Thanksgiving break

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and wherever they were they were safe. I drove down to New Jersey last Tuesday after I had taken my Spanish Quiz and boy did I hit a lot of traffic. Connecticut was basically stopped traffic, but luckily my GPS took me other routes so we were not on I-95 for very long. I had fun spending time with my family and I think the break was far too short, although I know after Thanksgiving the semester typically flies by. Like I wrote about the last week or two, MMA is collecting donations for a Children's Hospital in Ecuador. While I was home I asked my family to collect any and all clothes they had to spare. Being the oldest of six, it is very easy for my family to find clothes that either the children do not fit into, or that is not being used. I came back to school on Sunday with a contract bag full of clothes for the children in Ecuador. This week has also proven to be a busy one. With 2 tests coming up in Trans. Ops, another 2 tests in Spanish, a 10-15 page paper in Finance II along with a 25 minute presentation about Estate Planning, I also have a Business Communication paper due and designing my own website. On top of all of this, I have the Board of Trustee meeting next Thursday (December 8th) and the chorus concert the same day. This week I have a Spirit of Boston meeting Thursday at 0645 and a 7th Company Staff meeting Friday morning. My time management skills will be tested these next couple weeks, as well as my stress levels. I'm looking forward to Christmas, only 2 more weeks!

Nearing the Finish

It's hard to believe that in just a couple short weeks the semester will be ending. Until then I'll be still packed with a lot of tests and work to get done. I am still waiting on the official word from Maersk Line Limited on where I'll be going this winter. Hopefully I 'll be going somewhere warm.

Coming up this Friday is the Annual Winter Ball on the Spirit of Boston. This will be my second Winter Ball. If it is anything like last year I am sure it will be a blast.

I have to admit that lately I have been absolutely swamped with work. Almost everyday has been filled with either tests, quizzes, and projects due or presented. Fortunately today all I had was my Dangerous Liquid Cargo class and my picture taken for the class portraits. Tomorrow is a whole other story unfortunately. I have two tests, one for Celestial Navigation 2 Lab and the other for the lecture portion. The good news is that finals are so very close. Ideally I will not have to report to my ship during finals and I'll have a little extra time to gather my stuff and move out before I leave.

On a lighter note, my GMDSS 2 class was canceled for Friday. It's the little things that make life easier. Next week should also be less of load academically.

I'll be sure to post some pictures from the Winter Ball.

Until then, you can find me studying Celestial Navigation!

Above is a picture of a surface weather analysis from the Ocean Prediction Center. We are learning about different types of weather forecasting and how to interpret the charts in my Meteorology class.

Fun at MMA

Even at MMA we find time for some enjoyment. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 has become a stress reliever and a way to have a little fun after classes. You can always tell who is playing by what you hear when you walk by the dorms.

I had inspections assigned to me a few weeks ago which required me to walk up around 0600 to get myself ready, well when i walked around the corner a found this stand up doll waiting for me. Guess someone though it was funny but when your eyes are only half open to begin with something like this really gets the blood flowing. I did notice that it had an MS awareness bracelt on though.

Some of the best pictures of sunsets I have ever seen have been while I have been in Buzzards Bay. This is a picture I took on a run along the canal. On average about 50 cadets run the canal every day which if i'm not mistaken is about 7 miles one way! But with all the great sights along the way those miles go by quick.

Above is a picture of our early Thanksgiving dinner at MMA. Chartwells does a great job every holiday to put out an outstanding meal with all the trimmings. I couldn't help but have a few bites before the picture!

An Busy Weekend to a Nice Relaxing Week

Hey Folks, its been a week since I have last written so if you all don't mind I'm gonna try to catch you all up. As you know my last post and Mr. Patsios' last one talked about our trip to Cornell to attend the Drill Competition there. It was quite the weekend at Cornell competing with other schools from SUNY Maritime, Norwich University, and West Point. It was a rough night sleeping on the gym floor but it was worth it. For myself the day included being involved in the color guard competition which we placed 7th in, better then last year, and another cadet and I participated in a Dual Trick (spinning and doing different routines with rifles). In the end we didn't take home first place, but it was again a great experience and truly motivated the team to work even harder next time. At the end of the competition, Mr. Patsios (a couple post below) had a change of command ceremony when he passed on his positions and others the new individuals. I was made the new Advanced Drill Coordinator, which means I will be in charge of teaching advance rifle drill and creating new routines for the teams. I am very excited and already got new routines in my head. After Cornell I was secretly transported in the middle of the night to Southampton, MA where some honor guard cadets and myself participated in the "Distinguished Young Woman of Greater Easthampton" scholarship competition. It had a military theme this year and they asked for MMA to come down and make the show look good. It included a color guard, silhouettes of cadets, and myself as entertainment with the drill routine created for Cornell, with some modifications for a solo. It was a fun time by all and the girls and show staff were very appreciative. The academic week wasn't long due to the Thanksgiving break. I was able to make it home Monday night and spend some time with family. The rest of the week included going to my old high school and lend a helping hand to old teachers, hanging out with old friends, seeing the girlfriend, brother (both home from college for the break) and get some good old home cooking. Thanksgiving was great this year being surrounded by loved ones. It was a great end to a wild weekends and relaxing week at home.

Internship 2012?!

In October I started to apply to about every shipping company I could imagine, both in the United States and around the world. I applied to many ship brokering, marine insurance and terminals around the world as well. Last Thursday I received an email from a shipping company called Vroon shipping in response to my application to be an Accounting Intern for them Summer 2012! They wrote saying that they would like to have a Skype Interview at 9:00 am Dutch Time. Vroon Shipping's headquarters is in the Netherlands! The interview is 3:00 am our time next Tuesday! Needless to say that I am going to be exhausted in class that day, but I am so excited to have my first Skype Interview and for a Shipping Company in the Netherlands nonetheless. Next Monday I have a phone interview with ICAP, where the former IMBU Operations Officer (my freshman year) is now employed. That interview is to be an intern at their office in New York. Next week is so exciting for me, because all of these interviews came at once! In less than a 12 hour period I will have 2 interviews for internships 2012. Although Career Services did a great job to get me my internship this past summer, I am proud that I have made these opportunities myself by finding them, making the necessary contacts and following up. Even if I end up not being offered any of these internships, it will be a great learning experience for me. I am nervous to say the least. Wish me luck!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Ring Dance Dress Shopping

Last Sunday 15 of the Junior Class women took Buc Vans into Dedham and went to David's Bridal to check out dresses for Ring Dance. If you can imagine 15 women in a van, going dress shopping with different mindsets and styles, you can only imagine how chaotic and crazy it was there. With many women trying on dresses at a time, it made for a fun afternoon. This year, Capt. Rozak agreed to allow 3 different dresses for the women to wear due to different budgets, body types and styles, however we were told that we must all have the same color dress. We decided on navy blue this year and agreed for 2 strapless dresses and a one shoulder dress. As you can see in the picture above the one strap dress was not available at the store in navy blue so we had to order it. The David's Bridal store was nice enough to even give us a 20% discount because so many women were ordering from there! It was a good time and alot of fun to catch up with everyone. With our lives being so busy this time of year between finals and internships we do not get to catch up often. I was very appreciative this year for the Senior Staff approving my proposal of 3 dresses, with everyone having different body types, I'm excited to feel beautiful on a special day!

Interview!

At MMA it is a requirement for graduation that everyone complete an internship. This for most people means work a 40 hour week either all winter or summer. Mass Maritime helps us through their Career Services department. They have sent my resume to Beth Israel Hospital (Emergency Management Dept), Boston EMS, and The city of Boston/Mayor's Office (EM Dept) for potential internships. Beth Israel contacted me and requested an interview next week!

CUIDC

The last few weeks for me have been very eventful. This week will be a short one for me ending after classes Monday. But I will get my Environmental Math test and Radiological Materials lab report back that day ugh. Any ways this weekend the Drill Team was bused over 350 miles to participated in the 32nd Annual Cornell University Invitational Drill Competition AKA CUIDC. I have been at this event for the last 3 years. Last year I became President/Commander of the unit. At the conclusion of the competition this year I formally passed my position on to a very promising 3rd Class cadet. Also the creation of the newly appointed position of Advanced Drill Coordinator to none other than Jason Boucher! (The post below) He will be responsible for organizing a trick drill unit for next year. Every one had a great time and will be looking forward to attending next years competition.

Outgoing:

Pres. : 2/c Arthur Patsios

VP : 2/c Max Peters

Treas: 3/c Vinny Raulinaitis

Sec : 3/c Mike Romano

Newly appointed:

President : 3/c Mike Romano

Vice Pres : 3/c Vinny Raulinaitis

Treasure : 3/c Brendan Heath

Secretary : 4/c Kevin Dougherty

ADC : 3/c Jason Boucher

Cornell University Invitational Drill Competition

"STAFF SERGEANT, MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME ACADEMY REQUEST PERMISSION TO ENTER THE DRILL DECK, STAFF SERGEANT!" This is probably one of the coolest weekends of the semester, the MMA Drill Teams trip to Ithaca, New York to Cornell University for their annual Cornell University Invitational Drill Competition. This is the Drill Team's major event to of the semester were we compete against University ROTC's and other academies such as the naval academy, SUNY Maritime, Norwich University, and West Point. We are competing in the areas of military drill, inspections, and trick. It should be a great weekend at Cornell as Maritime goes for the gold. Wish us luck. GO MARITIME!

The Board of Trustees Committee Day

There is a Board of Trustee's Committee Meeting twice a semester and today was our second Committee Meeting. The meeting was very informative and every time I go to a Trustee Meeting I am more amazed by how much our administrators do of behind the scenes work. The Academy just started a new Pre-Law minor and with scheduling in just a few more weeks these decisions on whether or not to choose to do a minor or concentration are stressed highly at MMA. This is also an exciting time for youngies especially because this is the first chance they have to pick their major classes. On Seaterm they will be officially declaring majors and should they need their schedule changed because of this change the Academy makes sure they get into all of the classes they need. At the Committee Day meeting ComCad gave a report on the success of this semester within the Chinese Exchange Program and the Panamanian Program. They also mentioned the ports that the cadets will be visiting this year including: Golfito, Costa Rico, Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. Capt. Rozak informed the Trustee's on the Ecuador Outreach that MMA is doing by collecting clothes, toothbrushes etc to donate to a Children's Hospital. All of these wonderful things that MMA is participating in which includes this Clothing Drive also includes the Department of Children and Family Services. A large majority of cadets help out with the DCF Christmas which is something that MMA has been a proud supporter of. MMA receives essentially Christmas lists from families who have been hit by hard times and are on the DCF list and raise money to be able to supply them with items from the list. It is heart breaking to read a child's Christmas list which includes only a winter jacket and boots. All classes at MMA help to raise money asking teachers, administrators, trustees and cadets for any and all donations that they can for this great cause.

Squad Leader

This past week has been very busy, and I am thankful that Mass. Maritime Academy has taught me all about time management skills. This school year I became a Squad Leader for 7th company and conducted inspections, study hours and cleaning stations this week. This week on Study Hours I was truly moved to see how much the youngies have grown. Since Orientation ended, they have begun to show each personality. While some of them are quiet and others are our class clowns, each seem to look out for one another. In every aspect of freshman year, youngies do practically everything together. They wake up at 0530 to do cleaning stations, and many take each other's stations if they have ROTC PT, SIP or other obligations at night. After cleaning stations every morning they have inspections at 0630 and they help each other with their racks (beds), dusting, uniforms, sweeping, cleaning etc. They stand together at morning formation one right after each other and then go to classes together. After classes many of them work on homework, participate in clubs, and even hang out together. Many of our youngies can be seen along the canal going fishing. At sunset different youngies have to take down the flags for Honor Guard and then go to dinner together. Everything they do is together. Sometimes I forget how much we rely on each other and trust each other, because it comes as second nature, but since being a Squad Leader I see freshman year completely different. During study hours tonight there were many groups of cadets helping one another for hours and working together as a team to solve problems, whether it be chemistry, math or even english. I'm proud to be a Squad Leader to these cadets, as much as I hope that I have taught them something, they have taught me even more about leadership.

In the Home Stretch

The three day weekend that we enjoyed last weekend was much needed. It was nice to enjoy Veterans Day at home. For the last ten years I have been in attendance at the Veterans Day parade and memorial service in my hometown of North Andover, MA. The service was well done and there was a large turn out of people.

Now that we are half way through November, there is only a little more than a month left of the semester. Soon Cadets will be study for finals like there lives depended on it. After that, some will be headed out to ships for commercial shipping. Others will start winter internships, and just about everyone else will be going on the T.S. Kennedy for Sea Term.

I will be spending my winter shipping with Maersk Line Limited. I still haven't gotten my assignment as to which ship I will be going on or where I will be going. Everyday I am waiting anxiously to find out where I'm going. Hopefully I'll find out soon.

Until Then I will be very busy with all of my school assignments. Just tomorrow I have a project due along with two tests. On Monday I have another project due, followed by a test. I am however really looking forward to the Open House on Saturday. Open Houses are always a great opportunity to talk about MMA and meet prospective students that might be entering the Academy next fall.

Only in New York

What a long strange trip its been in New York City. On my last post I let you folks know about the 7th Company Trip to New York City for their Veterans Day Parade. We made it to SUNY Maritime late Thursday night and got ourselves a good night sleep in their racket ball court. Now we know that Veterans Day was on 11/11/11, and I must say, that was one of the coldest parades I have ever done. Every Veterans Days just seems to end up cold. It was a great parade as we marched alongside other great academies such as West Point, the Air Force Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and even the movie star Cuba Gooding Jr. (which 7th Co. gave a great cheer). After, all were given complete liberty to roam the City and have a great time. I spent some time that day with the family, girlfriend, and family friends who came down to see the parade. We spent some time going to see the 9/11 memorial, Occupy Wall Street, and Chinatown. Later, I was able to meet back up with some of my fellow cadets and walk Time Square, but only to find out we had to make it back to our SUNY Maritime by ourselves. It was the journey of a lifetime as we asked about a dozen NYPD officers, port authority workers, and strangers how to get back to school and end up walking 12 blocks to Grand Central Station to take a hour long subway trip back. And I would like to make a shout out to Barry, the MTA worker who gave us his blessings and prayers on the subway ride back to SUNY Maritime to ease our frustration. That was one long Friday night. Saturday was much easier as we packed up early and spent our last few hours of liberty in the city doing some last minute shopping, and eating lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. The trip home ended with a stop in New Haven, CT at Southern CT State University (where my brother goes) to see the United States Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus, in a free concert. After a long weekend, a lot of my fellow cadets were not enthusiastic at first to see this show. The band played numerous marches by John Phillip Sousa and a great arrangement of classical, to oldies, to swing. It seemed in the end that all had a great time. We arrived back at the Academy at 0030 that night and all had a great night sleep. What a weekend, only in 7th Company it seems one can have such an adventure.

Getting Ready for a Busy Week

Since last Thursday was a Friday schedule I only had Admiralty and Maritime Law which has become probably my favorite class of the semester. The class revolves around obviously maritime law but more specifically how it can be prevented. Right now we are learning about salvage and charter party claims. Salvage is more or less when there is a reward after saving a ship from danger. Charter Parties consist of 3 different types: Bareboat (when the person chartering the vessel gets only the vessel. This does not include a crew. Often times we use the example borrow a friend's car. You get the car, however you must be held responsible for driving and fueling it!), Voyage (when the person chartering the vessel gets the vessel only for a specific purpose. We use the example of a taxi to get from Point A to Point B) and finally the Time Charter (when the person chartering it only gets the vessel for a certain period of time, that could be weeks, years or months). All of these things in class I find very interesting and the logic behind why there are certain documents or precedents for things. Interestingly enough, similar documentation that we talk about in our Admiralty Law class, we also discuss in our Transportation Operational Management class. We discuss things such as Bills of Lading or Air Waybills. I feel like finally it is all coming together. So many of my classes seem to merge together and I am getting a better grasp on the maritime industry as a whole. I have two tests this week and with my prior knowledge when answering open ended questions or even answering multiple choice questions I am able to answer and understand it at a more advanced level. I made my Spring 2012 schedule today. I can't believe I have only 3 more semesters before graduation! This school year is flying by! Before I know it we'll be applying for senior positions and ultimately jobs; next semester is going to be life changing!

Things to look forward to this week:

Monday- Propeller Club's first meeting & Choir

Tuesday- I have Squad Leader duties- Inspections and Study Hours

Wednesday- Women in the Workplace Meeting at 2000

Thursday- Committee Day from 0800-1600 and Student Advisory Meeting in Worcester at 1800

Friday- Admiralty Law test and Horseback riding

START SPREADING THE NEWS!

Start spreading the neeeewwws, I'm leaving today. I want to be a part of it, NEW YORK!. Yes folks, its that time of the year when we remember and support our veterans who fought for our rights, and the time when Seventh Company packs their bags and makes their way to New York City for the Veterans Day Parade. This is my second trip there with the band and I had a blast last year and am so exited for this one. We will be in the Big Apple for 3 days this year one including driving there and staying with our friends at SUNY Maritime College, and the other two participating in the parade and just exploring the city. It is bound to be a great weekend and a patriotic one at that as we acknowledge those who fought for our nation. More info to come as the weekend begins, for now, have a great long weekend and a great Veterans Day.

ARMY vs NAVY!

Today was the annual Army ROTC and Navy SIP flag tag football game. Navy always seems to have a heavy advantage over Army when it comes to the number of cadets. But the Army trains hard to try and out match the shear numbers their opponents. The game started with a bang as Navy marched right down the field for a TD, extra point attempt good. By the half it seemed that Army had no chance with a Navy dominating lead but Army was quick to strike back with 2 TDs and a turnover. The final was 34 Navy to 21 Army. Below are a few Army mascots.

Workouts

Today, after classes, my friend Delphine and I went to the pool to do a workout. I have not been to the pool yet this semester but I was surprised at how many people were there. Extra curriculars are popular at school because they offer a get away from the stresses of regiment and academic life. Since the play is over, I am now able to workout more. Earlier this week, I went for a run along the canal and watch the sunset. This time of year on the cape is beautiful and many cadets are found along the canal working out.

So today, Delphine and I were in the pool for 45 minutes swimming and using the kick-boards. It is fun to go because many of the cadets you see in class, you run into at the gym or at the pool. MMA does not have a swim team because Sea Term, Co-ops and Internships occur during the winter (when swimming season is) although many cadets who did swimming in high school opt to do crew in the fall and spring. It is nice that even without a team the school offers the pool to be open every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday with cadet life guards there as well.

Tomorrow is a Friday schedule because of Veteran's Day on Friday. Seventh Company is going to New York City to march in the parade on Friday and represent Mass. Maritime Academy. It sounds like it will be a great time so if you are in the area watch it on TV or come out and join us!

Start of the week

With the final show of Dracula on Saturday it ended one half of the semester and started another for me. Saturday was a great closing to the play because of the audience. The Admiral, Academic Dean Lima and business teacher, Prof. Ragu were all there to give their support to the Maritime Players. This past Sunday I went to Middleboro again and went horseback riding. I learned how to trot on my own. While wearing my MMA hoodie, my instructor asked me about MMA because she had never heard of it before.

Today, Balfour the ring company came to MMA to speak with the Junior Class about buying class rings. With the price of gold increasing, the value of the class ring goes up as well. Many cadets ordered their class ring, and others (such as myself) tried them on and asked questions.

Today was also exciting for me, because I was introduced to the youngies as being their DCA Squad Leader. With many tests for me this week, I am looking forward to this short weekend. This weekend Seventh Company is going to New York City to march in the Veterans Day parade. Pictures to come!

Have a great week!

What a Show!

This is a bit repetitive but I just had to blog of it. It is the play of the century as MMA's very own Maritime Players presents The Passion of Dracula. It was the plays first show last night and it was amazing. As one of the Actors in the production along with Jordon Megee, we just had to tell the world. It is a show of epic proportions and great for the whole family. Last night show was a blast and can only get better. There are two more showings left tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 pm at Blinn Hall and all are welcome to come. For more details feel free to read fellow blogger Jordon Megee's post and get the highlights.

Dracula

Last night was our first performance of Dracula and I have to say I was so pleased! We had a great audience turn-out, and the cast did wonderful! Our new addition this year was Justin Vieira who had acted in high school for a bit, Jason Boucher (another blogger!) and Tess McNally who had never done a production! With all of that being said and the nerves that come with the first night, I have to say that we did very well. Last night we had many youngies come during Study Hours to support the play. We even had to make room for some people in the audience because we ran out. I missed being on stage and acting. Dracula has been the most intense and exciting play I think I have ever participated in. I had the honor this year of playing a female Van Helsing. The cast has become a close family and I am going to miss it.

There will be 2 other shows of Dracula, tonight at 2000 in Blinn Hall and Saturday night at 2000 as well. Admissions is free and you are sure to expect to be entertained. Make sure you get there early enough because it fills up quick!

Besides the play, this weekend will be a busy one for me. I have horseback riding lessons this afternoon in Middleboro, I can not wait! I hope it warms up a bit because it's so chilly!

Long Week and Still Going

There I was, Jason Boucher, a legend in my own mind, up at the break of dawn that Halloween morning with my badge gleaming upon my chest and a blaze in my eye ready to seize the day. It was a good day to be a Cop. I'm a few days late but here is a small post about the weekend and the Halloween Morning Formation. It started out as a nice weekend back home spending quality time with the loved ones, but as some of you may have heard, much of the East Coast and my beloved home of Connecticut has hit in the face with a snow storm. The State was hit hard and now my home and much of the state is without power. Thanks to the Halloween morning, the frown went upside down with the morning formation which contained a civil war battle, the Perkis Power Squad, the Blue Man Group, and a rebellious band which seemed to just walk off the field, it was a great start to the week seeing everyone in their costumes including Captain America, Avatar, a Gorilla, and myself as a police officer. The week has continued with a haste as it seems I have no time on my hands. With test after test and activity after activity it seems as my days are getting smaller. I have been successful so far and have managed to get all I need to done, MOTIVATION IS THE KEY! The week is only halfway done and not stopping. Tomorrow is the premiere of MMA's own Maritime Players play, The Passion of Dracula, with a troupe including myself and fellow blogger Jordon Megee will be starring in, I hope to see all there.