So, some of you may know already that I got sworn in for the Air Force on Tuesday :)
It was the second longest day of my life. And possibly the most nerve-wracking.
Here's what happened:
We're brought into the room where we're supposed to take the oath. Wooden walls, where flags from various branches of the military are adorned, and in the back of the room, a podium where the commander will stand to greets us. I'm a natural introvert, and am very uncomfortable with being in the spotlight, especially with people I don't know.
My mother, father, brother, aunt and her two kids (5 and 7) came to watch. I was the only one there with family. I'm standing there in the first row, hands behind my back, at attention. A few minutes before, the lady commander appoints me as the one to call "at attention" when the commander who will administer the oath enters the room. When this will happen, we will close our stance, moving our hands to our sides.
I'm waiting. I'm trying to ignore the other recruits around me (the majority of whom are guys. Just one other girl.). I'm trying to ignore the fact that I'm the only one here with family to watch. I 'm trying to catch my bearings, clear my mind, calm down, and listen as hard as I can to the door at the back of the room.
Silence.
And then the door opens.
"At attention!"
To me, my voice It sounds like a indecipherable bark. I cringe inwardly as I realize that I said the words mid-stance-shifting. The others follow, closing their stances. I pray no one notices the mistakes that I have already marked in my mind, while a tiny part of me tells me that I did fine.
The commander arrives at the podium, instructing family when and where they can take pictures/ videotape the ceremony. Again, I try to ignore the fact that I AM THE ONLY ONE WITH FAMILY THAT CAME TO WATCH.
We raise our right hands. And then repeat the oath. My heart is strangely steady as I repeat the words. The world fades away. It's over before I know it.
And then the embarassment comes when the commander intructs the recruits where to go and that now anyone with family here today can take pictures, etc.
I hug my mom, who has been crying apparently. My dad is glowing. My brother looks strangely...proud. My aunt, I think, is on the verge of tears, and my cousins are excited. From my peripherals, I spy the others exiting the door to get their paperwork. I've been told that i can join them after the pics. My parents even get a pic of the commander with me. I feel like dying of embarrassment.
SOOOO......
To make this interactive, and give me a sense of closure/being not alone, tell me a time when you were scared out of your freaking mind. I can tell you right now, I'm still replaying everything that happened in that room, getting that same feeling of fear and embarrassment. Terror loves company.:p