The belly of the beast

The Top Gun theme played in my head as the Nimitz arrived.

My home is now the USS Nimitz!  I recently watched in awe as the massive carrier pulled into port.  After a considerable wait, all the new Sailors were taken aboard to get situated.

It's a whole new game now.

Wray in the tv studio's control room.

Wray is my assigned "sponsor", and is my guide while I get acclimatized to ship life.  Over the weekend he showed me the places where I'll be spending the most time, such as the media center (where we edit footage) and the tv studio (where we broadcast the news). 

This is my unhappy face.

It's going to take some time to used to my new life.  I was not prepared for the living quarters.  They were much more cramped than I was expecting.  To my right there's another stack of three bunks.  I have no idea how people operate in such a small space.

I woke up in my rack last night needing to go to the bathroom.  I realized immediately that I had no idea how to find it.  I've been there twice but will need a few more trips to seal it to memory.

The view of San Diego from the Coronado bridge is a nice morale booster.

I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed by everything right now.  I expect it'll take weeks to get my bearings.  I think getting the first work week under my belt will ease the stress a bit.

It helps that Naval Base Coronado is in such a cool location.  There's some great motorcycle rides here and the weather is perfect every day.

I'm not sure what I'm allowed to take photos of, but will post more soon.  Wish me luck people!

SURVIVAL TIP:

Get into contact with your sponsor as soon as you know what ship you're assigned to.  If he/she doesn't call you, take the initiative and establish communication.  (you can probably find a number online)  The Sailors without sponsors had a tough time initially because no one was waiting to escort them onto the ship.