The last time I actually had a "free week" was when I first reported into my command but I still had work to do. This week is actually a free week. All I really had to do was show up for muster at 7:30 or 9:30 on certain days and the rest of the day was mine. Pretty cool, right? Well, with that being said I really didn't do much of anything once I was done with muster which would last for about 10 minutes. My main goal that I had but failed daily was to go to the Pass and ID place and get my ID card fixed so I could be able to use the computers. On the brighter side of things I got the one thing that will help me be successful in my career. My Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS) binder, this binder contains every qualification that I need to complete to become a true Surface Warfare Officer. What I mean by a "true" Surface Warfare Officer is getting my warfare pin, without it I'm just another Ensign. To explain the importance of a warfare pin it is not only my community pin but it also means that I know everything that I need to know about Navy ships, their systems, safety, and I can drive the vessel without crashing and not needing instructions on how to do so. With it also being my free week and I didn't have much to do I actually got to go into the simulator to see how my future ship works. Instead of going to muster I went to a different building with my crew and got some simulator time. The building I had to go to was really neat and secure (no phones past the front desk). We had a cool access method too, kinda like in all those movies with corporate buildings, scan your card and the doors open. The first day I was just a bystander and just tried to grasp how I will actually understand how all these screens, diagrams, and buttons work. The next day my sponsor let me drive the ship! I did pretty good for a first time driver lol I didn't crash and even got to "park" it. I learned a little about how to read the charts but it was just so much to take in. Later in my training track I will have more than enough understanding on what all the functions mean and how to successfully drive and park my ship.
Neo Soul Tuesday
The title should say it all but I'll explain a little more. One of my friends who is also in the Navy does a lot of spoken word and invited me and some other people to watch her perform at this event. It gave me the jazz club vibe with the live band and the soft sounds. I've always wanted to go to a place like this while I was in college but it never happened so I can check this off my bucket list. Now when my friend performed I forgot that poets and musicians go by completely different names so when they called her we all had a shocked look at her stage name lol. It was nothing crazy but were just weren't expecting it. I must say when she did her piece she SNAPPED! But then again she was in this organization called Voices at FAMU and all those members do great when they perform. And to mention FAMU I can say this was like a little FAMU Alumna/ Naval Officer girls night out. Nonetheless I enjoyed myself and plan to go again in the future.
Gleam of Light
Now remember I did say that this blog would contain my experiences as an African American Officer in the military. Well, yes there is a big difference (I'm the only African American female officer in this training track right now) but I haven't experienced anything crazy...yet. This other black officer that works in the office invited my to a program the her organization was having. I went to support but she also took time out to even tell me. When I got there my uncertainty was immediately cleared up. There are tons of officers that look like me! And on top of that they are in the higher up positions and a lot were women. The reason why I mention that is because I don't see many officers that look like me past the O3 (Lieutenant) rank which is sometimes discouraging and then them actually being a woman is lower. One of the speakers that caught my eye was not only in the field that I was interested in, she was black, a FAMU alumna, AND just got selected to become a Captain (O6). The mentoring event was one that I am truly glad I went to but I was able to talk to different officers in higher ranking positions and able to get great advice from all of them. I was even able to get really good advice from an Admiral! I would have never thought that I would be talking to an Admiral after a few weeks of working in the Navy unless I did something really bad to get kicked out. After the mentoring event was over I made sure to talk to the Captain that graduated from FAMU and other officers. All of them were very nice, gave good advice, and I was able to get some business cards for future references and questions on my career choices. Sometimes you have to do things that are completely different to get results that you want.
As for my weekend, there wasn't much planned so I was just relaxing. Topped off my weekend with going to church and having brunch with most African American officers (about 10) that went to the same church. It just made me think back to that mentoring event I went to earlier that week. Navy melanin, majority HBCU grads, and everyone just coming together to have a good time. You can't beat an experience like this.
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