<p>My freshman year I was still close with my friends back home. After my first sea year (a split) I didn't see them for a very long time and I wasn't as close with people I wasn't REALLY good friends with. I'm still good friends with a bunch of my best buds from high school. I visit them at their schools and we hang out at home as much as possible.</p>
<p>"Those that have been there, done that....have high school best bud friendships lasted?"</p>
<p>Not here. S is 16 months out of KP, doesn't see any high school GUY friends anymore, occasionally sees girls. The big split occurred after Sea Year--the gap was getting wider for a long time before that. I was shocked when he strolled in from a party around 10:30 PM over one Thanksgiving break, since he had no real curfew anymore, just have the car in the driveway before we get up in the morning! He said that everybody was telling him he hadn't seen what he saw in third world countries that they had never been to, and he just couldn't deal with it anymore (I hope that made sense!).</p>
<p>Now he spends his down time when not sailing visiting friends from KP, and often runs into more KP grads when he's out and about town in certain port cities.</p>
<p>Okay....now we're going UP on this rollercoaster ride....whew, made it through another..... Would you say that this ride (ups and downs) are more severe or frequent than regular colleges? I'm starting to see friends with similar issues with their kids.</p>
<p>I would venture to say that because KP is such a different atmosphere than other colleges, our kids will find they have much less in common with old high school friends. However, with that said, 2 of my son's friends from HS are applying to KP....so maybe those friendships will last.</p>
<p>I think our ups and downs just come so SOON, when compared to other colleges. We have already seen mid-term grades, while regular college students have only been in class for a few weeks, maybe a month. </p>
<p>And our ups and downs come FASTer. If you look at the course load, w/ 17 credits per trimester, by the end of the first year your plebe will have taken about 50 credits.... compared to a regular college w/ 15 credits per semester... that would be 30 credits, maybe upto 40 credits, if you were taking 20 credits... </p>
<p>SO our ups and downs are sooner and faster the first year. </p>
<p>And our ups and downs are SO much different for second year ~ Sea Year.</p>
<p>I haven't experienced anything like this in my life. It truely is a HUGE adjustment not being able to talk to my DS on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, the past three months. Calls from sea have been so sparse. But when he does call, it has been a HUGE high. And I am usually in HUGE low right before the phone rings.</p>
<p>But I know he is enjoying this SO much more than a regular college, so we will just sit back and enjoy the ups and downs.</p>
<p>regarding friendships from HS.</p>
<p>DS only has ONE good friend that he ever wants to hang out with. Our neighbor's son (NS), they have been attached at the hip since they were 7 YO.</p>
<p>NS was year behind my DS in school, and so NS just graduated from HS last year. During plebe year when DS would come home from KP, NS would always be here, waiting to go out and blowing off his GF or other friends to be able to hang with DS.</p>
<p>On July 24th DS left on his ship for sea duty, and on July 29th NS had left for boot camp in the Marines.</p>
<p>I have been writing to NS, like I did my own son last year, to give encouragment and moral during his boot camp.</p>
<p>NS is done with boot camp the end of October, and DS should be home then for a day or two before KP classes starts again.</p>
<p>NS and DS are planning a HUGE party for themselves when they re-unite in October. I can't wait!</p>
<p>Highs seems wayyy to short, Lows seem interminable.... And that's just from a parent perspective. It has to be MORE volatile up close (from HIS perspective). Thanks, Royce DM, for puting the academic credits on the table like that. Ye gads.</p>
<p>what is a DS? daughter's son? i'm so confused about all the abreviations on here like "My DD or my DS"</p>
<p>LOL Come on davey you know how much the military likes the use of initials!</p>
<p>DS (Dear Son)</p>
<p>DD (Darling Daughter)</p>
<p>Does that mean NS = New Son; Neigbors Son :D</p>
<p>Thanks Davy.
I've struggled with abbrevs. too!
DM=Dear Mom ? (let's ask RoyceDM if this is correct :) ).</p>
<p>DW(Dear Wife) helped me out ASAP (As soon as possible) when I ask, KWIM (know what I mean) ? (I'm up on et al, et cetera, NB, and such).
But I've never had anyone explain "OK".</p>
<h2>Now, WHAT does the abbreviation 'OK' stand for?</h2>
<p>This was a favorite of my brother's, from WAYYY back. It's kinda in the abbreviation vein.</p>
<p>A B C D puppies?
L, M N O puppies !
O S A R,
C M P N :)</p>
<p>Translation:
Hey, Bea. See the puppies ?
Heck(sorta), them ain't no puppies !
Oh yes they are,
See 'em peeing .</p>
<p>[Wayyy old. Than kew, than Kew varry mouch. I'll be here all week. Be sure to tip your waitress.]
I am SOOO embarassed I know this one.</p>
<p>Sorry for thread hijack. Origin of "OK"</p>
<p>[Origin: initials of a facetious folk phonetic spelling, e.g., oll or orl korrect representing all correct, first attested in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1839, then used in 1840 by Democrat partisans of Martin Van Buren during his election campaign, who allegedly named their organization, the O.K. Club, in allusion to the initials of Old Kinderhook, Van Buren's nickname, derived from his birthplace Kinderhook, New York]</p>
<p>Usage note Few Americanisms have been more successful than ok, which survived the political campaign of 1840 that fostered it, quickly lost its political significance, and went on to develop use as a verb, adverb, noun, and interjection. The expression was well known in England by the 1880s. Today ok has achieved worldwide recognition and use. It occurs in all but the most formal speech and writing.</p>
<hr>
<p>Now, back to our usual wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth and mutual encouragement or commiseration as part of "Stress !:</p>
<p>Apparently, this is how Zonk deals with stress. He looks up meanings & such. I find going into the garage, jumping in the car, puttin' on a little 'Magic Carpet Ride' & blasting it LOUDLY while screaming works great for me. Usually whatever my Mid said to pull my chain, goes away. :) Nope. Not kidding. Ya'll should try it.</p>
<p>Yes, DM=Dear Mom</p>
<p>and NS= Neighbor's son... good, you were following along!</p>
<p>The highs do seem way too short and the lows like there is no end in sight. </p>
<p>Oh but how strong they become going through this. Truely it does make them better individuals. </p>
<p>It is a process that is hard to trust, but I am seeing that it does work. </p>
<p>Hang in there and you will be amazed at the differences you see each time they come home. I have always loved my son. But now the sense of admiration and respect I have for him for what he has accomplished and that he is allowing himself to go through this discipline. No one is coercing any of these young men and women, they are doing this because they have a passion to be better, to go beyond the ordinary. </p>
<p>There is a turning point where it all seems to come together for them. </p>
<p>I have been reminded however that while the stress temporarily abates it returns with their sea projects as well as studying for their licensing exam. </p>
<p>But isn't that life? Peaks and valleys. Oh the peaks wouldn't be so wonderful had it not been the valley we came out of..........</p>
<p>I am so glad that you explained the DS, DD. I was clueless.</p>
<p>Did I hear correctly on Parents Weekend that our 2011 M/Ns will have the next President of the United States at their graduation? :D</p>
<p>You heard it right--I'm annoyed--we'll get maybe two tickets???? I'm sure every alumni will be there--can't he/she go somewhere else?</p>
<p>If Hillary Clinton wins she already had her chance to talk at KP. If she is the speaker I'm sure she will get the respect the position deserves, but for those interested they should do a search or two and read about what happened last time she came.</p>