Week 2 in the books!

R got home on Friday around 1800 hours and he was SO glad to be home. I asked him if he thought this week was harder than week 1 and he said it was, in some ways. He's happy to know what to expect (for the most part) and the anxiousness of not knowing what is to come is gone. But he said even having that knowledge doesn't necessarily make the academy any easier. If anything it's potentially harder because they are now expected to know more of the rules. Here are some tidbits I can share with you:

• He's passed all his tests so far. :)
• They've been given their belts (with the baton, so now that requires polishing too).
• They do PT 3 days a week now.
• He said classroom time is his favorite so far.
• He really likes the academy classroom instructors.
• They start EVOC classroom training this week (Emergency Vehicles Operations Course) which R is excited about.

What amazes me most about R being 2 weeks in is the amount of new knowledge he has. When he got into the academy, I started studying the aural brevity codes so I could test him (and so I could keep up with his future LEO lingo) but he's far surpassed me into vehicle codes, penal codes and beyond. I know the 10 codes but beyond that, I'm toast. He can spout off codes with ease lately and I'm so proud of all the hard work he's putting in.

He's also writing a lot of memos (including his daily food intake courtesy of being on the training table) and his new handwriting is so interesting! They have a very specific style they have to keep to and it looks so foreign compared to what R's handwriting used to be. Not bad though, it's definitely neater. Ha.  

I can't believe 2 weeks have passed and we've only got 25 weeks to go. I kept telling R all weekend, "In 2 weeks, you'll be 1 month down!". I'm so relieved with how the process has gone so far, of me adjusting to life without R around and for R, figuring out how to navigate academy life. I was initially so worried that a process like this would change R somehow, but what I've seen so far is comparable to any job training. He's learning skills and knowledge necessary to survive as a CHP officer, but when he comes home, he just wants to be R. I know becoming an officer is likely to change facets of R's personality but I'm happy it's not sudden or overwhelming like I initially thought it might be.

So happy to be another week down, here goes week 3!