Finally an update!

Finally got the time to update the blog a bit. Here's the email I sent out recently to friends and family, will try to add pics soon.
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Bonjour from 925m above sea-level, at the base for the 2e Regiment Etranger de Genie (the 2nd Foreign Engineering Regiment). Slight change in my snail mail address from my previous email, it's actually:

Legionnaire Chin Yi

2e REG - CCL, Section D'Instruction

Caserne Marechal Koenig

St. Christol, France

84390

Some info on what's happening in my life...I'm scheduled to be in the instruction section until early/mid June, a bit longer than normal because some of the training staff and legionnaires will be doing vigipirate/anti-terrorism patrols at a major city in France for 3 weeks, and also because the combat company I will be assigned to is currently overseas on a mission, and won't be back until then. I'm scheduled for military skiing and alpinism qualifications and CP04 (combat engineering) qualification. It's going to be a full schedule of classes, in addition to all the physical activity the 2REG likes to do. I have been told because of my swimming ability, I may have the chance to be trained additionally as a combat swimmer/diver, although that probably won't happen for at least 1-2 years, after I get some operational experience. Don't know about that in any certainty, as the specialty path I've asked for from the beginning is training as a medic. Medics trained for combat are always needed, and as Legion engineers are practically always on a mission somewhere, it may give me more opportunity for missions overseas.

I'm doing well...and my French has improved quite a bit. I'm currently at French level 3, where level 5 is the max (native French speaker). I think I started at level -1. At least I haven't gotten in too much trouble in the last month due to my misunderstanding my orders in French...which is always good. I'm hoping to be at level 4 by the end of my first year in October. Punishment in the Legion ranges from physical activity (push-up's, pull-up's, etc.), extra corvée (chores), to jail for serious offences. And while technically getting punched/kicked is no longer allowed, let's just say that when someone shows up with a black eye or bruises, the reason is usually that they fell down the stairs or ran into the door.

As the 2REG trains pretty hard during the week, at 6pm the workday ends, and even a lower-level legionnaire such as myself can usually do whatever we want, even go to bed early. The work week ends at 3pm on Friday, and as long as we're back on base for roll-call at 5:50am on Monday, we have the weekend free. I spent most of this weekend in Marseille, in a part next to the Mediterranean Sea called Malmosque just 2-3km from Vieux Port, in a hotel operated by the Foreign Legion for legionnaires, with a comrade from basic training. The crazy thing is that when we got up on Saturday, there was an additionally legionnaire in the room (there are 3 beds) who came in the middle of the night, and his French had an American accent. And sure enough, he's American, been in the Legion for about 2.5 years...and he graduated from Arizona State University! It's truly a small world. Currently I'm sitting at a net cafe in Avignon, killing time until the regiment bus comes here to take us back to St. Christol. It's been a good weekend, I had to opportunity to buy a laptop computer, digital camera, cell phone (although international phone calls are quite expensive, so I will continue to call using public phones and phone cards), and some necessities. But the main thing was the semblance of normality...interacting with civilians, eating at restaurants, etc..Don't know where I'll go next weekend yet, maybe Lyon or Paris...really no idea right now. Pictures and more stories coming soon I hope...the next 3 months promises to be quite busy, but I'll try to get online as much as I can.

Hope everyone had as good of a weekend as I did.

Take care,

Dave