Spending a summer in the East Coast retraining in Maryland as a Public Affairs Specialist for the USAF
You know how I said that life is but a series of events and paths taken because of them? There was a day after leaving my old hangar when I met up with the officer in charge of transitioning all the maintenance people losing their jobs as the F-16′s were sent to other bases around the country. The morning I met with him was also the morning a sergeant in Public Affairs called in to announce his decision to get out of the military. You see, I joined the Air Force because I wanted to work on jet planes. So when we all had to find new jobs, there was nothing else I really saw myself doing. I felt I was being forced to become a towel washer for the base gym or set up cables in the ground, neither of which particularly excited me. But this single open slot in Public Affairs was an opportunity that seemed destined as I put in for the slot just an hour or two after he announce it.
Thus, at the end of May I packed up my car and drove 12 hours to Maryland. There I learned everything from writing news articles and features to photography and layout/design. This course essentially taught me a wide variety of skills I was not finding (but seriously needed) in my growth as a media creator.
Being in Maryland also allowed me to hang out with a bunch of old friends in D.C., New York, and New Jersey. I was also able to see a lot of the country I had never really seen before.
In New York I was able to attend the first Asian American comicon as a Turtlist Media correspondent and meet dozens of awesome people doing amazing things in the community. Also I met up with the musicians of Paperdoll, an awesome band whose music was recently featured on a nyquil commercial actually. At the Dragonboat festival an old turtlistmedia feature, Hsu-nami was playing a concert on the big stage and I got to talk briefly with its erhu player, Jack Hsu. As I drove through the eastern half of the country I found it to be so big, but the Asian American community is so small.
In Jersey, my friend Wayne taught me how to gamble in Atlantic City. Though I think I just enjoyed hanging out with a familiar face more… and having long conversations with his parents in Taiwanese.
In D.C. I hung out a lot with my doppleganger, Howard, who everybody seems to say is exactly like me. Sure enough, I found this to really be true and today I celebrate it.
The first time I went to training in 2006, it was not the pushups, lack of food, and little sleep that was difficult. I remember loneliness being the worst part of it. I was constantly surrounded by new friends and acquaintances I worked with, but nonetheless felt a loneliness I had not been used to, which of course has made me appreciate my time at home so much more.
However this time around I was blessed to be in a part of the country close to many friends who gladly opened up their couches and time.
I think it was the best summer I’ve ever had actually. The only thing that would have made it better would be going to TAF.
