Blue and Gold

While the lines "but still when two or three shall meet, and old tales be retold" of our illustrious alma mater rang true throughout our entire journey in Southeast Asia, it resounded especially loud on this last stop of our LREC. I think we encountered more Academy graduates in Singapore than we did in both Indonesia and Malaysia combined. There were more stories exchanged than I can remember-- they all blurred together.

Picture: View of the Singapore skyline from the 18th floor of our hotel-- the JW Marriott. Really slumming it here. Much thanks Navy.

Our final destination was the island where English and Mandarin Chinese reigned supreme and where I finally felt linguistically useful for the first time in 18 days. The city that is also its own country. Address line: Singapore, Singapore.

We had the fortune of meeting up with six Academy grads over the course of our first two days of being in Singapore. Five of whom are serving in the Singaporean Navy, and one who works as an attaché at the US Embassy.

Much to the delight of my food-loving self, all our encounters were centered around the eclectic food of Singapore. Our first night, two of the Singaporean grads met us at the street food festival in ingeniously named "Streat." I thought it was pretty clever. Since you eat. On the street. So, its streat. We were able to choose from a variety of food stalls ranging from burgers and fries to beef noodles to foie gras.

It was really interesting comparing Academy stories and seeing how life for mids have changed--or stayed the same-- over the past decade. I thought it was particularly insightful to get a foreigner's view on the US military and our academies. CDR Say mentioned that all the Singapore exchange students are already commissioned officers when they report to Annapolis as plebes. Talk about moving back down the totem pole.

Our second night, we had dinner by the Singapore Strait and a front row seat to fireworks display. Because Singapore's National Day is fast approaching, every Saturday leading up to August 9th, there are practice firework displays. And practice airshows. With cool aircraft formations. And jets. Because everyone loves jets. Me especially. I was geeking.

It was at the second dinner that we met the majority of the alumni stationed in Singapore and once again, the unequivocal bond of sharing food and Academy stories shaped our interactions. I really appreciated the time they all took out of their day to come interact with us.

Picture: Classic USNA picture where we pose with the Brigade Flag. Also peep Sam's adorable baby.

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Seeing as this is my last rotation of blogging, I figured I should include some final thoughts that have been floating around in my brain. I apologize in advance if it seems scatterbrained. It's because it is.

Final Thought 1: The power of being a Midshipman.

PART A: I was once told by a Skipper that the Navy is controlled by two groups of people: the admirals and the middies. And I couldn't agree more. Some of the opportunities we were afforded on this trip were ones that would have never been possible had we not been midshipmen. For example, our visit to the Indonesian Naval Academy. Had it not been for the fact there were midshipmen interested in connecting with the Indonesian cadets, it is my understanding that the visit might have never occurred. The power of being a midshipmen: it opens doors that otherwise may have been closed.

PART B: Only midshipmen really have the opportunity to travel Southeast Asia for entire month almost entirely on the Navy's dime. We are in a time and place in our lives where encouragement for cultural growth is at an all time high, and real life responsibilities are at a relative low. The four of us have been blessed with the opportunity to enhance our cultural awareness and I couldn't be more thankful.

Final Thought 2: Be a sponge. Absorb everything.

Everyday is a new opportunity to learn something new. I can't even begin to enumerate all the nuggets of knowledge I gained throughout our journey by simple listening to what others had to say. Yes I asked questions, but I was content with soaking in not only the varying cultures, but also the decades worth of Fleet knowledge from the plethora of officers we encountered. I learned that my fleeting childhood dream career path of being an attaché is actually attainable through the FAO community. I learned that the "adult table, kid table" divide is present halfway around the world as well. And I learned that despite being lumped into the name "Southeast Asia," the individual countries are all unique.

I also learned I suck at journaling, but that's another story.

Final Thought 3: Culture is key.

Considering the global nature of the profession the four of us have chosen to pursue, being culturally aware is a key component of being a competent leader. Being able to pull from a fundamental, cultural understanding of the people we will eventually work with and encounter is vital to not only our success as naval officers, but also the success of our armed forces as a whole. And it starts with simple exposures to other cultures through programs such as the LREC program. It's not just a fun summer training halfway across the globe-- it's an opportunity to start expanding your horizons and realizing the necessity of learning about other cultures. I emphatically believe that choosing to not educate yourself on other cultures is setting yourself up for failure.

If you've made it this far in my blog post, I commend you. Because even I didn't have the energy to go back and proofread it. So it very well might be grammatically incorrect ramblings. But regardless, I hope you've enjoyed following my attempt at being a traveler and a blogger. It's definitely taught me a thing or two.

And because my 7th grade English teacher taught be that my introduction and conclusion always have to tie in together: I leave you now to return back to "where the Severn joins the tide" and hopefully in one year's time "be scattered far and wide."

Okay I can't end on that. I cringed just typing it. But in all seriousness. 10/10 recommend coming to Southeast Asia. Definitely worth it.