After my glorious 4-day weekend, I arrived at work this morning around 6:30 for my first promotion ceremony as an adjutant. One of the cool parts of my job is getting to read the order aloud that promotes a soldier, it is on behalf of the Secretary of the Army, so pretty big deal right? Well anyways today being the 1st of the month, there were 4 officers in my battalion who were promoted from first lieutenant to captain. Usually this kind of ceremony takes place at a 9am formation but one particular lieutenant wanted his family to be a part of this milestone in his career. He is however serving an unaccompanied tour in Korea, meaning his family did not come here with him. To be a part of the day, his family drove to Fort Hood and were set up with a unit there who set up a video tele-conference with my unit so that his family could be there. This also explains the need for an early day for us due to the time difference. It was really special to be a part of the day for them. And again makes me appreciate technology that gives soldiers like myself and my brothers the chance to video chat with our loved ones on the other side of the world.
I also recently inherited a work cell phone. This has its ups and downs. Obviously its nice not to waste my minutes on work calls during the day and I don't have to give out my personal cell phone number to a large majority of people. But it of course has its downfalls because who likes to carry around two cell phones which is what I now have to do for the next year. It is cool when it goes off though, a pretty sweet ringtone if I do say so myself. I also now call it my Bat-phone. My buddy Josh is one of the officers in charge of the patriot missiles that we will launch if North Korea ever attacks so his phone he has always referred to as the bat-phone because if it goes off he'd be going in to save the planet...haha jk well kindof but when my phone rang the other day he said, is that your bat-phone? So now I have affectionately named my phone that as well!
One of the biggest frustrations I have had a work thus far is that I have not been able to get onto a computer. Not because I don't have one but because with all the security issues it is this drawn out process to get an account. Normally in the states you will be up on a system within 24 hours once you submit your paperwork to get an account, however here in Korea when your higher headquarters is three hours north and people choose to do things slow it takes one such as myself over a week. It is incredibly difficult to do a job that is computer based when you can't get onto one, especially not being up on email. But luckily my prayers were answered today and this afternoon I was up and running. Of course this means I will be at the office late for the next months because I can now actually do real work, but it is a huge relief. I am now once again connected with the world non-stop!
So all in all a successful day! I got to promote 3 officers, finished the last of my in-processing, got on a computer. I am now officially in business!
On a side note I also was taken out on a date last night by a nice guy at my unit who brought me to a Korean BBQ restaurant, a great whole in the wall place, where they didn't speak a lick of English. It was absolutely delicious and I have no idea what half the stuff I ate was. I took my shoes off as soon as I entered the restaurant and sat on the floor with a table where your food cooks right in front of you. Finally had my first real cultural eating experience! Plus I had a date, can we all marvel at that for a moment...haha! Got to love Korea!
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