot of work to move from the west coast of the Continental US to a chain of islands across the Pacific Ocean. I had to drive my car to a specific location in order to get it shipped and get my personal things moved as well. The one thing I will say about military clothing / uniform is that they are expensive, and I feel like Barbie or a Ken doll because there are a lot of versions.
Anyway, moving things is different in the military. The government has a contract with local movers, and they literally move everything which is why it's important to watch the people pack your things. They will wrap every dish and every clothing and move it. I remember a horror story from an instructor who stated that he got his garbage moved to his new station because he wasn't paying attention. In essence, these guys remind you of Orc workers who kind of march around your house mumbling, "Work, work" or in my case, "move, move."
The one awesome thing that about the military is the bonding, and I really saw this first hand when I talked to my sponsor for my first ship. Everyone should get a sponsor when arriving to a new station. It's important because the sponsor is "expert" of the area and is going to help the settling in process. It makes an enormous difference of a person's outlook on the command and the ship. My sponsor was really awesome; he would reminded me of a stockier version of Michael Chiklis ( the guy from the awful "Fantastic Four"). He was buff but he claimed he only did pull ups and push ups, no weights.
He was so great that he invited me for a hike.
Hawaii is really awesome if you love nature. There are plenty of beaches to lounge around, and many places to hike, and many opportunities to jump from waterfalls. Also, the view of the ocean is fantastic, I recommend it as a good destination for traveling; however, it is a tad bit expensive.
The hike consisted of going from one side of the island over three hills at the top and climbing down an area called Stairway to Heaven or Haiku Stairs. From the picture below, I had to climb from the opposite side and came down those stairs.
My sponsor told me this was a 4 or 5 hour hike total. Well....
I hate to be dramatic, but it was really 8 hours later that we made it down the hill. I'm glad that I had a Subway sandwich because that was a long day. The hike up wasn't that bad. There were areas that you had to pull yourself up and was just a bit hairy. The most important lesson I learned from this event is that I do not like heights. The top of the ridge or mountain was very, very narrow. I felt that if I leaned to the right or left, I would fall off. Anyway, it was a one and done, and I have no reason to want to go back.
I swear I will get to the actual ship in Chapter 3, but I had to give some credit to my sponsor.
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haha even the garbage. Government precision is so good.
I would love to go to Hawaii someday, but great story by the way.