It's been a BUSY week! My job hunt continues as Eric's training gets exciting. He came home one day last week, flight suit covered in dirt, after learning how to unclip from his parachute once he's landed on the ground. They did this by having 4-5 other classmates grab hold of the parachute straps and run as fast as they can, dragging him across the ground. On Thursday, some of the other wives and I watched the guys (and girls) experience the altitude chamber where they learn what it's like to experience hypoxia. They took them up to 25,000 ft. and told them to take their oxygen masks off. After a few minutes, the guys got preeeetty goofy--the physiologists explain the symptoms as resembling the feeling of drunkenness, but much more intense. I also got to put on ALL of the gear, strap into a cockpit (it's a lot of work!) and practice "emergency egressing" (in English: getting out of the plane as fast as you can). Let's just say I'm glad he's the one doing this and not me--I'm pretty bad at it. So far the class has had 2 tests and Eric has done really well. He has his first big test on aircraft systems on Wednesday, so he's getting well-acquainted with his office chair for the next few days :)
While picking up and turning in applications (I know, really hard work compared to what the guys are doing), other wives and I explore the old downtown Del Rio area, affectionately referred to as "the mexican side". We've found a little cafe with amazing smoothies, a 50s-style soda fountain place, and a cute little boutique with a deli attached. At first glance, Del Rio is underwhelming, but with a little more digging we've found plenty of hidden gems and it's starting to feel like home. For those that watch The Bachelor, Byron (from 2003, I think?) owns the nicest place in downtown, called The Herald. It reminds me of a martini bar you might find in Chicago. He also owns a nice Italian restaurant on Lake Amistad, the cafe with yummy smoothies, and a giant houseboat on the lake that he lets pilot training classes rent out for cheap. Speaking of Lake Amistad, it is perhaps the most popular part of Del Rio. EVERYONE in Del Rio asks, "how long have you been here? have you been to the lake yet?" It is a very large in-land lake that Del Rio natives are quite proud of and visitors are amazed by--as long as they've not grown up on Lake Michigan ;) It really is a fun place to go on the weekends and the base has a marina there that we can rent boats.
Eric and I experienced our first feelings of Del Rio pride this weekend as we traveled to Eagle Pass, TX, about one hour south of Del Rio. We had hoped to find different places to discover than what Del Rio had to offer, but driving through the somewhat eerie town we thought maybe the border had been moved and someone forgot to tell the U.S. government! The people were not very friendly, spoke hardly any English, and looked at us like we were translucent aliens. Most parts of town were incredibly run down (except for the immediate area surrounding the omnipresent Walmart, of course). On our way home we were happy to see the familiar sights of Del Rio and surprised by our feeling that Del Rio is in fact NOT the most desolate, boring place on earth. While there may not be a booming metropolis here, the people are so incredibly friendly and welcoming that their pride in their town is enough to make you want to find out why they have so much of it.
Friday night we went to a "drop night" where the graduating training class finds out what planes they will be flying. They buy beer for the many other pilot candidates, family, and friends that come watch, and everyone really has a great time hanging out and celebrating after a long training week. They all work so hard for that very moment and it's so fun and exciting for all the new pilot candidates and their families to share it with them and to look forward to when they'll be in that spot. Now that Eric has started, I LOVE going to these events. It is so exciting to think that in less than a year I will be the proud wife sitting in the audience watching my husband's dreams come true. I talked to a Colonel at the drop night, and he really stressed how important his wife was to his success in pilot training, and it makes me so happy that I am able to be a part of this experience. It's even more encouraging when everyone-even colonels and commanders!- around us tells us that our support and involvement here is welcomed, appreciated, and crucial to our husband's performance. So even though I don't have a job yet, having the time and ability to really get involved with Eric's training and do everything I possibly can to help him be successful is providing me plenty of purpose until I do find something. I am going to a substitute teaching orientation this week, so hopefully something will materialize there--I hear it's a pretty sure thing at least a couple days per week. We'll see!
Eric in the chamber, mask still on.
Me in the practice cockpit, all strapped in.
Eric teaching me how to strap in and get all hooked up.
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