LAC Nicole Galvin reports on her recent attendance at the JNCO Course:
To be totally honest, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the JNCO course as much as I did. Actually I wasn’t even expecting to be picked to attend, as only three people out of almost thirty get chosen, I really didn’t think that I would be one of those three. So when I was picked I was understandably nervous, hearing from people who previously attended the course about all the stuff they said was fun sounded like just the opposite to me; ten minute speeches, taking groups through leadership activities, meeting and interacting with strangers, all these are generally things I go out of my way to avoid doing. I really didn’t want to fail the course and disappoint anyone, so I tried my hardest to get my mother to pull me out, but every time she refused saying things like “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it”, “you need to do more” and “it’s too late now, you’re going”.
So, each of my attempts failed and I found myself on board the bus with the rest of the Junior’s group, wedged between another of my fellow course attendees and a lady. I was still pretty sure I had made a bad decision; I mean, I like my house, I like taking twenty minute showers and sleeping in until eight o’clock, I like watching NCIS re-runs until my eyes bleed and plus, I don’t like meeting new people – I mean I have a grand total of like five very good friends.
However I did find myself enjoying the course. The first day was spent getting settled and meeting everyone. The second day was filled with lessons and learning about what it takes to be a Junior NCO. The third was the practice for our terminals (the tests that we had to do to pass the course). The fourth our terminals and the rest of the week followed suit. Of course that’s not to say that we only did work. On some evenings we watched movies and on a couple of occasions we were treated to a swim at the base pool.
It was quite useful to be in a barrack of eighteen girls as everyone ends up helping each other and it makes the early morning start more manageable. However, there were a few downsides as well, especially because I’m a light sleeper and people shifting around during the night tends to wake me up, which meant little sleep for me. Especially on one night when a girl from a few cubicles away continuously sleep talked, for the better part of the night. Every time I was almost asleep I would hear a sudden cry of “NO ….no no no no….nope noooo”. It was funny the first couple of times, but it got old pretty fast.
In the end, despite my concerns, I did end up passing the course and ended up making new friends with the people in my Syndicate. I was somewhat disheartened when it was time for us all to part ways. I was fortunate enough to have met someone who goes to my school (neither of us had met until we went on the course), unfortunately she has an identical twin sister who has no idea who I am, so on numerous occasions I have gone up to converse with her only to realise that it’s the wrong twin. Everyone on the course promised to stay in touch through social media sites.
The things I learned and achieved for myself on the course:
• Stepping up and making new friends regardless of the situation
• It’s not always the boldest and more confident that wins the race, but the soft-spoken, shy and quiet-confident gets to win on the day too
• Under stressful situation I can take care of myself and am able to help others overcome their own fears “simply by drawing ducks” (Some of the girls ended up getting really stressed out and to calm them down I made them all draw ducks, because quite frankly I don’t really know how to deal with crying people).
• Public speaking is less terrifying when you can make others laugh – and a sure way to make friends quickly
• I improved my confidence by working in a team and realised that my personality can be an asset in certain circumstances.
I really enjoyed the JNCO course. I should have applied for it sooner. Oh well I guess I’ll just have to sign up for the Senior’s course as soon as I’m eligible.
