1st Challenge Day-"You're not in Kansas Anymore"

Today was our first session (all 260+) physical challenge. The name of the challenge was "You're not in Kansas Anymore." It was a 1.8 mile run that we ran as a group for a short distance, then an orange cone signaled us to "challenge yourself." That was the go ahead to break free. Already being broke, I didn't break free, but I did pick it up slightly and kept that pace up, until the end. There isn't a time clock to measure yourself against, and I didn't wear my watch, so I don't know my time, but I believe that it was around 17:30-18:00 minutes. Not fast by any means. I was clearly behind some and clearly ahead of others. Overall, I was happy with my performance. I believe that I will enjoy these challenges. No official photos are permitted, in case a class member enters into an undercover assignment, after graduating. However, I did have one of my classmates sketch me while I was running.

Today there is a mandatory section meeting at 3:00 p.m. and flag night is tonight at 8:00 p.m. We'll get the chance to mingle with the NAC (New Agent Class) members and see if anyone is coming to Oklahoma, or specifically Tulsa.

Flag night was really neat! We all met in the cafeteria. The cafeteria has large wooden panels on all for walls, with the flags of all states and territories, along with the flags of the military branches, affixed to them. The NA students go to their respective flags and members of the NAC (New Agent Class) and members of the IBC (Intelligence Basic Class) who have received orders for those states, go to those flags for a meet and greet. The NA students from foreign countries have their flags displayed on stands and everyone gets a chance to meet and greet with them, also. There is patch, hat, pin, etc. trading galore going on. It's a really good chance to meet and mingle for all.

I had the chance to meet and talk with an outstanding woman from the NAC who has orders for Oklahoma. She hasn't received her final orders, but she is hoping for Tulsa. Her husband is a federal agent for another agency and he can likely transfer to Oklahoma, when she gets her final orders. She had worked for eight and a half years for a large municipal police department, in a state close to Oklahoma, so she has a good amount of police experience that not every new agent has gained. She was smart, friendly, excited and I have no doubt that she will be a fantastic addition to the FBI. I certainly hope that she gets what she wants.

I walked away with some patches, some pins and even a coin at the end of the night. It was really packed in there, so I still have many patches to trade.

Nothing but classes tomorrow.