I made the whirlwind, thirty-six hour trip to Tokyo/Yokosuka and managed to keep myself together and then recover from swollen ankles due to 22 hours of sitting on a bus.

After a single week to get my head right (Yokosuka was a mental health check by the VA – more on that in the next post), I turned around, packed a backpack, and headed back down here for a week of teaching ombudsman basic training.

Helping teach OBT (Ombudsman Basic Training) is the highlight of any month I’m able to do it. Being back on a Navy base is a homecoming in and of itself. Reunions with ombudsmen friends, Navy spouse friends, networking, sharing knowledge… Every time I do this I’m reminded why I am going back to school for my MSW.

My favorite part is watching what happens as the participants go through the training. Even if a person has been an ombudsman for a little bit, maybe shadowing or even needing to take the role on early, their confidence blooms once they’ve received the training. There’s a sense of validation, there’s a new support network forged with fellow participants, there’s knowing your strengths more fully and knowing what weaknesses you’ll need to work on. Above all, I think the most important part is that support network piece; forging your own friendships and partners to lean on in tough spots.

As a trainer, there is no better satisfaction than knowing that you’ve helped someone find confidence in their abilities.

It’s an honor to be an ombudsman, and an even bigger honor to train new ombudsmen. And I hope that I never lose touch with the friends I’ve made through this program.

And for as much as I love helping teach, for as much as I am so grateful for the travel days when I can explore more of the city?

I can’t wait to get home, crawl into my bed, and sleep for 12 hours.

Or more.