The beginning of the end

Finished Farnham.

I'm just goona copy down some things I texted people:

"Well I don't think you'd recognize me anymore, let me tell you a few hints about myself.

I go by Smith 123

I wake up at 4 am every day

I run up and down 9 staircases 3 times a day

I polish boots and iron shirts in my free time

I run 8 kilometres with 50 kg on my back

I can field strip a rifle in 55 seconds

My estimated exercise V02 is 56.6 ml/kg/minute.

I cannot think of anything else good right now, how have you been?"

"Everything is awesome, I just got back from 4 days of intense field exercises and training.

I marched 13 kilometres with 50 pounds on my back and my feet are dead"

Basically Farnham was great.

First day, getting settled in Farnham, kind of a camping atmosphere, minus all the cool things (campfires, games, etc). The environment was fairly cool in the sense that we learned a good amount.

How to run a camp stove, spark a lantern, how we should arrange ourselves, disciplinary actions that are tactically minded (walking clockwise around the perimeter of the camp), how to set up a hoochie (wind break tent shelter thing), where to position during an enemy attack (Stand To! Stand To! Stand To!), what our arcs of fire are, how to determine friendlys (Hotel. Response: Oscar. It is a five letter password), we also put on cam paint that evening (it sucked and didn't come off fully all week), 

Next day, we tore down camp, took a bit to figure out how to do everything quickly, also the cam paint and shaving led to us not getting our timing.

Basically putting on and taking off FfO all day, this day I decided to wear my goferex boots because my zippers broke on my good combats, worst decision ever. So much pain in my feet all day, since this was the day we did the obstacle course, walked to the range and shot, and did a team building exercise as well.

We also had to do the Fire! Fire! Fire! exercise during the night, which sucked. This night we didn't get too much sleep.

The third day we had our obstacle course I think... yeah that's right.

zip line, tapell rower, and bridge crossing. Amateur hour basically, but al this week my feet hurt so it wasn't the greatest. Next we had to go and do some other team building exercises, where we xompleted obstacles and scenarios with the supplies we had in a tactical simulation.

After that I was tired like all day, and we got jacked up so much that afternoon. It was super sucky, like we had a good week but we wee getting jacked up like it was week 5. This continued, we did fast showers and cleaned our rifles/rucks, then we had to go to Kalen where in our PT gear, everyone's worried because we have no idea what's happening.

Then sergeant Poirier comes and gives us the yelling of the century. Like holymoley, 5-10 people cried, everyone was sad and disappointed. Sergeant said things like "17 people failed the drill test," "you lose every weekend for the rest of bmq," "phones go away for 3 weekends, you'll have 5 minutes to talk to your fairly, I don't care what you tell them."

But it was all an elaborate ruse, we did good, everyone passes the weapons test, we got a canteen offered to us where we could buy snacks, and we watched Fury.

Basically the best evening ever, we didn't even have fire pickets or patrols that night.

The past day in Farnham was the 13 km ruck.

My ruck got randomly selected for weighing and it was perfect. I had a chance to tie my left shoe again when we were outside, but I didn't retie my right shoe, so I think that partially caused the pain I'm currently experiencing with the blisters and numbness on my right foot. It's not too bad though, it could be worse.

That's basically Farnham, we came back and got steak so best Thursday evening meal ever.

Church at Saint-Jean 

Padre Irish

Hymn 260 alleluia, alleluia

Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Psalm 116

1 Peter 1:17-23

Padre B______

Luke 24: 13-35

_____?

Bagpipes

Statement of faith and apostles creed

Contemporary songs 

Prayer

Hymn 479 the church's one foundation 

That's all for now!

Day before field exercise

So next week (tomorrow) we're going to Farnham.

Cleaning rifles, waking up often, sleeping outside on the ground, sllvthat to look forward to.

I'm packing my kit right now, I need to rebuild my rucksack because my fire team partner accidentally "ghost locked" her locker. Fortunately it wasn't anything that I did, but my FTP is still part of my responsibility. I was pretty lazy, when my FTP was right next door I checked out pretty often, now that Michaud is in he girls pod halfway across the floor I've been super lazy.

We also don't have the greatest relationship, even on a professional level we don't really communicate, and I don't really contribute anything productive to that. Just time and communication will help fix that, but I've been moving other priorities (including leisure ones) above my FTP, so I know that I need to do better in that area.

When 4 Section was reformed into what is colloquially referred to as the "remedial section" (not seriously, just in a meta and sarcastic sense) Michaud admitted that she took it personally, and her attitude in that was evident with the way she acted around the rest of 4 Section. The staff, Sgt Rubin and Mcpl Boudrias told us that we were a section that "needed extra help."

Yeah, ___ing ow.

Idk about my thoughts on that, it's been 3¿ weeks now and I feel like I haven't actually changed too greatly. (That's a lie I'm more disciplined, but that's neither here nor there) anyways I'm happy jay I haven't been moved from 4 section, I've been here since the beginning, I haven't even moved pods so that's pretty nice.

I'm basically going off on different tangents but I'm basically saying I wish things were easier here. It would be so nice if I was just able to relax every day, do the physical stuff at a proper pace, sleep every day, leave my kit the way I like it, leave my bed "good enough", have my phone on my all the time, etc etc.

But it's not. If I haven't had the rigid discipline I wouldn't have the habits I have. If I was cutting corners whenever I could my body wouldn't be able to be driven during drill.

PT wise I'm doing excellently. 12 points from platinum on the Forces test, I'm impressed at my own abilities and how easy it feels like it was. I now know I need to be pushed, and I need to use that inner drive to produce qualities that will not fail when subjected to stress.

Physically-awesome

Mentally-discipline is coming, laziness is being staved off

Emotionally-family and friends from home are on my mind when I have downtime, I have a very positive association with everything I do or have done and I think that is healthy

Spiritually-church is a semi regular thing, same with bible readings. Morally I feel like I am doing ok, I can always improve there, but acknowledging that this is a specific season of life gives me a chance to take a step back and focus on the moment, knowing that building bear habits and disciplining myself will result in the desired outcome of a fully-trained CAF member.

CCC friends were on my mind this last weekend, I really love those guys and I'm glad I have that church group, I don't know when I'll return but I'm going to put more effort into talking with them semi-regularly in the last month here at CFLRS.

Encounter YEG is another group I've been getting more into contact with, love those guys. Josh is always hanging out, so I'll probably text him more often. He's still looking for work so I'm going to have him in my prayers. (Haven't prayed too much recently, working on that)

Haven't talked with Alyssa, semi talked to Andy. Layden, izzy, Brennan and Ashley are also some people who I haven't texted or called, but they are on my mind.

Chapel at Saint-Jean Garrison

First Sunday after Easter "Second Sunday of Easter"

 

Hymn 464 "Come ye faithful, raise the strain"

Reading Acts 2:14,22-32 

psalm 16 

1 Peter 1:3-9 

Kids service

Hymn 463 he choirs of new Jerusalem

John 20:19-32

Today was more of a personal reflecting chapel for me. I'm glad for opportunities in environments such as this, it's truly a blessing.

I just need to remember to post my blog stuff

That's all for now.

Good Friday in Saint-Jean

Good Friday service at the Saint-Jean Garrison.

BMQ is basically everything I thought it would be.

Lots of running around, PT is a highlight usually.

Weapons classes are actually way cooler than I thought they would be, I did rally well in my exam, but at the very end I forgot to do the "For Inspection Clear Weapons," after the clear I didn't forward assist fire. I figured it out soon afterward, but it was odd for some reason, fortunately since I had done so well up to that point I succeeded on my second attempt.

Today I even passed the drill practice test, although I did learn that she. I salute I need to keep my thumb in line with my hand, and I need to watch out for the timing calls and I need to make sure to focus on doing everything in cadence, it doesn't matter what the calling person does if it's obviously wrong, as long as the parade reacts professionally.

4 section got moved around, now everyone who was struggling is in this section. Tensions are high but I feel like it's just growing pains.

That's the hope anyways, one individual in particular makes a lot of good points, but I don't really know how to present any alternatives, since it's accurate points, but I feel like there is a better way out there, it's just

Church at Saint Jean garrison

Story of Jesus resurrection

Hymn

Padre Irish

Matthew 26:20-35

"one of you will betray me" "surely not me"

Peter Denys Jesus 3 times.

We walked around the orange sector of the Mega.

7 stations ending in Matthew 27:50-54 Jesus Dies

"We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

By your cross and precious death you have redeeemed the world."

Good Friday means focus on the cross.

That's all for now.