Day 7 - Recruitment

I had already been at Uni for a week, though it didn't seem like it. Seemed as though I had been here sooooo much longer. Maybe this was the feeling that I was beginning to settle in. It was a really nice feeling I must say. Today was my Leeds TA Corps induction day. I walked out the front door, and saw a £5 note in the grass, it was literally in the exact same place as the £10 note I found the morning before. This time I really did check around to see what was going on, it can't have been coincidence. Eitherway I picked it up and walked off before someone else could claim it and headed to Uni.

We were told to meet at the front of the Uni at 9am with a load of documents such as bank details, Mother's maiden name, passport etc. I had them all, except for my passport, which I decided to keep in the hands of my parents incase I lost it or it got stolen. Even so, I was told it was not essential to have them all so went along to the day anyway.
I spoke to the same girl that convinced me the sign up on the uni steps outside, she asked me where my friend was (Ben). That was a good point, he should have been there since he was the one who wanted to join first hand. As we all began to walk to the training grounds I saw him running up to us in the distance, he made it just in time, though I'm suprised he turned up at all.
However we got to the training grounds at about 9:20am, they officer there said,

"Honestly, we didn't think anybody would actually get up for 9am on a Saturday and we're not ready since we were expecting you all at 10am"

-_- ...what.

So we all had to sit there for 40 minutes watching a video about the society (which was actually pretty funny since it showed footage of a guy there throwing a petrol bomb at a model tank, missing completely and hitting a tree almost causing a huge forest fire. Was funnier because it had the Benny Hill theme tune in the background as it showed other screw ups. Like someone else throwing a grenade into a room, which bounced off the wall and rolled right back out to his feet. Had that been a real war he would have been dead).
Afterwards they said that anybody that had to leave early to go with them there and then to do their paperwork and medical. I should have gone with them as it ended up taking 5 hours in all of sitting and waiting to get my paperwork done, and I had to book the medical for another time. In constrast, there was a party that evening there, formal wear, £1 a pint. They said it was basically one big piss up. Might as well attend eh ?

Evening came, I left early as I wasn't 100% sure of my way there. On the way there I met someone else who was also at the intro meeting that morning. His name was Phil and he was Chinese. He looked as though he'd be a really quiet shy person, but he was the complete opposite. Kinda like a Chinese version of Marvin. He told me a story of how he wanted to join the Leeds TA last year but was ill with freshers flu as the night before he challenged someone to a drinking contest. 15 shots of vodka one after another. Needless to say, he lost. We arrived and were the first ones there. Well, it was a party and nobody gets there on time do they. It began at 7pm and we got there at 6:45pm. So ordered some drinks and stood by the bar on our own for a while talking to some other guy who was joining.
This was the first and so far only night I have gotten close to being drunk I'd say as I was beginning to feel light headed after only 2 pints of strongbow :S However, the night was really good. Once again, a repeat of the Geology stereotype of girls and their interests was shown by another boy,

"I didn't think there'd be any girls here really. But look, there's loads, and they're all gorgeous, think I might fuck a few of them".

He was right though. Most of the girls there did not look the sort that would want to be out training and getting muddy but rather be crown prom queen and be driving about in their mini which their rich Father bought for them. Anyway, not much else REALLY happened that night. Met another man who introduced me to his officer,

"Hello, I'm Ian (can't actually remember his name) and this is my senior officer Kate, isn't she fit"!?

I didn't know what to say. I agreed with him fully, but he said it right in front of her so she probably heard. If I said yes she might have given me a "how shallow" look, but if I said no she may have been offended. So I just laughed and took a sip of my slippery nipple. Also Phil and I had loads of dance offs, but neither of us won. I left at about 1am after having sobered up a little. I felt my pockets and realised £15 had dropped out of them. I searched the dancefloor but couldn't find it. I then walked over to the bar and looked. I didn't find my £15, but I did find a £20 scrunched up on the floor. NICE!
I decided to risk it and walk home that night. It reminded me of a walk home through Romford really. A loud of drunken men standing outside pubs and a load of slutty looking women/girls talking to bouncers. Needless to say, I felt safer walking home in that sort of scene rather than if the streets had been empty. As I snuggled into bed I began to count my blessings that I had made it home safely that night as well as counting the £45 I had made in the past two days.