If anyone were to describe Patrick Henry College's Strategic Intelligence camp as incredibly fantastic and out of this world, I would call that an understatement. As a matter of fact, I have yet to discover adequate words to describe my week there this summer. Since I cannot do it in few words (such as "incredibly fantastic and out of this world"), I will resort to the option of doing an in-depth explanation:
Before I arrived at camp, I received a letter containing my new identity which I would assume for the entire camp.
Alias: Vivian Wilson
Birthplace: Manchester, England (I had so much fun pulling off the British accent!!)
Current Residence: Oudtshoorn, South Africa
Occupation: Opperator with the SANDF special forces
When I arrived, I was assigned to a task force (Nisroc1- the best team ever) and to an agency to work with (FEMA).
Before I arrived at camp, I received a letter containing my new identity which I would assume for the entire camp.
Alias: Vivian Wilson
Birthplace: Manchester, England (I had so much fun pulling off the British accent!!)
Current Residence: Oudtshoorn, South Africa
Occupation: Opperator with the SANDF special forces
When I arrived, I was assigned to a task force (Nisroc1- the best team ever) and to an agency to work with (FEMA).
Our days were filled with special activities. We had 5 (sometimes 6) different lectures each day with breaks in between. The topics included Intelligence 101, Great Intelligence Failures in History, Moral Dilemmas in Intelligence, and How to Deliver a Briefing (fascinating!). After the lectures, we had free time which lasted for about 2 hours or until dinner time. I usually spent my spare time playing soccer, dodgeball, or hanging out in the cafe with friends :)
Director Brewer during a lecture
After dinner, we proceeded to town hall for an evening lecture and activity. One night we played an epic game of capture the flag; another night, we spent the evening trying to crack a code in order to rescue one of our conselors from a hostage situation. My favorite activity was the ultimate challenge of spoons, rock paper scissors, and dodgeball. Each activity was so different, but so fun!
Throughout the week, the different teams competed against eachother in the activities in order to win points. The teams would win points for the cleanest dorms and best performance in evening activities. On the last day, a very special team would receive a promotion- thus being allowed to stay up past cerfew and watch a movie. (Unfortunately, Nisroc was not that lucky team. We were the runner-ups)
On Day 4 (Thursday), we all boarded HUGE busses and headed out to Washington, D.C. where we visited the International Spy Museum, the Air & Space Museum, and had lunch on the National Mall. (Unfortunately I was as sick as a dog on this particular day, but it was still an unforgettable trip.) During the long bus ride to D.C., we put our recently acquired knowledge of code making and code breaking to use.
**********
Try to crack this code if you can!
2/14/13 6/17/26 19/20/11 26/19/8 14/13/18
**********
Throughout the week, the different teams competed against eachother in the activities in order to win points. The teams would win points for the cleanest dorms and best performance in evening activities. On the last day, a very special team would receive a promotion- thus being allowed to stay up past cerfew and watch a movie. (Unfortunately, Nisroc was not that lucky team. We were the runner-ups)
On Day 4 (Thursday), we all boarded HUGE busses and headed out to Washington, D.C. where we visited the International Spy Museum, the Air & Space Museum, and had lunch on the National Mall. (Unfortunately I was as sick as a dog on this particular day, but it was still an unforgettable trip.) During the long bus ride to D.C., we put our recently acquired knowledge of code making and code breaking to use.
**********
Try to crack this code if you can!
2/14/13 6/17/26 19/20/11 26/19/8 14/13/18
**********
We, The Four Musketeers
Day 5: Friday was the day that we all anticipated and dreaded at the same time.
Early that morning, there was a "terrorist attack on American soil." This was an emergency exercise that lasted the entire day. According to our sources, a deadly virus was released in 8 major cities- killing over 2million people in under 1 hour. We worked together in our assigned agencies (the DOJ, DOT, Coastguard, FBI, CIA, ICE, and many, many more) and we were able to aid the situation and prevent any further attacks. (We save the world- you should be thankful!) After our mission was completed with successful results, we attended a press conference and briefed the "President."
The Friday night activity was famously known as Manchoven Cow- the Patrick Henry version of America's Got Talent. (More on that one later.) On Friday evening, we were allowed to drop our aliases for the first time and tell eachother our true identities. Everybody was terribly disappointed that I was not really British. They were even more shocked to discover that my sister and I... were sisters! We had gone the entire week not telling anybody that we were siblings. The reactions to this revelation were priceless!
Friday was also the night we said goodbye to friends and began packing for the trip back home. Those were some of the saddest goodbyes that I have ever said.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. This week was unforgettable.
Mission Accomplished.
Over and out.
...
Early that morning, there was a "terrorist attack on American soil." This was an emergency exercise that lasted the entire day. According to our sources, a deadly virus was released in 8 major cities- killing over 2million people in under 1 hour. We worked together in our assigned agencies (the DOJ, DOT, Coastguard, FBI, CIA, ICE, and many, many more) and we were able to aid the situation and prevent any further attacks. (We save the world- you should be thankful!) After our mission was completed with successful results, we attended a press conference and briefed the "President."
The Friday night activity was famously known as Manchoven Cow- the Patrick Henry version of America's Got Talent. (More on that one later.) On Friday evening, we were allowed to drop our aliases for the first time and tell eachother our true identities. Everybody was terribly disappointed that I was not really British. They were even more shocked to discover that my sister and I... were sisters! We had gone the entire week not telling anybody that we were siblings. The reactions to this revelation were priceless!
Friday was also the night we said goodbye to friends and began packing for the trip back home. Those were some of the saddest goodbyes that I have ever said.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. This week was unforgettable.
Mission Accomplished.
Over and out.
...
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