Last discussion was a long time ago. Lets wake this group up!

[Harrison]

Hi CTI Moms! My daughter is in boot camp now and will be going to DLI after graduation. I look forward to hearing from y'all and experiencing CTI Mom advice and experiences. This is going to be a grand adventure for my daughter and I am so proud!!

I know CTI is a very small job rating compared to other Navy jobs.But I hope we can keep this group alive for the few of us!

[Harrison]

No, she does not have her language. From what I understand, the DLAB score determines what level language they qualify for, but they will not know what language they get from those they qualified for until they arrive at DLI.

[mamak]

My daughter was told her language last week, in Week 5.  I don't know if that is common, though, as I am brand new at this.

[bbcregular]

My daughter was told her language in week 5 then week 8 given different language in her orders. Arrived at DLI and talked to others in charge and was confirmed her third language. So the final is really confirmed at DLI but it is common for the discussions to begin at week 5 at GL. it is also common that the language given at week 5 will stay their language. My daughter was not happy with her language and had a good reason for getting it changed. So if you respectfully have all you facts together you can get your assigned language changed.

Mamak hopefully your daughter is pleased with her assignment. She will love Monterey. It is hard work, but if she applies herself they do everything to help the students to succeed.

[mamak]

thank you bbc!  I was wondering if was engraved in gold.

[Peachie]

Our sailor had a "top score" on the DLAB, and initially it seemed he was looking forward to a challenging language.  Now we hear that he asked for Spanish (the language he already knows), probably because he was worried the other languages would be too hard.  Not a good attitude for A school.  He graduated boot camp 12/15/17, but was given leave for a week or so around Christmas although we didn't see him -- he visited GF.  He obviously had his language assignment by then, right?  He has not been in touch with details.  Not sure if that is due to OPSEC or he just doesn't want to say due to disappointment or worry or whatnot.  

[New Navy Mom HL]

Ok, I will help keep it alive. I haven't been on the site much since Graduation is Aug. It was such a lifeline during bootcamp,

So My son has been at DLI since mid August an is learning Arabic. He is doing well though it is quite challenging.
He sent me his name written in the language and we got a video of his class singing a Christmas carol in Arabic, which was historical.

He loves it out there.

He said life is sooo different after bootcamp, no one is mean to them.
And I can attest that he is a totally different person since going through bootcamp. Calmer, more appreciative, he was so happy to see us at graduation.
He did not have hard time during bootcamp, he had gotten very prepared physically and he is a bit older, 27, so the yelling was nothing. They also have very strict rules now about how they treat the recruits. Can't abuse them. They are tough on them, but it is not insane.

Overall, great experience so far for all of us.

[Harrison]

Thank you New Navy Mom! That is such great info to hear. My daughter qualified for one of the top level languages also, so may get Arabic. That's what she would really like. I am so glad to hear that although it's tough, it's a great environment with no yelling and they can love being there. That makes a world of difference! Have you visited him yet?

[New Navy Mom HL]

Have not gotten a chance to visit yet. We are Boston, he is about as far away as you can get without being out of the country.

[bbcregular]

FloJo2, glad to see other mom wanting to chat about CTI. The security issues prevent us from saying much. My daughter arrived at DLI July and will not graduate till early 2017. Her language is challenging for her but she is determined to pass. So her life is full of studying. Some fun things for her is the volunteer choir. She is enjoying that. Public transportation is available so she will not buy a car. Shopping is easy enough and a good choice of restaurants.

She enjoys the people at DLI. She said she is finally with people like her, geeks and nerds.

The communication has been wonderful. We live in NC and will not go to CA till 2016 holiday season. She did get leave and will come home for two weeks. Happy mom, but understand the empty feeling when you do not get that hug on birthdays, and other special days.

[BrownEyedMomma]

Boot camp seems so long ago. My daughter graduated in May and she is also dealing with the love/hate relationship that is the challenge of learning a top level language. If you're daughter rated high they will push her towards one of those. Mine had wanted one of the category 3 languages but they told her she tested too high so it had to be Chinese, Arabic or koren. From how she talks about her language and her roommate, I get the feeling it's all hard, but she's doing well.

Many of them struggle in the beginning with all the demands but the Navy takes care of them. My daughter also is a part of the choir, I think. I know she talked about joining but I'm not sure if it ever became official. I can't wait to see her next week when she gets a chance to come home for the holidays.

Good luck and don't let the first few phone calls bother you too much. They grow up so much in just a few short weeks.

[bbcregular]

BrownEyedMomma, this is a photo posted by DLI. Photo taken during the Fleet Week Birthday Navy Ball. Maybe your daughter is in the photo.

[bbcregular]

Kelli, welcome to the Navy family. Join all the groups you can and lean on the moms for those frustrating times. CTI is a very challenging rating. Your soon to be sailor son will enjoy Monterey. Make memories and congratulations on the high scores.