Menu
Our military academy
It’s hard when you’re battling the idea of where to call home. For your entire life you have grown accustomed to call someplace home. Somewhere where your parents are anxiously waiting for you to come home, where you know you’ll sleep in the room you have grown fond of and where a home-made meal around family can always be expected in the dinner table. Then, you are plunged into the unknown, learning to grow accustomed to your new home as you go along. Not quite fitting in in the beginning, yet falling in love after a while. That’s what happens at MMA. One of the hardest parts about MMA is learning to let go of your home, the homesickness that ensues your arrival at the Academy is normal. You are away from your parents, family members and friends. Yet you come to realize you are never really alone. After four years I can say that homesickness can be a very hard process for many cadets here, one that can be very difficult for both young and older cadets, but predominantly among the former. Being away from home isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible. As time progresses, you may even find yourself calling that little room, that room with two beds, a desk and a press, yours. Your home. Your own little sanctuary. Because as cliché and Disney-esque as it may sound, home is where the heart is, and for many of us, MMA is just like our home. Yet this is not an overnight thing that happens out of the blue. Of course the first months are difficult, and just as you are getting used to being here, Christmas break begins. You get to be back with your family, opening gifts, going out to dinner, and seeing all of your friends. It’s all back to normal again for you. Until it’s not. After just a few days, you realize that it is time for you to go back to the Academy and return to your life as a cadet. A hard thud into reality. These are what so many old boys call “The Dark Days.” For the first time in six months, cadets go back home for an extended leave, and just as they are getting used to being home, they have to come back. This is tough on many cadets, because it’s always hard for them to say goodbye again, and to be honest, it can be extremely difficult. You find yourself rummaging the deepest corners of your brain looking for little details about your home. What you room smelled like, how grandma’s cooking tasted, how your parent’s hugs feel. Yet this isn’t the best thing to do. As a cadet, one of the hardest things to do is to let go and adapt to your temporary home, MMA. This of course can’t be done by themselves. Whether it is with the help of their leaders of other fellow cadets, brothers will pick each other up and lift them when they’re down. Nobody here walks alone. Additionally, they not only need support from fellow MMA cadets, but most importantly, from their family members back home. I explicitly remember a particular story about homesickness. I was arriving for my third year at MMA and was helping as an ambassador to show the new kids around. As I was walking my new cadet and his parents to the barbershop, I spotted my Platoon Sergeant Gastelum, stands there with the cadet he was showing around. This kid looked to be around 14 and was not accompanied by his parents. Right before he was going to get his haircut I saw the boy begin to cry. As that happened, I immediately saw Gastelum hug the kid and pull him aside. He then reassured him that everything was going to be fine, because we were his new family. After that, Gastelum took him under his wing for the whole year, something which still makes me smile today. Because we all need somebody to help us get through the toughest moments. I personally could never have done it alone. I was fortunate to be surrounded by my family and my girlfriend, who always kept my feet on the ground and helped me remember that tough times were only temporary. No matter if it was 3pm or 3am, my girlfriend and mom would always be there if I missed them, and that was a crucial part of why I adapted easily. Though homesickness is difficult, it’s not the end of the world. As long as you have people that help you get through it, you will come to realize that it’s only a phase which everyone goes through and it’s very important for your character development to be able to get through these tough times, while knowing that you will never truly be alone.
0 Comments
|