Essay Wk 3
Can I Do This Alone?
By: Lynette Smith
When I think back into a time in my life when I felt like an outsider not many events come to mind. One in particular does rein clearer than the others though. That would be when I arrived at my first duty station while on active duty in the United States Navy. The thought of leaving home for the first time was completely nerve racking. I had no idea what to even expect. I felt for the first time in my life I had to do something alone. Fresh out of boot camp as a Culinary Specialist I was attached to the USS Enterprise CVN 65 homeport Norfolk, Virginia. Of course I am expecting I would report to the ship as well as to Norfolk, Virginia. Instead I reported to a barracks in Portsmouth, Virginia. The ship was currently being repaired in a shipyard located in Newport News, Virginia . I arrived very nervous and feeling a bit like a lost puppy. I was shown to my room which was similar to a hotel room which contained two twin beds and a full bathroom. As the days passed I met a young man named Williams we hit it off very well as friends. We began to talk and found our common interests. We pretty much became drinking buddies. Even though I had found a friend to temper the sting of loneliness I still felt out of place. I felt very much like an outsider. Being a brand new sailor and knowing minimal things about pretty much everything definitely did not help. Being the new person leaves you feeling pretty vulnerable. Once I arrived in the working environment I felt even more like an outsider. There were all these cliques of people laughing and having fun. I only knew Williams and he worked in completely different place. Then to top it all off I was completely overwhelmed with learning how to cook in such large quantities. Making food for 300 people that is just ludacris. The first item I ever cooked was chicken breasts. I was so nervous I could not even think straight enough to remember to
By: Lynette Smith
When I think back into a time in my life when I felt like an outsider not many events come to mind. One in particular does rein clearer than the others though. That would be when I arrived at my first duty station while on active duty in the United States Navy. The thought of leaving home for the first time was completely nerve racking. I had no idea what to even expect. I felt for the first time in my life I had to do something alone. Fresh out of boot camp as a Culinary Specialist I was attached to the USS Enterprise CVN 65 homeport Norfolk, Virginia. Of course I am expecting I would report to the ship as well as to Norfolk, Virginia. Instead I reported to a barracks in Portsmouth, Virginia. The ship was currently being repaired in a shipyard located in Newport News, Virginia . I arrived very nervous and feeling a bit like a lost puppy. I was shown to my room which was similar to a hotel room which contained two twin beds and a full bathroom. As the days passed I met a young man named Williams we hit it off very well as friends. We began to talk and found our common interests. We pretty much became drinking buddies. Even though I had found a friend to temper the sting of loneliness I still felt out of place. I felt very much like an outsider. Being a brand new sailor and knowing minimal things about pretty much everything definitely did not help. Being the new person leaves you feeling pretty vulnerable. Once I arrived in the working environment I felt even more like an outsider. There were all these cliques of people laughing and having fun. I only knew Williams and he worked in completely different place. Then to top it all off I was completely overwhelmed with learning how to cook in such large quantities. Making food for 300 people that is just ludacris. The first item I ever cooked was chicken breasts. I was so nervous I could not even think straight enough to remember to