So, this morning I log in to my computer and, as usual, my Google start page loads. Among the apps on my page is a daily picture from National Geographic. This is a completely unedited screenshot of the picture and it’s associated Google ad.

Um… No thanks!

So, I’m still here, obviously. During those few moments where we’re not training and I’m not so exhausted I can’t see straight, I find myself missing home but, strangely, not as much as I would have thought. Being able to relax on the couch, watch some TV, or play some video games… and I really miss internet access and being able to listen to music anywhere, anytime. But, I find myself adapting to this new life. It seems quieter and much slower paced. No one rushing to get places, no traffic, no one seems to get stressed out over pointless jobs, at least from what I’ve seen so far. People just go about their business of farming, driving their carriages, delivering goods. You realize I don’t even know what time it is anymore? I get up at sunrise,  break for lunch around midday, and eat dinner and go to bed after it gets dark. It’s actually quite liberating… I never knew how much stress I had just worrying about what time it was all the time!

Training continues. It’s amazing how quickly the body can adapt when forced into being put through it’s paces on a daily basis. I’m still not quite able to keep up with the other recruit but, given the improvement I’ve seen, I’m confident that I will by the end of training. I find myself pretty adept and wielding knives, which I never thought possible. In fact, it seems to be the only area where I can match or exceed the other students. I can still get the crap kicked out of me in a toe-to-toe fight but once I get my stamina up, but when it’s just daggers I can hold my own and I’m at the top of the group when it comes to throwing knives. We’re supposed to get into the more advanced techniques in a few days so we’ll see how that goes…

I’m starting to get the impression that I’m not going to be part of a regular military force once training is over. I’m going to be expected to use my new found skills to help this kingdom, whatever it is, but I’m not going to be on the front lines taking orders, which is a relief. I’ve never gotten along well with authority figures, which is why I always had trouble holding down a job at home. It’s more like I’ll be given an assignment and it will be up to me as to how best get the job done. It’s definitely more my style but given how little I know of this place I’m a little worried I’ll even know what they’re talking about.

Other than the book I read when I first arrived, my whole world has been nothing but training. I’m looking forward to “graduation” so I hopefully have more time to dig into the history of this world. Of all the things I’ve heard I’ve yet to see anything to back it up. Makes me wonder if it’s not like the middle ages were; filled with primitive people who believed in just about anything because they were simply to ignorant to know any better. Unless it’s in regards to our training I really don’t talk to anyone else so all I have to go on is what I manage to overhear. Mostly it’s just talk about back home, one guys dad served in the war or was a farmer or a shipbuilder. I’d love to ask “What war?” but I’m pretty sure that would give me away.

I will say this much, the kids here seem much more mature and well behaved. Back home, I’d swear 90% of 16 year olds are borderline retarded!

One of the funniest interviews I’ve seen in a long time!

I hate running!

I was rather rudely awakened before sunrise by Jorik tossing a set of trainee gear at me… including boots and a, thankfully sheathed, knife. The rest of the initiates were due shortly after sunup and training was to begin immediately after. I expected some sort of military like regimen and that’s pretty much what we got. I’d initially been a worried about not fitting in. Hell, I had enough trouble fitting in back home, here I wasn’t even a fish out of water, more like a fish in the vacuum of space! Turns out I should have been far more worried about how out of shape I was.

We spent most of the day “getting our sorry butts in shape”. Unfortunately for me I had a lot farther to go. Most of the kids, and that’s what they were really, about 15 others all between the ages of 16 and 18, had spent their lives working on farms or doing construction, blue collar stuff. I’d spent most of my life sitting on my butt watching TV and surfing the Internet. I tried to keep up as best I could but, even though no one said anything, I could tell everyone was looking at me either in pity or wondering what I was even doing there. The worst part, today was just the warm up. Tomorrow we begin combat training.

Over the next few weeks we’re supposed to learn to fight unarmed, with daggers, and with throwing knives; along with a couple “trick of the trade” as Jorik calls them… special techniques we can use to really do some damage to our opponents. In a way I’m excited to learn as I’ve always wanted to know this kind of stuff. On the other hand, I’m just hoping I can make it through another day of training without vomiting.

Apparently even having a cot to sleep on was a luxury I’m going to be missing for the next few weeks. It seems, in this line of work, that we’ll be spending a lot of nights outdoors sleeping on the ground, so we’d “best get used to it now”. Once again I can’t help but hope I wake up from this nightmare soon. But if I’m going to be in this for the long haul then I’d best work as hard as I can because, if any of the bits of conversation I’ve heard the other recruits talking about (orcs, trolls, horde, etc), then my only other best option appears to be a quick but gruesome death.

It’s almost time for lights out and right now, I don’t even care I’m sleeping on the ground. I’m so exhausted I could sleep on a bed of nails and fire ants!