April
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April 28, 2008
Well, it’s the end of the semester and the end of my first year at Embry-Riddle! It is even harder to believe that this is my last journal entry. These past two weeks have been leading up to finals and I have been busy trying to finish up my projects and studying for my Marketing and Microeconomics finals. However, I have found some time to have fun. This weekend some friends and I decided to take a break from all of our studying and go drive go-karts. I had so much fun driving the go-karts and we spent two and half hours there racing one another on the three different tracks. Finals started on Saturday and now I only have two left on Tuesday, so I only have to study a little bit more and then I am done.
The Air Force Dining Out was a lot of fun because everyone was all dressed up in their Service Dress. I had a good time talking to everyone. There was a social hour before the dinner started and everyone got to mingle with one another. Then, we took our seats and watched a video that reviewed the entire year. Several toasts were made and then we ate dinner, which was really good. Next, the Colonel announced the new Wing Staff and made a few announcements. The entire event was a good time and I am looking forward to next year’s! Also, I was supposed to get to ride in a C-130 at Patrick Air Force Base; however, after we arrived we found out that we wouldn’t be able to due to maintenance issues. I was a little disappointed but I enjoyed getting to see another Air Force Base. Check out my pictures because I posted a couple of the airplanes and one of me at Dining Out.
For my last journal entry I thought that I would leave you with a few tips:
- Join some clubs because that is the best way to meet people. You should check out Silver Wings for sure! Go to the Activities Fair held during the second or third week of school on Heritage Walkway to find out more about every club.
- Go to the free events and lectures. A person can never have too much free stuff! Also, the lectures are beneficial because you might learn something new or earn extra points in one of your classes and don’t ever pass up extra points.
If you are planning on joining Air Force ROTC, then keep reading!
- Relax! Things may seem overwhelming but you will get the hang of it after the first few weeks.
- Bring a blue or black backpack because you can’t wear any other color while in uniform. Also, a black belt and some polo shirts because you sometimes want to look professional when you go into the Detachment.
- When you get the uniform, you will need black shoe polish (Kiwi Shoe Polish is the best), white v-neck shirts, spray starch, and an iron. If you don’t know how to use an iron, make sure you learn how this summer.
- Don’t forget your running shoes!
I hope everyone has a great summer and maybe I will see some of you around campus next semester! Your schedules and room assignments should arrive during the first weeks of August. If you have any questions throughout the summer, don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail at sidesk@erau.edu.
Kaleigh Sides
Photos on Flickr
April 14, 2008
Happy late birthday! My birthday was last Monday and to me, it seemed like any other day, until I went to the mail center—my mom sent a huge birthday package that arrived on time! She even sent me a birthday cake which I shared with some of my friends. The best part was that I got mail everyday last week! On Tuesday, some of my girlfriends took me out to eat and I thought it was just going to be the three of us; but when we got there I saw a bunch of people from Silver Wings. Turns out one of my friends had spread the word, so I had a terrific birthday. The semester is almost over with only nine days of classes left! Air Force finished the semester last Friday with Pass-In-Review.
After Pass-In-Review, I went to the AcaFellas concert with some other Air Force people. I thought the AcaFellas did an outstanding job! Two Air Force guys are in the group, so there was a pretty good turnout to cheer them on. Always try and attend events like these because you are supporting one another and they are free! I also attended a seminar held by the College of Business about cultural diversity. I found the seminar very informative; for example, business cards are very important especially in Japan and you should present your card to the person with both hands and the writing facing them. Most seminars that I have attended have door prizes and food and I won an Embry-Riddle picture frame at this one. Go to the lectures and seminars as much as possible because you learn new things, get free food, and can win prizes.
I have several Air Force events to do before the semester is truly over! This coming Friday we have Dining Out and it is going to be held at the Hilton on the beach. I have heard that we have dinner and they announce who is going to be the new Wing Staff. I am looking forward to it and will be sure to take my camera! Also, I still have Air Force class for the next two weeks but that’s not too bad. On Thursday, I get to go to Patrick Air Force Base and ride on a C-130! Last semester I rode in a helicopter and this semester I get to ride in a cargo plane! I didn’t think I would get to go because by the time I signed up all the slots were filled and I was the 6th alternate; however, some people dropped or weren’t eligible so always sign up and just keep your fingers crossed. I will be taking my camera on that trip too!
This past Saturday, Silver Wings had their Initiation Dinner and I officially got initiated! Last semester after completing the Associate process they couldn’t let any cadets in because the organization must maintain a 50 percent plus one civilian membership. This semester the organization only took civilians and they were able to let in two cadets. I was happy because now I get to wear a cord on my uniform signifying my membership. All of you thinking about joining a club should seriously consider Silver Wings. We are a fun group, we do community service, support the military (especially the United States Air Force), and we always have a good time. Silver Wings is a great club option. Because we are co-ed, you don’t have to pay as much as you would for some of the other clubs and organizations and you still get to do community service, weekly meetings, and induction dinners are like formals. Join Silver Wings!
My classes are going pretty well and last week I gave my Honors presentation and turned in my 10 page paper, so now I just have to show up to class. The presentation and paper were on Huntington’s disease and before I started writing the paper I thought there was no way I could get 8 to 10 pages. I surprised myself when I was on the 10th page and hadn’t even started my conclusion or included any pictures. Don’t procrastinate and when the teacher tells you a due date at the beginning of the year, tell yourself it’s due a week or two earlier. Also, do all the research in one week and then the next week try and write one page a day. I have found that by breaking it down like this and not procrastinating as much, I don’t feel as overwhelmed. My presentation was going well, when all of the sudden the professor interrupted me to ask a question. This has never happened before and I was surprised that he didn’t just wait until the end. After he did it many of the students did the same thing and I ended up turning my fifteen minute presentation into a thirty minute talk. The professor was surprised when I wanted to turn my paper in early, but he went ahead and accepted it. Hopefully, I will find out my grade soon!
I hope everyone that came to Preview Day on Saturday enjoyed seeing campus! If you have any questions about ROTC, my classes, campus, Silver Wings, or anything at all—send me an e-mail.
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com
March
March 31, 2008
Happy late Easter! I arrived back in Daytona Beach in the evening on Easter Sunday. I was amazed at how packed the Atlanta airport was and my plane coming back to Daytona was overbooked, so they were asking for people to give up their seats and take a plane the next day. Well, I gave it some thought and decided that I would give up my seat, however; they didn't need me after all and I was able to board the crowded plane. I am glad to be back in Florida because the weather is so much warmer here than at home.
As I mentioned in my last entry, registration has begun and this semester the whole process didn't go as smoothly for me. I arrived at the wrong time because the line was extremely long and then I was registering for classes that were supposedly junior level classes, so they wouldn't register me without the instructor's approval even though my advisor approved it. Eventually, I got it all worked out because my advisor, Dottie, is very helpful and now after several hours of running around campus I am registered for all the classes I wanted to take. I am planning on taking classes over the summer back home and before you register for them Embry-Riddle has to approve them or else they will not accept the credits. I filled out all the necessary paperwork and am now okay to take classes which I am excited about!
Last week was the room selection process for next year and how this works is you are given a lottery number and the higher your number the longer you have to wait to pick a room, unless the people you are rooming with next year get a low number then they can pull you forward. I ended up getting a really high number and so did my potential roommates, so by the time my turn came to pick a room all the dorms were practically filled. However, I did end up getting a room in the dorm I wanted because of sheer luck and I hope I won't have to go through the process again!
This past Friday instead of doing PT I got to go play paintball! I had a lot more fun this time than last semester because we were in smaller groups and I had an idea of what I was doing. I did actually manage to hit some people and in return my sweatshirt was covered in paint, but it was well worth it because my team won! The semester is winding down for ROTC and I am pretty sure we only have about two weeks left which means Pass-In-Review and finals are coming up.
Silver Wings participated in Relay for Life this past weekend and I had a good time! The event was held on the West Lawn and all throughout the night people walked around the path (track—but it wasn't on the track), competed in contests, and hung out with friends. I had never done a Relay for Life before so I wasn't quite sure about what to expect, but I had a good time and am looking forward to doing it again next year. Silver Wings is having their Induction Dinner next weekend and I am excited because I will be officially inducted into the organization! Next year when you are on campus looking for a club to join, think about joining Silver Wings because it is a great service organization and you have lots of fun doing the activities and hanging out with the people.
I donated blood for the first time the other day and was surprised at how painless it really was. I had never donated before because I hate needles and the sight of blood, but some friends convinced me to do it and I am glad I did. Now, I plan on giving blood every time I can and you get a free t-shirt! My classes are going well and I am starting to spend more time in the computer lab finishing up group projects. Also, my Computer class has started Dreamweaver and I am spending several hours in the computer lab for each homework assignment. If you have any questions, please send me an e-mail.
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
March 17, 2008
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Spring Break is here and next week I will register for fall classes. Also, I will be deciding on which residence hall that I will be living in next year. I have a feeling that the end of the semester is going to be even crazier than the week before Spring Break. My classes are going well and I just found out that one of my grades had posted wrong, so I am actually doing much better than what I originally thought!
Last week in AFROTC, we had Operation Bottoms Up Week (OBU) and the sophomores took over the detachment and did what the juniors and seniors normally do. My flight received a new flight commander which was great because it allowed me to see how two different leadership styles can affect a group of people. Overall, it was a really fun week and I am excited for my turn next year. On another note, I retook the Physical Fitness Assessment and passed! Yeah!!!!
Silver Wings had their Beach Clean Up last Saturday and I went along because not only did I want to help clean the beach, but I wanted to see the ocean! I was amazed at how crowded it was since it was sort of cold and breezy! I had never seen cars on the beach before, so I took a couple of pictures. Also, there was an ice cream truck driving up and down the beach. After having walked up and down the beach picking up trash it was nice to have a refreshing treat. I had remembered to put sunscreen on my face and arms, but I forgot about my legs and the backs got pretty burnt. Next time, I will remember to put sunscreen on them!
I attended the last Honors Speaker of the year—Dr. Ruth Schwartz Cowan, who talked about genetic screening. I thought it was a very interesting talk because she covered the history of genetic screening and the different types of genetic screening that currently exist. I also attended a lecture given by Helen Thayer, who is an explorer. She was the first woman to travel on foot to the magnetic North Pole, and at the age of 70 she is still going strong. Her next adventure is to Bolivia with her 81 year old husband. They are going to document indigenous people and their cultures. I thought it was a very inspiring talk given how much she is accomplishing at her age. If you are interested in learning more about her, check out http://www.helenthayer.com/ .
The beach bonfire with Silver Wings was cancelled because we had a huge storm and it got really cold. Right now, I am pretty cold because here in Illinois it is still in the winter season; however, some people think it is spring because I was in Wal-Mart and saw a lady wearing a tank top and shorts. The temperature wasn't even in the 50s! Maybe, towards the end of the week it will get warmer, but I don't really have to worry about it because I am going back to warm and sunny Florida.
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
March 3, 2008
Spring Break is only two weeks away!! All of my classes are going to have tests right before spring break, so I will be in need of a break by the time it gets here. The good news is I only have one major paper to write for the rest of the semester and it's for my Honors class. I have already picked my topic and now I just have to do the research and actually write the paper. Also, on the same topic, I have to give my class a fifteen to twenty minute PowerPoint presentation. Hopefully, I will be able to get a good head start on it before spring break. In my Computer class, I am going to start learning how to use Dreamweaver and create my own webpage. I think it will be interesting because I haven't done any webpage design before.
Last weekend I was pretty busy because Silver Wings participated in Charity House. Charity House is an event that takes place on the West Lawn, in the center of campus, and various organizations compete against each other in building a cardboard house, relay races, Guitar Hero, and an egg drop. The purpose of the event was to raise money for Star Shelter—the local homeless shelter. Silver Wings decided to build a giant R2-D2 from Star Wars and I think we did a pretty good job in getting it to look like the actual one. I will try to get a picture of the completed R2-D2, so you all can see what it looked like. Overall, the event was a lot of fun and Silver Wings ended up taking third place. I am looking forward to doing it again next year!
I got to go on my first flight through ROTC this weekend! I was thrilled and enjoyed being able to take the controls for the first time! The other person flew first to Flagler County Airport and then we landed and switched seats. I was really nervous and it reminded me of my first time driving a car; hopefully, just like driving I will get better. Right now, I am not so good at taxiing and if anyone was watching they were probably wondering what I was doing. The airplane liked to wander over to the side of the runway! I can say that I did a much better job at flying than taxiing and I would love to get my private pilot's license someday! My favorite part was when the instructor did a 60° turn and we were pulling 2 G's. I did post some pictures of the new airplane (only about 4 or 6 weeks old) and Embry-Riddle from the air. Hopefully, I will get to do another flight this semester!
ROTC Mid-Terms are over—I passed the inspection, answered my knowledge question correctly, and did really well on the test. I was pretty proud of myself and hope to do just as well for finals. The PFA was last week and I was ready to take it; unfortunately, I wasn't able to complete the test, so I have to take it sometime soon. ROTC just set up a mentor program and you could sign up if you wanted to join, which I did. So far, I have met with my mentor twice and I am really learning a lot about what AFROTC is like after the first two years, which I find really helpful because you know even better things are ahead. Also, we are planning on going to the movies next week which I am looking forward to. On Friday morning at PT, they had this event called "Big Week" where they announced who received pilot slots and who will be going to Field Training. I enjoyed watching it because there were a lot of really excited people and it lets you know that your turn will be coming soon.
Upcoming events—besides all of my tests—include a beach clean-up with Silver Wings, the last Honors Lecture for the semester, a beach bonfire with Silver Wings, and of course Spring Break! Last weekend, I got to go to Joe's Crab Shack because we were celebrating a friend's birthday. I ordered a hamburger because even though I like seafood, I love hamburgers and it was really good! Don't forget to take a look at my pictures!
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
February
February 18, 2008
Happy late Valentine's Day! I can't believe February is already halfway over! School and various activities have been keeping me pretty busy, so when I looked at the calendar and saw that we only have nine weeks of school left I was shocked. I do have great news to share—I am going to get to fly an airplane! Through AFROTC, I was able to secure a spot on a flight to get flight time for free! I have never taken over the controls and actually flown an airplane, so I am pretty excited! I will let you all know how it goes in my next journal entry and I will be sure to take pictures.
On February 5th, Joe Galloway came and gave his talk. I mentioned him in my last journal entry and how I was very excited to hear him come and talk. Well, I wasn't let down because he was a great speaker and by far my favorite one. He talked about his experiences in the Vietnam War, current politics and veterans, and the process of writing his book We Were Soldiers Once – and Young. At times during his speech, I got goose bumps on my arms because he was so passionate about his job and what he was doing that you could almost feel like you were there.
Air Force ROTC is going really well! We have several big events happening soon including the Physical Fitness Assessment and Mid-Terms. I have started running outside twice a week in the early morning in preparation for the fitness test and I hope that I can take a minute off my run time. Mid-Terms consist of an inspection and a knowledge test, so I need to spend some time shining my shoes. Also, in order to get a scholarship and commission you must have and pass a DoDMERB physical. Some people come to school with them already done, but I didn't and I am now going through the process. You have to have your eyes examined and then a physical. I had my eyes examined last week and received good news: I don't need glasses. My physical is this coming week and hopefully that will go just as smoothly.
As I am sure all of you already know, the Daytona 500 was this Sunday and I got to work at the racetrack for AFROTC. My job this time was to check people's bags to make sure they weren't bringing in anything they weren't supposed to. You are not allowed to take a regular backpack into the racetrack, it must be clear. I had several people get upset by this rule, but most people were cooperative. Unfortunately, I got sunburned on my face and neck because we were standing out in the sun for so long. I did get to go inside the racetrack and WOW! We were able to get real close to the cars and the noise and speed is amazing. I think I could definitely become a NASCAR fan! The traffic around Daytona Beach has been horrible because of all the people in the area. I heard the announcer at the Speedway say there was enough people in the racetrack to triple the size of Daytona Beach! The Thunderbirds flew right over top at the beginning of the race and I love watching them because it's amazing how they stay together! Also, I got to hear Trisha Yearwood (a country star) sing the national anthem! I am excited for next year's race, but I can wait another year before it happens again. As a part of Silver Wings, I helped sell Papa John's Pizza outside of the racetrack. All the people pouring out at once sure were a sight to see! We sold out of pizza and I think we could have sold more because when we left there was still a ton of people waiting in line to get on buses to take them to their parking lots. I believe we made quite a bit of money so that's a good thing.
My classes are going alright but this semester my math class, Business Statistics, is a little harder. I needed some help on my homework and the teacher's office hours were when I had class, so I decided to get help from the peer tutor. He was really helpfully and was able to give me some pointers on the class in general. Lesson learned was take advantage of the tutors because they can help. In my last entry, I mentioned how I was trying to work on my Microeconomics paper so that I wouldn't have to work on it over Spring Break…I finished it and turned it in already! I am really proud of myself because I usually procrastinate a lot when it comes to writing papers.
Check out my pictures because I posted some of the race! If you have any questions you can e-mail me!
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
February 4, 2008
According to Punxsutawney Phil we have six more weeks of winter ahead, but I just checked the weather and next week it's supposed to be in the high 70s! If you are a senior and still haven't made the final decision of which college, then think about the weather! Do you really want to walk to classes in the snow and freezing cold? The past few weeks I have been busy with homework, activities, and ROTC events.
This coming week most of my classes are having tests, so I will be doing a lot of studying in the next few days. Thankfully, I only have one test each day because two tests in one day would be a little much. In my Marketing class, we had to get in groups and throughout the semester we will be working on a marketing plan. The group projects really teach you a lot about your personality and how to work with various people. For my Microeconomics class, I have to write a paper and I have been trying to work on it because I don't want to have to do it over Spring Break. When scheduling your classes, I recommend that you take Macroeconomics and Microeconomics back to back because they are so similar and if you take a semester off you are likely to forget a lot. All in all, classes are going pretty well!
On Thursday, the College of Business had its grand opening and you can read a news release about the event at http://www.erau.edu/er/newsmedia/newsreleases/2008/cob.html. The Mayor of Daytona Beach was there and made a short speech about Embry-Riddle and the community. The building is really nice and a major improvement over the old building. I have some pictures posted, so if you can't make it down for a tour— be sure to take a look at them. The Honors Distinguished Speakers Series had Edward Tenner come and give a talk on January 28th about "The Unintended Dangers of Safety." He was quite interesting and mentioned how numerous improvements in safety sometimes aren't as good as they seem. The next lecture is going to be given by Joe Galloway who was a war correspondent and he wrote the book We Were Soldiers Once – and Young, which was made into the movie We Were Soldiers. I am pretty excited to hear him talk about his experiences!
For ROTC, I worked at the Rolex 24 which is not a NASCAR race but specialty cars I think. I didn't get to see the race because my job was to keep people from crossing this one street. Some people were pretty angry when we told them they were going to have to walk a little farther to cross the street! I get to work the Daytona 500 for ROTC and hopefully, I will get to see a part of the race. We have a monthly blood drive on campus and the various ROTC branches take turns hosting them. In January, Air Force hosted the blood drive and they needed people to stand outside of the donation bus and try to get people to give blood. I got several people to give blood, but I didn't give any myself. I don't like needles and blood, but I am trying to get over my fears. Next time, I am going to donate blood and I will let you all know how it goes!
Last weekend, I went with some friends to see the movie "27 Dresses" and it was really good! This weekend was my friend's birthday, so a bunch of us went out to eat to celebrate. Also, Silver Wings and Arnold Air (an AFROTC club) had a picnic in the park and it was a lot of fun to just hang out. I hope everyone has fun watching the Super Bowl—I have to watch the commercials for my Marketing class! Don't forget to check out the pictures and if you have any questions e-mail me!
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
January 2008
January 18, 2007
Well, I am back in sunny Florida and classes have started up again. Unfortunately, right now it’s not too sunny because we are having one of those rainy and gray days. Also, for the past few days it has been cold for Florida and I wish the temperature could be 80 degrees and sunny like it was the day after I came back. I got back to Florida late on January 7th and I had a whole day to unpack and get organized before classes started. The past week hasn’t been too busy since the clubs haven’t gotten started yet and I haven’t done all that much.
On January 9th classes started, and I realized that nothing had changed from last semester because I still have a project or paper to do in each class. My Honors class requirement is to write one paper this time which is better than last semester and we never have tests or quizzes. In my Computers class we are going to learn how to design our own webpage, I am excited about that! Microeconomics seems a lot like Macroeconomics so far, and I hope that as we get deeper into the material it will start to differ. All in all, I am pretty happy with my classes and my schedule. I almost forgot to mention that they finished the College of Business building and I posted pictures so don’t forget to check them out.
The spring semester is similar to the fall semester in the fact that it usually takes about two weeks for the clubs to start up again. On January 12th, I went with a friend to the Christian Fellowship Club meeting and I had a wonderful time meeting a bunch of new people. One of my favorite things about ERAU is how it’s small enough that you see a lot of people you recognize everyday but there are always new people to meet. After the meeting, most of the people went to this pizza place (I can’t remember the name of it) and we got an enormous pizza. The pizza was so big that it took up an entire table and contained 60 slices! Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me or I would have taken a picture of it. Silver Wings and the Airport Management Club both have meetings in the upcoming week and I am looking forward to doing some exciting things. Maybe at the activities fair I will look to see if there are any other clubs to join!
Air Force ROTC started back up on the first day of classes and we got our new flight assignments. This semester I am in Echo Flight and no one from my old flight is with me, which means more new people to meet! Also, this semester I only wear my uniform once a week instead of twice a week because of the way PT is scheduled. The NASCAR drivers have already started practicing for the races because on the sunny days you can hear the cars driving around the speedway. Pretty cool!!
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
January 6, 2008
Happy New Year! On Monday I am heading back to Florida and warm weather!
There wasn’t much snow while I was home here in Illinois but it was
below zero several times.
Classes start on Wednesday and I am ready
to get started! This semester I am taking: Advanced Computer Based
Systems, Marketing, Microeconomics, Business Statistics, Honors class,
and my AFROTC class.
I am hoping my Computer class this semester
will be more in-depth than last semester’s. My Honors class is about
neuroscience and I think it is going to be a lot of fun.
I know 2008
will be great for all of us!
Well, I don’t have much to talk about
but if you have any questions feel free to e-mail me.
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
December
December 16, 2007
Hello from freezing Illinois!
My flight left Daytona Beach on Wednesday
afternoon, I had a long layover in Atlanta and I made it home to
Illinois late that evening. The Atlanta airport is crazy and each time
I land there, my gate gets changed. This time was no exception because
the gate was changed three times!
I am so glad to be home for a visit
and having completed my first semester at ERAU. The last two weeks
at school included my flight’s Christmas Party, study day, and finals.
On December 2nd, my AFROTC flight had one last activity together—a
Christmas party. We decorated sugar cookies, watched a movie,
and exchanged presents. The gift I got was a car that moves when you
push a button. I thought it was pretty cute and was glad that I didn’t
end up with the fish someone brought. My flight was a great group
of people and I hope that next semester I am just as lucky to get such
a good flight. The Christmas party started to get me in the Christmas
spirit and my mom sent me a box full of homemade Christmas cookies
and that helped too.
We didn’t have class on Friday last week because finals started
on Saturday and they give us a day to just study. The Honors Program
provided us with a free catered lunch that day to provide us with
a break in studying. The food was pretty tasty and I needed something
to break up the study day.
The last two weeks of school were sort
of boring because no clubs were having meetings and ROTC was over,
so I didn’t have anything to do except study. I don’t mind studying
but after awhile I began to get bored, so I went over to a friend’s
room and together we helped one another study.
I had a final on Saturday night and we ended up being able
to use our notes. Monday I had two finals in the afternoon including
my Honors final which was short answer and multiple essays. Afterwards,
I felt like my fingers were going to fall off. I had Tuesday
off and then Wednesday morning I had two—my math and computer final.
Before my math final, I got together with another girl and we studied
our old tests and that helped a lot.
My finals all went pretty well
and I am really happy with my final grades. They were all done really
early on Wednesday and my flight wasn’t until later, so I cashed
in all of my meal plans and finished cleaning my room.
The Student Village put up a twelve foot Christmas
tree and I took a picture of it and put it on my website. Also, the
College of Business building was pretty much finished when I left
and I included some pictures of that. Now, I am going to go make some
chocolate chip cookies!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
December 3, 2007
Let the countdown begin! Only nine more days until I get to go home! I am so excited and ready to go home for a break, after four months of being gone I am ready to see some cornfields and the stars at night. In Florida, there are too many lights at night to see the stars clearly. These past two weeks I got to go to the movies, on a helicopter ride, Air Force ROTC ended for the semester, and I went sailing.
I didn't get to go home for Thanksgiving, so for Thanksgiving Day I went to a professor's house with a bunch of other Honors students. I had a really good time and got to eat pumpkin pie. On Black Friday, I went shopping and bought some Christmas presents to take back home with me. That evening I was bored and I convinced some guys to take a trip to the movies because I though it would be fun. I hadn't been to the movies since I had arrived at school. Once we got to the movie theater we couldn't decide what to see—I wanted to see Enchanted (a Disney film) and they wanted to see a bloody, scary movie. Well, guess what movie three guys and I went to see? Of course, Enchanted! They did admit later on that they liked it. Afterwards, we went to get ice cream at a place called Cow Licks and it reminded me of the ice cream place I worked at back home. Thanksgiving break was nice and long but next year I plan on going home rather than staying here.
On Wednesday, November 28th I got to travel to Georgia and visit Moody Air Force Base. For the trip I had to get my Battle Dress Uniform (BDUs) and I was pretty excited to finally have all of my Air Force uniforms. A month earlier I got to sign up for this trip because I was in the ROTC detachment at the right time. The main reason we were going was to ride in a helicopter, more specifically a HH-60. I had never ridden in a helicopter before and I was thrilled to have this chance! The drive to the base took 3.5 hours and then we had to have the doctors check all of us before we could ride in the helicopters. Then, we got to meet our pilot and co-pilot who gave us a briefing on safety and the helicopter. Only five cadets could ride at once, so when the first group went up the rest of us went to eat and see the base. I thought the base looked pretty small, but I don't think we got to see all of it, and I have never been on an Air Force base before, just Navy bases. We got in the helicopter and I got a seat next to the door, which was great because the doors were open for the entire ride. Unfortunately, my headset didn't have a place to plug in and I didn't get to hear any of the conversations. The helicopter is equipped with two guns and they fired those at targets like old cars and airplanes. Then my favorite part—I got to launch a flare!! All I had to do was push a big red button next to the gunner, but not everyone got to do it. The ride lasted about 35 minutes and we landed and took-off a couple of times. When the last group was going, my group got to talk to some of the officers and enlisted people and the whole experience was great. Then we all jumped back into the van for another 3.5 hour drive back to Riddle.
Air Force ROTC ended with an event called Pass-in-Review which is a big event where the cadet officers switch, awards are passed out, and all the flights march around the soccer field. Everyone has to wear their service dress which means a tie and a jacket; this event is one of the fancier ones. I wasn't expecting to get an award and I was shocked when my name was called. The award I got is the AFROTC Commendation Award and it means my performance was pretty outstanding and I should get a ribbon to pin on my uniform. I still can't believe I made it through an entire semester of AFROTC!
On Saturday, I went sailing with my Honors class. We didn't go out on the ocean we just stayed in the Halifax River, I was hoping for some bigger waves, like ocean size. The boat was huge compared to some other boats that were docked at the yacht club. I was told that the boat we were on was 50 feet long and I think that's pretty good size. Also, we got a tour of the yacht club and it was really nice and all decorated for Christmas. When I was in the building it felt like December and then I stepped back outside into the 70° weather. My next journal entry will be written from Illinois were hopefully it will be snowing. Good luck on your finals!
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
November
November 18, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!! Florida does not stay warm all year long! On Friday morning during PT, it was 40 degrees and I was still freezing in my sweats. Back home in Illinois I wouldn't have considered that to be cold but here you expect it to be warm and in the 70's, so it was a definite shock. Speaking of PT, a couple of Wednesday's ago we got to run on the Daytona Speedway! I was excited to see the inside of a racetrack; however, I would have had a little bit more fun had I been driving a racecar instead of running! I love being in AFROTC because we do things other people just dream of doing!
Homecoming was two weeks ago and I had a lot of fun! Last year, I was here for my campus visit during Homecoming so I had an idea of what to expect. There is a parade and this year the theme was television shows, so each club that participated chose a TV show and had a float. The Airport Management Club turned a car into a Southwest airplane and I helped spray paint the cardboard. I was holding the spray paint and thought the nozzle was pointed at the cardboard, but it wasn't—instead my finger became a nice bright blue color. Also, country singer Keith Anderson came and gave a performance before the basketball game. Don't forget to check out the pictures on my website. The basketball game against Viterbo was more intense than the last one but we still won. I had a good time and can't wait for next year's homecoming!
Well, I have finished the Associate Process of Silver Wings and am now a member. Last night, we had our Initiation Banquet at the Daytona Beach Resort. Everybody was all dressed up and the colonel was there and gave a presentation. Two weekends ago, I had my interview which was a little intense because there were seven interviewers sitting behind a table and then me sitting in a chair in the middle of the room. I did well though, and am glad I had to do an interview because the more you practice the better you get. Silver Wings is a great club and I am excited to be a part of it.
I got my low quarters (shoes) on Friday!! I can now wear the real Air Force uniform and just in time because Monday is the Air Force Finals. We will be having one last inspection for the semester and cadets have to brief upperclassmen on what they have taught us. I will be sure to let you know how it goes in my next entry. I have to shine my low quarters and thankfully, I have other cadets on my floor who have been willing to help me because I have never shined shoes before. Yesterday, I found a video on the Internet that showed how to shine shoes and that was helpful. For all future AFROTC cadets, buy Kiwi Black Shoe Polish because it is what everyone uses.
My classes are going well and I am excited to be getting close to the end of the semester. I only have one big presentation left and it's in my Principles of Management class. All of my other classes have had the projects due throughout the semester which is nice because it doesn't get all dumped on you in the end. I am not going home over Thanksgiving so I plan to get some homework done and just relax before finals. If you have any questions about ROTC or college in general, shoot me an e-mail.
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
November 4, 2007
Happy late Halloween! For Halloween, I went to the Star Shelter with Silver Wings and we all wore costumes to be festive. I decided to be a witch and another student from my floor was a cowboy—the picture is online. We passed out candy to the children and then some of them got their faces painted. On campus they were going to have trick-or-treating, crafts, and a haunted house in one of the residence halls and the whole community was invited to attend.
Now that I have covered Halloween, let’s back up to the week before and those events. I had Air Force Mid-Terms, the Physical Fitness Test, and I participated in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. Oh yeah, I almost forgot I played flag football and came very close to scoring a touchdown! Unfortunately, someone had to tag me right before I crossed the line, but I think my team still won! For Air Force Mid-Terms we have an inspection and are supposed to wear our official uniforms, but l still don’t have a complete uniform so I am continuing to wear the t-shirt and jeans. We also had to take a test and some of the questions I knew right away and others I couldn’t remember so I still need to study. The Physical Fitness Test was on a perfect day because it was cool and the humidity wasn’t super high. Since the beginning of the semester, I have shaved almost a minute off of my run time.
The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk that I participated in with Silver Wings, all the money we raised was for the American Cancer Society. I thought the walk was really fun and we got to walk over this huge bridge. In my pictures you can see the bridge and the enormous amount of people that participated.
This week I attended another women’s event—“An Evening with Jo” and all of the women attending were asked to dress in business attire. I was so glad that I had another reason to wear the suit I just purchased. The evening included dinner from Olive Garden and a talk from Jo Ann Ames. She works for Boeing and talked about her job and some of the challenges women face in the workforce. Everyone should take advantage of these events because it’s a great way to network and there is always free food!
In addition, the College of Business hosted a seminar talking about consulting work. The speaker works for a small consulting firm in Chicago, IL and gets to travel all over doing work with airports. Before I went to the event, I was thinking that maybe I would like to be a consultant. Afterwards, I realized that consulting is most likely not the right job for me. I am glad I went to the event because I learned a lot of new information about airports. Make sure you always check out the bulletin boards in each building because that is how I find out about all these events.
On Saturday, I went with my Honors class to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and then to my professor’s house for lunch. When we arrived at the lighthouse, we got our own tour guide and for about three hours we learned all about the lighthouse and the buildings around it. I have only been to one other lighthouse and I didn’t get to go inside of that one. This one you can climb all 203 steps and we all did, including our 86-year-old tour guide and it was his second climb of the day. After eating lunch, we went to the ocean and the waves were pretty rough looking. I had a wonderful time and was glad to get off of campus for the day! We are supposed to get to go sailing soon and I am looking forward to that. I put some pictures of the lighthouse online, so don’t forget to take a look! Saturday night I went to the basketball game and we won! We played the College of the Bahamas and the score was around a 100 to 50. Next weekend is homecoming and hopefully the competition will be a little bit better.
Last entry I mentioned that registration for spring classes was starting and that I would keep you updated. Well, I was able to get my advisor and Honors advisor to sign my schedule on Monday and then I took it to Records and Registration. I was expecting a long line but surprisingly there was no line at all! The whole process took about five minutes and when she was done I got a printout of my schedule. If you go early everything works out!
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
October
October 21, 2007
Hello! These past two weeks have once again been packed full of adventures and I am excited to tell you all about them. First of all, I did get back my AFOQT scores and I am happy to report that I passed even without the calculator! Next, the Student Center is going to be renovated over the summer so next year we will have a Chick-fil-A and a smoothie place. I am pretty excited about this because although the food is good, you do get tired of it.
On October 9th, I went to an event called Tuesday's Treasure sponsored by the Women's Center and The Office of Diversity Initiatives. Every month they bring in different women to talk about what they do and their experiences. This month was Mrs. Arleen Smith who is the Assistant to the Director of Aviation—Coordinator of Airport Security at Daytona Beach International Airport. I decided to go because I enjoy learning about airports and one day I hope to be an airport manager. Her talk was really informative and I learned some interesting facts about the Daytona Beach Airport. Also, on Friday of that week I went to another women's event—Chat-and-Craft for Charity. We made Thanksgiving table decorations for the local children's home and we had snacks, got to know one another, and watched a movie. These programs are a really great way to meet other women here on campus!
Recently, the ROTC programs here at Riddle competed against one another for the Commander's Cup. Army, Air Force, and Navy compete against each other in a run, pull-ups, tug-of-war, and other categories. I know for sure that the Air Force won the run and the tug-of-war categories. One of the other categories was school spirit and we cheered the women's soccer team to victory. The Navy had won the Commander's Cup last time, but the Air Force won the trophy back. I had a fun time just cheering everyone on!
PT has involved a lot of running because we are getting ready for the physical fitness test which will be this coming Wednesday. I have never really enjoyed running, but as time goes on I find myself not disliking it as much. Maybe by the end of the school year I will be able to say I like running or better yet, that I love running. One morning we all met at the beach and ran about three miles. When we got there it was so dark that you couldn't even see the water but by the end of the run the sun was up and shining. I liked running on the beach because it was nice to have a change from running in circles on the track. Soon, I think we get to go running on the racetrack at Daytona Speedway and that will be exciting.
As part of Silver Wings, I went to the Star Shelter this past Saturday. Our job was to hang out with the kids for a couple hours and we decided to color with them. Several of the kids were really creative and made Halloween masks or pictures to decorate their rooms. I had fun helping a little girl glue streamers onto a paper crown. A Silver Wings member helped a little boy make a Frankenstein mask and a paper hammer. The boy had so much fun chasing people around and scaring them. We are planning on going back to the shelter and building a gingerbread house with the kids for a local contest.
My classes are going well and I have been able to get all the projects done. Each class has one big project that you have to complete either by yourself or in a group. For example, in my Management class we have a group paper where we have to analyze a company following the outline the professor gave us. My group chose to do Walt Disney Corporation and we had to have half of it completed by last week. For my Macroeconomics class I had to do a paper and presentation and in my Honors class I have to do a presentation and numerous papers. The only class I have without any projects is my math class. If you don't have PowerPoint on your computer when you come here, make sure you go to the library and get it installed because you will definitely use it. The library has all kinds of computer programs you can check out and install on your computer for free.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention Biketoberfest! For all of you who don't know, Biketoberfest is like a mini bike week because it only lasts for four days and there aren't as many bikers. I have seen some pretty cool bikes, but I definitely won't be walking anywhere off campus until it is over because the traffic is crazy! Registration begins on Monday so in my next entry I will be sure to tell you how it went.
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
October 7
Time flies when you're having fun! I have found that saying to be so true here at Riddle. Already it's October and the middle of this week marks the halfway point! In my Business 101 class, our advisor was talking about how registration is coming up and we need to decide what classes we want to take. I am excited about picking new classes! My schedule now has mainly morning classes and I hope to keep it that way because I would rather have my afternoons and evenings free. As an incoming freshman, you don't have any say in your schedule so you might find that you really like morning classes after all. I will keep you updated on the whole registration process.
ROTC continues to be an adventure! These past two weeks have been jammed packed with all kinds of activities including: a cookout, paintball, uniforms, volunteering, and painting the spirit rock. First of all, I had the pleasure of taking the AFOQT (Air Force Officer Qualifying Test). Think ACT or SAT testing and you kind of have an idea of what it was like. The test lasted about four hours; if you would like to see the format or take a practice test you can find a book at your local bookstore. The test has two math parts and the great news is you cannot use a calculator. I don't know about all of you but I NEED a calculator! However, I think I did okay and in a couple of weeks I will find out for sure. The same weekend my flight commander had a cookout at his house after extra drill. I had a wonderful time and got to know some people in my flight a little more. My favorite part about ROTC is the instant bond between all of us cadets.
Paintball was something I had never done before and signing up for this was equal to physical training. The Air Force only trains twice a week on Wednesday and Friday. I don't mind running but every once in a while your legs would like a break. All I knew about paintball was from the movie Failure to Launch and this was a little bit different. We were in the sand pits and I don't think I actually hit anyone. I got hit once and in my finger—my trigger finger! I could see someone and right as I put my finger on the trigger they fired. I couldn't believe I had been hit and I will admit it did hurt a little. I do plan on trying paintball again and next time I will have a better idea of what I am doing!
Ever since school started my Air Force uniform has consisted of blue jeans and a t-shirt. Well, I received my service dress uniform which is blue pants and a light blue shirt. The detachment had an alterations company come to alter our uniforms which is good because my pants needed to be a lot shorter. A pointer for anyone doing AFROTC next year—be early! I was waiting in line to get my uniform and had to leave because I had class. The next day I made sure I was there ten minutes before schedule and there were already several people in front of me. I should be getting my battle dress uniform soon which is the camouflage pants and blouse.
Another cadet from my flight and I volunteered to help a local soup kitchen serve dinner. I had never volunteered at a soup kitchen before, so I was ready for another new experience. We got lost on the way there and drove out of Daytona Beach because the road to turn on was hidden and didn't have a very big street sign. We eventually figured it out! Once there, we helped wash the tables, make cheeseburgers, serve dessert, and then clean up. I enjoyed the evening and we only spent two hours at the soup kitchen. Unfortunately, we got lost on the way back to campus and we traveled into Port Orange; however, we made it back about an hour later. The soup kitchen is about fifteen minutes from campus. My flight also painted the spirit rock and I posted some pictures of the wonderful artwork. The spirit rock is a big rock in the middle of campus that all the clubs and organizations can paint. We plan on painting it again because later that night someone painted over our artwork.
One of the clubs that I am involved in is Silver Wings, but before you can actually become a member you must go through the associate process. The process involves doing a group service project, taking a test, and going through an interview. Members can be both Air Force cadets and civilians and what the organization does is service projects throughout the community. My group is doing a clothing drive on campus to collect clothing for the homeless shelters. Next week for the meeting we have to wear a suit and since I didn't bring one to campus I got to go shopping. Luckily, I was able to find a suit that fit perfectly and everything I bought was on sale.
Well, I think these past two weeks have been the busiest. Homework keeps on coming and I have really had to take advantage of the time I get between classes. On Thursdays there is a free movie and I went to the one last week—Evan Almighty. I enjoyed relaxing and watching a movie. Next week is Live Free or Die Hard and I plan on going to see that because I didn't get a chance to see it when it came out. One last word of advice - bring a good umbrella because it rains daily and the wind can be ferocious.
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
September
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September 24
Hello! Wow, time sure does fly when you are having a good time! I can't believe I have already been here a little more than a month. Well, a lot has happened since I wrote last, including the big news—Starbucks is coming to campus! I am pretty excited because that means we will have another place to use our meal plans. It will be located in the library with an entrance from the outside and the menu will include lunch and breakfast items plus the usual coffee. The construction hasn't started yet but it is scheduled to be open next semester.
Last week was the Activities Fair which was held on Heritage Walkway and consisted of a booth for each club. I was amazed at how many different clubs were there and truthfully, there is definitely something for everyone. I decided to sign up for Silver Wings, Women in Aviation, Airport Management Club, and since I am in the Honors Program I am automatically in the Honor Student's Association. I choose Silver Wings because it's a service organization with both cadets and civilians, Women in Aviation because it links all aviation related majors, and Airport Management Club because one day I want to be an airport manager. The exciting part with the Airport Management Club is that we will get to go on "behind the scenes" tours of different airports. Clubs are a great way to network with other students that you might not get to meet in your classes or dorms.
On September 14th the Honors Program had a picnic on the beach. I had a good time swimming in the ocean and talking to some new people. The Honors Program also hosts monthly lectures featuring different professors. This month the lecture was titled "Sunni-Shia Relations in Iraq's Political Predicament" and was given by Dr. Mohamed Camara. All the lectures are open to the whole student body and I would recommend going to some of these because I learned a lot of new information about Iraq's history. My Honors class has been very interesting with all of the books and stories we are reading are about the sea. In a couple of weeks, the whole class is going to go out on a sailboat for several hours. I am excited because I have never gone sailing and I have wanted to for a long time! Soon, I will give a PowerPoint presentation on sea creatures and I just finished writing my first paper.
AFROTC is keeping me entertained and I am enjoying all of it! I am in Hotel Flight and we try to get together outside of ROTC events. We go to the new fitness center and workout together or this last time we decided to play sand volleyball. I have never played sand volleyball before and I had a great time! Also, every Sunday evening we have extra drill to work on the flight's marching skills, and one evening after the practice we challenged another flight to a game of basketball. I am, by no means, an athletic person and the only sport I have played was basketball throughout grade school. Amazingly, I scored a basket and my flight won the game! Tonight I got the job of being a flight adj.; which means tomorrow I will be in charge of getting the flight in formation and then reporting to the squadron adj. that everyone is present. We still haven't got our true Air Force uniforms yet, but I think we will pretty soon.
I hope all of you high school seniors have started to fill out your college applications! Good luck!
Until next time,
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
September 12, 2007
Hello!! I can't believe I am actually at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and writing this journal! A little piece of information I learned at orientation is everyone calls the school Riddle, instead of having to say Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University all the time. Since I was a freshman in high school, I have been dreaming about coming to Riddle. I guess I should probably tell you a little bit about myself. All my life I have lived in Sidney, Illinois; no it's not near Chicago— its two hours south. My town is about 1,000 people and my high school is five towns combined to form a graduating class of about 112. The University of Illinois in Champaign is about fifteen minutes away, so I got the best of both worlds I grew up in a small town but had the city close enough to do fun things. My high school experience was a little different because I graduated a semester early and attended a local community college. I was a few credits short of being a sophomore, but I am glad that I was able to get a feel for what college would be like.
My mom, dad, and I drove from Illinois to Florida because there was no way all my clothes, shoes, and other stuff would have fit on an airplane. We arrived in Florida on August 20th a day before orientation was to start. The plan was to have a day to explore Daytona and go to the beach. Well, as we all know the best laid plans never work out; instead of hanging out on the beach I was sitting in a dentist office with one side of my face twice its normal size. I had my wisdom teeth taken out in June and one of the holes decided to become infected causing my face to swell. We found a great dentist, Dr. Lloyd, who performed surgery to drain the poison. Afterwards, I felt 100% better and thought that the worse was over. WRONG!! I began to feel worse that evening and throughout the entire orientation week I was sick which we think might have been due to an allergic reaction to the penicillin. What a great way to start college!
Orientation week starts with move-in day which is crazy because all the new students are moving in at the same time. The whole process was pretty fast though, and a nice thing is they have shopping carts to load your stuff into and then take it up to your room, so you don't have to make twenty trips outside to get all your stuff. I am living in Wood Hall on the top floor (fifth) and looking out my window I can see the Daytona International Speedway stands. Several people have told me that you can see the actual racetrack from the roof which is pretty cool! Many things go on at Orientation but the event I remember most was the reception with the College of Business. The College of Business is the smallest college on campus but next semester they will have the newest building! The reason I chose to study aviation business is because one day I hope to become an airport manager.
This semester the classes I am taking are Macroeconomics, Principles of Management, a Computer class, Applied Calculus, Honors Seminar, and an Air Force class. Also, every freshman is required to take a class that helps orient you to the university and your specific college. I am in the Honors Program; that requires you to take the Honors Seminar and a number of Honors classes within your major. Another adventure of mine was I decided to do Air Force ROTC and so far I am really enjoying it. I am not the most coordinated person and I confuse right with left a lot which means learning drill and how to march has been somewhat of a challenge, but I am always up for challenges.
If you have any questions, you can shoot me an email.
Kaleigh
e-mail: sidesk@erau.edu
photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12799075@N08/?find=ksides3%40yahoo.com
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Name:Kaleigh