taintexas
10-18-2004, 03:10 PM
Hi. I have been asked to share a little bit of information about the ICC Boot Camp program for Women in Bryan, Texas. I am here to help if I can and I hope this information helps you. If there's something that I didn't address that you have questions about, let me know. The biggest thing is that it is a great program and it's a game that you have to win. The reward is worth it...don't be afraid of it...but do approach it with a sense of growth. The staff and the ATL's are terrific. I went through this over a year ago and I have stayed in touch with a few of the ATL's. Since I left there are a few changes but overall the program is intact. Best of luck to you.
Terrie
The women’s ICC program in Bryan, Texas is a great program. The ATL’s are committed to making sure you finish the program and return home to your children and your family. The program begins before you even know if you are going. There is a prep class that will teach you the basics…flag ceremonies, commands, rules of ICC, marching and it gives you an idea of what to generally expect. It begins about 6 weeks before you are to report to ICC and it gives you plenty of time to make the transition from camp to ICC. It’s mental at ICC and this class gets your mind into that zone. If you were smart you would start your PT training no later than this time. Run, calisthenics, yoga, whatever they offer in Recreation, do it. You will be running the compound and it’s intense.
The lists of who will be in the next class are posted in the cafeteria and it is a huge deal. Everyone is looking to see if a friend got in and you will be very nervous to see if your name is on the list. ICC offers women a large sentence reduction. No one is accepted prior to being 30 months within release. So if you have a 5-year sentence, don’t expect to get into ICC right away. You will be at the camp until you are at least within the 30 months release time. You will hear a lot of talk about priority 1, 2 or 3. Priority 1 are people that are direct court commits to ICC and they are first to be chosen. Priority 2 are people that were recommended after sentencing and priority 3 I believe are people that have 30 months (or more) on their sentence.
You will report to ICC early in the morning by lining up in the Recreation area. They will tell you not to bring a lot of stuff…but there is always one person that can’t part with their things. You will hear the staff of ICC coming to get you…they yell your name and it really does put the fear of God in you. When the staff or ATL’s speak to you always respond with “maam yes maam”, “sir no sir” and don’t look them in the eye, look through them, or you will be accused of eyeballing them. If they ask why you are at ICC there is only one correct answer. You are there to make yourself a better woman and to get home to your family and make up for what you have put them through. The staff and ATL’s have spent weeks, if not months reviewing your file, finding out what makes you tick, and what problems/issues you might have. They have identified who the problem makers will be and they target them from the beginning. Once they arrive, they will call your name and you are to line up in 4 squads. The first 4 names of the alphabet will be the squad leaders for at least the next 2 weeks. I was a squad leader at the beginning and it was very hard. You are responsible for learning everything quicker than everyone else, you are responsible for your squads needs and it is very difficult. Once everyone is lined up they tell everyone to lift your bags with your left hand and put your right hand on the persons shoulder in front of you. Then you run to ICC….it’s about ¼ of a mile, but it feels like 10 miles. People are stepping on heels, your arms are tired, it’s emotional because you know so much rides on your success. Once you are in ICC you are not allowed to speak with anyone from the camp. The idea is that you are a winner, they aren’t and why would you want to associate with a loser. I saw people ridiculed for exchanging notes with campers or talking to them. The threat is that you will be returned to the camp for these associations. Once you are at ICC you will be processed. They will go through all of your stuff and throw away anything not allowed. You will need to have bobby pins, hair gel, hair spray for sure. You will not be allowed to go to commissary for a while and you have strict requirements on your hair and inspections. If you don’t have these items you can always ask to borrow someone on your team, but at first, people aren’t always agreeable to that. Once you have your stuff you will be taken into another room and dressed out by the Senior team and an ATL. Don’t be shocked that the clothes you get are too big…way too big. It’s part of the game. You will go through inspections and how in the world can you look sharp if your clothes are hanging off of you? Don’t sweat it for the first few days, but after that, ask for new sizes. You will be yelled at, called names, etc. and you might not even get them, but try. As the new team you will be called the Junior team for the next 3 months. The first day you will be given orientation, told what to expect, have meetings with all of the ATL’s and staff and generally shown how to make a bed, organize your locker and your clothes, etc. The first night will be the hardest. The Junior Bay is small…your beds are about 1 ½ tiles apart from each other and there isn’t a lot of room. You are given the following items when you check in. Bring your own tennis shoes, the ones there can be good, but it’s hit and miss on finding something good. Break them in at the camp because you will be living in them for the next 6 months. You are dressed out prior to getting to the camp and will receive the following items. If you can bring your own socks, underwear and bras from the camp you will be better off. You will be videotaped which is quite fun to watch before you leave.
4 pair of jeans
4 shirts
4 beige or green t-shirts
1 winter coat, cap and gloves (wool)
4 pairs white socks
1 orange baseball cap
1 set of work gloves
2 towels
2 white face cloths
5 pair underwear
5 bras (some sports bras are available)
2 pair green shorts
2 pair of gray shorts
1 pair black leather boots for inspection
1 pair black leather work boots
1 laundry bag (brought with you from camp)
8 hangers
1 winter coat, cap and gloves (wool)
1 tin shoe polish – You will share this one tin with your Bunkie. Brushes and rags for shining boots are stored in the bay bathroom to use as needed.
Lockers have to be maintained in perfect order at all times, along with your bunk. There’s really no way to prepare for that, but the Senior team will help you get the idea. The Senior team really will help you as much as they can. Juniors/Seniors cannot be in each others bays. If you are caught you could get a shot. There are strict rules for what you can have in your locker while at ICC. Your commissary form is different and you won’t have access to much. Basically hygiene items. There have been instances of women that were returned to camp from ICC for having over the limit items in the locker. They take this very seriously.
After getting your gear you will be taken to the bay. You will live in the Junior bay for the first 3 months. Once the Senior team graduates it becomes your teams job to prepare the Junior bay for the new team and clean up the Senior bay. All beds are taken out, mattresses aired out, wax and buff the floors, a lot of cleaning. There are 10 showers (I believe) in the Junior bay and 2 additional showers in the Senior bay. The Senior bay is larger and you have a few more liberties once a Senior. The first week is rough. There is a lot of PT, running, pushups, learning the system and yes, a lot of yelling. The only people that I saw that had problems were 2 groups. Those that had a history of physical/sexual abuse and the hard heads. Most of these women eventually returned to the camp. The only other time I saw anyone returned to the camp was for medical injuries…knees blown out, etc. You have to be cleared by medical to go through ICC, so be sure that you tell them on your initial visit that you are going to boot camp. They can clear you at that time. Our team started with 66 and we graduated with 52. You can get through it, but it takes a resolve and a determination to do it. Lights go out at 10:00 pm and you have to up and ready by 4:45 am the next morning. It could be earlier…just get used to the idea that you won’t get a lot of sleep during this time. Our team did a great job of having a few women that were up early and they woke us up. If you oversleep, it’s not pretty. The team before us overslept one morning and they ran the parking lot in 30-degree weather for an hour before breakfast and then ran the stairs. It taught us a lot to watch them go through that.
The biggest thing to learn about ICC is that the ATL and the staff aren’t the problem. Your bay and your team becoming a “team” is the issue. You can only imagine that putting 50 women of various ethnicities, levels of education and ages in one room is a challenge. Put PMS, emotions and family issues in the mix and you have your life for the next 6 months. Prepare yourself for that and you have won half the battle of completing ICC.
There are several telephones and they are located outside. Your first week you will not be allowed to make any calls unless your team has done very well. Calls are limited to 15 minutes and the staff does listen to your calls. Be careful what you say…it could come back to haunt you on the drill pad. There are 4 phones for Seniors, 4 phones for Juniors. Calls can only be made between 8:30 and 9:45 at night…so don’t be disappointed if you don’t get to make a call a time or two. You will need to develop a way to be fair about the wait time. It can be stressful. Typical teams are at least 50 women and everyone wants to call just like you do. The problem with phone calls is this. If you have failed an inspection on your bed, your uniform or your locker you have to be re-inspected after mail call, which starts at 8:00. The ATL can let this mail call go as long as they want. So, there might be a few times in your first few months that you won’t be able to make calls. The good news…Sunday’s are your only free days and the phone are open all day. You can catch up then. I found that it was easier to make the calls on Sunday mornings around 10 when most people were sleeping.
Let me tell you a few words about becoming a team. The walls have ears in the bay….we were warned about it by the staff when we got there and we found it to be true. The staff knows what is going on inside your bay, but they leave it to you as a team to resolve any issues. You will have at least one person that doesn’t abide by the rules. For instance, more than 1 piece of fruit in your locker. There is something called a bay trashing that will help you resolve these issues as a team. Basically your beds are turned over, your lockers are emptied and clothes are thrown all over the bay. Which brings up a good point. Make sure your name is written in permanent marker on everything you bring with you from camp, down to your toothbrush. Your name will be written in your clothes, but if your bay is trashed this is how you will find your stuff. The stress that this creates cannot be explained. Typically you are given a time frame to get it straight…and it’s not that long. If this happens at night, it could just be an hour. Bay trashings are used and to be expected. I’m not giving away the farm here, but you have to have a plan on how to deal with it from day 1. Leaders of your team will become very obvious early on…pay attention to them and let the lead.
Your team will be responsible for coming up with a D&C “routine” which will be presented at your graduation and to the camp at 4 corners on the compound. You will start working on that as a team early on. A D&C committee will take the lead on deciding what you will do as a team, it can be quite interesting on seeing everyone come together on this. It was one of the more frustrating times for our team.
Exercise: You will be given a physical assessment within your first week at ICC. You will be weighed, measured, etc. You are given a physical assessment your first week, before you are a Senior and right before you leave. You will be surprised at how much weight you will loose and how much better you feel. The goal of this program is to increase your self-esteem I believe. It started with most of us in how we succeeded with this part of the program. There is a challenge course that you will hear horror stories about, but don’t believe them. It is a challenge, but well worth the efforts. You will hurt, you won’t know how you will finish the runs or the crab walks around the flag pole, or anything else they dish out…but once you leave you will be able to do it all without a problem. It can be life changing if you let it. Don’t go into the ICC program with the idea that you will do this for 6 months and then discard it. If you do that, you don’t get it and you loose the most valuable part of the lesson in the end. You will climb a rock wall, walk across telephone poles blind folded 25 feet in the air, jump from a telephone pole to a swing….and all the while you are safe and secure.
Jobs at ICC. You will go into the community in orange jumpsuits, belts, work boots 3 times a week. Habitat for Humanity is a senior work job and is quite a good thing to do for the community of Bryan. You will go to A&M University and clear fields, baseball fields and clean the entire area, area business’ to clean their flowerbeds, etc. It’s all physical. Poison Ivy is everywhere and you need to be prepared for that possibility. The other 3 days of the week you will be in classes at ICC. The days are very long. There are groups of volunteers that come in for religious trainings, singing, etc. It’s a great relief to have this kind of activity in the middle of your week. Each time is responsible for a team banner that will be presented as you are getting ready to graduate to ICC. If you have sewing or artistic ability let the staff know that you would like to be considered for the banner committee. You have about 6 weeks of work detail for the banner committee and you will stay at ICC the rest of your stay. ICC is totally maintained by the Junior and Senior teams. All landscaping, mowing, laundry (each team does their own laundry on alternating days...you will learn how to operate a commercial washer and dryer), greenhouse, painting, everything....buffing the floors, stripping the floors, cleaning daily...lots of cleaning...it's immaculate. You will do work you probably never saw yourself doing. There is also the coveted job of being part of the group that hands out the clothes to everyone...probably the cushiest job there in most peoples eyes, but I wouldn't of wanted it.
About a month before you leave you can have your family send in clothes for your departure from ICC. One of the big deals is modeling your clothes for your team and some of the staff. Once “your box” comes in, you realize that you are truly going home and it’s a big day. Make sure your family knows your weight, because your size has changed drastically. Be realistic in your size though…some women thought they were a 2, but in reality were a 6. Keep the clothing choices realistic too. You are going straight to a halfway house to complete your sentence. Their first impression of you is how you look.
The week before you leave ICC you have a free day. The Juniors and the Seniors compete in field games, volleyball, runs at the camp. You dress up goofy, let you hair down, have fun. I’ve seen teams have this taken away from them…so don’t loose your focus in the last week. You will return to ICC for a fun day. Skits to thank the staff, little trinkets for them, music, dancing and sweets. For 6 months you haven’t been able to watch anything but news programs or religious TV. It’s your first opportunity to reconnect with the world. You will spend the next few days getting ready to leave, mailing out extra stuff you won’t need at the halfway house but would like to keep. On the day that you leave you will be processed at ICC, given your paperwork and told to report to the halfway house within the time frame. It is a violation not to get there in time and you will be returned to the camp. You will have plenty of time to enjoy life, this is not the time to play. Go straight there….it’s not worth it not to.
Visitation: Sundays only. You cannot talk to anyone but your guests and the guards watch you to be sure you don’t. Also, don’t eat the junk. If you are caught the guards could let the ATL’s know and you will be dealt with. You are subject to a strip search after each and every visit. Don’t talk to the campers…they could be your Bunkie from the camp, but everyone knows not to talk to each other. You will be watched very closely. Remember that you are representing ICC while at visitation and you are held up to a higher expectation. Don’t blow it.
Boots: You will learn the fine art of shining boots. They will teach you all about it…don’t worry. Before it’s all over you will be able to see yourself in your boot tips. Spit shining didn’t work for us, we tried. A little ice, a little polish and a rag. It’s an art, but you’ll learn it.
If you get there and you decide that you can’t do it you can quit and you will be taken back to the camp. Before you do that, look around you though. If she can do it, so can you. The ATL’s don’t want you to quit…no matter what they say. I saw many women be returned for stupid things and for legitimate reasons. In the end, you will know. The first few weeks are the toughest, if you can survive those, you can survive the entire time as long as you follow the rules. It’s about life….we have to follow the rules. If I could do this program as a 45 year old mom, anyone can do it. It's a game, and you have to play to win. Keep that in mind.
One last thing. Your bed and your Bunkie are assigned before you get there and she is your best friend in ICC. It’s the beginning of learning teamwork. Decide who will get ready first, who will make the bed first. Help each other and depend on each other. It isn’t unusual for her to iron for you or for you to make her bed if she’s moving slowly. If one person is late reporting to the drill pad in the morning, the entire team will suffer by doing push ups. DO AS MANY PUSH UPS AS YOU CAN TO TONE YOUR BODY BEFORE GOING TO ICC. You will be shocked at how many you can do by the time you leave. There are flag ceremonies twice a day and each squad is rotated to handle this. Make sure you practice with your squad to avoid extra PT. The staff and ATL’s at ICC are there to help you….I promise. It’s not easy, you will be shaken to your core but stick with it. You will count the days off as a team when you are marching to chow and every day marked off is a day closer to home. Keep your eyes on the goal, which isn’t to finish ICC, but to be back with your children and your family. Learn the lessons and take them to heart, don’t be hardened by this experience. What doesn’t kill us does make us stronger.
If you have any questions, let me know. I’ll be glad to help if I can. Good luck to you.
Terrie
The women’s ICC program in Bryan, Texas is a great program. The ATL’s are committed to making sure you finish the program and return home to your children and your family. The program begins before you even know if you are going. There is a prep class that will teach you the basics…flag ceremonies, commands, rules of ICC, marching and it gives you an idea of what to generally expect. It begins about 6 weeks before you are to report to ICC and it gives you plenty of time to make the transition from camp to ICC. It’s mental at ICC and this class gets your mind into that zone. If you were smart you would start your PT training no later than this time. Run, calisthenics, yoga, whatever they offer in Recreation, do it. You will be running the compound and it’s intense.
The lists of who will be in the next class are posted in the cafeteria and it is a huge deal. Everyone is looking to see if a friend got in and you will be very nervous to see if your name is on the list. ICC offers women a large sentence reduction. No one is accepted prior to being 30 months within release. So if you have a 5-year sentence, don’t expect to get into ICC right away. You will be at the camp until you are at least within the 30 months release time. You will hear a lot of talk about priority 1, 2 or 3. Priority 1 are people that are direct court commits to ICC and they are first to be chosen. Priority 2 are people that were recommended after sentencing and priority 3 I believe are people that have 30 months (or more) on their sentence.
You will report to ICC early in the morning by lining up in the Recreation area. They will tell you not to bring a lot of stuff…but there is always one person that can’t part with their things. You will hear the staff of ICC coming to get you…they yell your name and it really does put the fear of God in you. When the staff or ATL’s speak to you always respond with “maam yes maam”, “sir no sir” and don’t look them in the eye, look through them, or you will be accused of eyeballing them. If they ask why you are at ICC there is only one correct answer. You are there to make yourself a better woman and to get home to your family and make up for what you have put them through. The staff and ATL’s have spent weeks, if not months reviewing your file, finding out what makes you tick, and what problems/issues you might have. They have identified who the problem makers will be and they target them from the beginning. Once they arrive, they will call your name and you are to line up in 4 squads. The first 4 names of the alphabet will be the squad leaders for at least the next 2 weeks. I was a squad leader at the beginning and it was very hard. You are responsible for learning everything quicker than everyone else, you are responsible for your squads needs and it is very difficult. Once everyone is lined up they tell everyone to lift your bags with your left hand and put your right hand on the persons shoulder in front of you. Then you run to ICC….it’s about ¼ of a mile, but it feels like 10 miles. People are stepping on heels, your arms are tired, it’s emotional because you know so much rides on your success. Once you are in ICC you are not allowed to speak with anyone from the camp. The idea is that you are a winner, they aren’t and why would you want to associate with a loser. I saw people ridiculed for exchanging notes with campers or talking to them. The threat is that you will be returned to the camp for these associations. Once you are at ICC you will be processed. They will go through all of your stuff and throw away anything not allowed. You will need to have bobby pins, hair gel, hair spray for sure. You will not be allowed to go to commissary for a while and you have strict requirements on your hair and inspections. If you don’t have these items you can always ask to borrow someone on your team, but at first, people aren’t always agreeable to that. Once you have your stuff you will be taken into another room and dressed out by the Senior team and an ATL. Don’t be shocked that the clothes you get are too big…way too big. It’s part of the game. You will go through inspections and how in the world can you look sharp if your clothes are hanging off of you? Don’t sweat it for the first few days, but after that, ask for new sizes. You will be yelled at, called names, etc. and you might not even get them, but try. As the new team you will be called the Junior team for the next 3 months. The first day you will be given orientation, told what to expect, have meetings with all of the ATL’s and staff and generally shown how to make a bed, organize your locker and your clothes, etc. The first night will be the hardest. The Junior Bay is small…your beds are about 1 ½ tiles apart from each other and there isn’t a lot of room. You are given the following items when you check in. Bring your own tennis shoes, the ones there can be good, but it’s hit and miss on finding something good. Break them in at the camp because you will be living in them for the next 6 months. You are dressed out prior to getting to the camp and will receive the following items. If you can bring your own socks, underwear and bras from the camp you will be better off. You will be videotaped which is quite fun to watch before you leave.
4 pair of jeans
4 shirts
4 beige or green t-shirts
1 winter coat, cap and gloves (wool)
4 pairs white socks
1 orange baseball cap
1 set of work gloves
2 towels
2 white face cloths
5 pair underwear
5 bras (some sports bras are available)
2 pair green shorts
2 pair of gray shorts
1 pair black leather boots for inspection
1 pair black leather work boots
1 laundry bag (brought with you from camp)
8 hangers
1 winter coat, cap and gloves (wool)
1 tin shoe polish – You will share this one tin with your Bunkie. Brushes and rags for shining boots are stored in the bay bathroom to use as needed.
Lockers have to be maintained in perfect order at all times, along with your bunk. There’s really no way to prepare for that, but the Senior team will help you get the idea. The Senior team really will help you as much as they can. Juniors/Seniors cannot be in each others bays. If you are caught you could get a shot. There are strict rules for what you can have in your locker while at ICC. Your commissary form is different and you won’t have access to much. Basically hygiene items. There have been instances of women that were returned to camp from ICC for having over the limit items in the locker. They take this very seriously.
After getting your gear you will be taken to the bay. You will live in the Junior bay for the first 3 months. Once the Senior team graduates it becomes your teams job to prepare the Junior bay for the new team and clean up the Senior bay. All beds are taken out, mattresses aired out, wax and buff the floors, a lot of cleaning. There are 10 showers (I believe) in the Junior bay and 2 additional showers in the Senior bay. The Senior bay is larger and you have a few more liberties once a Senior. The first week is rough. There is a lot of PT, running, pushups, learning the system and yes, a lot of yelling. The only people that I saw that had problems were 2 groups. Those that had a history of physical/sexual abuse and the hard heads. Most of these women eventually returned to the camp. The only other time I saw anyone returned to the camp was for medical injuries…knees blown out, etc. You have to be cleared by medical to go through ICC, so be sure that you tell them on your initial visit that you are going to boot camp. They can clear you at that time. Our team started with 66 and we graduated with 52. You can get through it, but it takes a resolve and a determination to do it. Lights go out at 10:00 pm and you have to up and ready by 4:45 am the next morning. It could be earlier…just get used to the idea that you won’t get a lot of sleep during this time. Our team did a great job of having a few women that were up early and they woke us up. If you oversleep, it’s not pretty. The team before us overslept one morning and they ran the parking lot in 30-degree weather for an hour before breakfast and then ran the stairs. It taught us a lot to watch them go through that.
The biggest thing to learn about ICC is that the ATL and the staff aren’t the problem. Your bay and your team becoming a “team” is the issue. You can only imagine that putting 50 women of various ethnicities, levels of education and ages in one room is a challenge. Put PMS, emotions and family issues in the mix and you have your life for the next 6 months. Prepare yourself for that and you have won half the battle of completing ICC.
There are several telephones and they are located outside. Your first week you will not be allowed to make any calls unless your team has done very well. Calls are limited to 15 minutes and the staff does listen to your calls. Be careful what you say…it could come back to haunt you on the drill pad. There are 4 phones for Seniors, 4 phones for Juniors. Calls can only be made between 8:30 and 9:45 at night…so don’t be disappointed if you don’t get to make a call a time or two. You will need to develop a way to be fair about the wait time. It can be stressful. Typical teams are at least 50 women and everyone wants to call just like you do. The problem with phone calls is this. If you have failed an inspection on your bed, your uniform or your locker you have to be re-inspected after mail call, which starts at 8:00. The ATL can let this mail call go as long as they want. So, there might be a few times in your first few months that you won’t be able to make calls. The good news…Sunday’s are your only free days and the phone are open all day. You can catch up then. I found that it was easier to make the calls on Sunday mornings around 10 when most people were sleeping.
Let me tell you a few words about becoming a team. The walls have ears in the bay….we were warned about it by the staff when we got there and we found it to be true. The staff knows what is going on inside your bay, but they leave it to you as a team to resolve any issues. You will have at least one person that doesn’t abide by the rules. For instance, more than 1 piece of fruit in your locker. There is something called a bay trashing that will help you resolve these issues as a team. Basically your beds are turned over, your lockers are emptied and clothes are thrown all over the bay. Which brings up a good point. Make sure your name is written in permanent marker on everything you bring with you from camp, down to your toothbrush. Your name will be written in your clothes, but if your bay is trashed this is how you will find your stuff. The stress that this creates cannot be explained. Typically you are given a time frame to get it straight…and it’s not that long. If this happens at night, it could just be an hour. Bay trashings are used and to be expected. I’m not giving away the farm here, but you have to have a plan on how to deal with it from day 1. Leaders of your team will become very obvious early on…pay attention to them and let the lead.
Your team will be responsible for coming up with a D&C “routine” which will be presented at your graduation and to the camp at 4 corners on the compound. You will start working on that as a team early on. A D&C committee will take the lead on deciding what you will do as a team, it can be quite interesting on seeing everyone come together on this. It was one of the more frustrating times for our team.
Exercise: You will be given a physical assessment within your first week at ICC. You will be weighed, measured, etc. You are given a physical assessment your first week, before you are a Senior and right before you leave. You will be surprised at how much weight you will loose and how much better you feel. The goal of this program is to increase your self-esteem I believe. It started with most of us in how we succeeded with this part of the program. There is a challenge course that you will hear horror stories about, but don’t believe them. It is a challenge, but well worth the efforts. You will hurt, you won’t know how you will finish the runs or the crab walks around the flag pole, or anything else they dish out…but once you leave you will be able to do it all without a problem. It can be life changing if you let it. Don’t go into the ICC program with the idea that you will do this for 6 months and then discard it. If you do that, you don’t get it and you loose the most valuable part of the lesson in the end. You will climb a rock wall, walk across telephone poles blind folded 25 feet in the air, jump from a telephone pole to a swing….and all the while you are safe and secure.
Jobs at ICC. You will go into the community in orange jumpsuits, belts, work boots 3 times a week. Habitat for Humanity is a senior work job and is quite a good thing to do for the community of Bryan. You will go to A&M University and clear fields, baseball fields and clean the entire area, area business’ to clean their flowerbeds, etc. It’s all physical. Poison Ivy is everywhere and you need to be prepared for that possibility. The other 3 days of the week you will be in classes at ICC. The days are very long. There are groups of volunteers that come in for religious trainings, singing, etc. It’s a great relief to have this kind of activity in the middle of your week. Each time is responsible for a team banner that will be presented as you are getting ready to graduate to ICC. If you have sewing or artistic ability let the staff know that you would like to be considered for the banner committee. You have about 6 weeks of work detail for the banner committee and you will stay at ICC the rest of your stay. ICC is totally maintained by the Junior and Senior teams. All landscaping, mowing, laundry (each team does their own laundry on alternating days...you will learn how to operate a commercial washer and dryer), greenhouse, painting, everything....buffing the floors, stripping the floors, cleaning daily...lots of cleaning...it's immaculate. You will do work you probably never saw yourself doing. There is also the coveted job of being part of the group that hands out the clothes to everyone...probably the cushiest job there in most peoples eyes, but I wouldn't of wanted it.
About a month before you leave you can have your family send in clothes for your departure from ICC. One of the big deals is modeling your clothes for your team and some of the staff. Once “your box” comes in, you realize that you are truly going home and it’s a big day. Make sure your family knows your weight, because your size has changed drastically. Be realistic in your size though…some women thought they were a 2, but in reality were a 6. Keep the clothing choices realistic too. You are going straight to a halfway house to complete your sentence. Their first impression of you is how you look.
The week before you leave ICC you have a free day. The Juniors and the Seniors compete in field games, volleyball, runs at the camp. You dress up goofy, let you hair down, have fun. I’ve seen teams have this taken away from them…so don’t loose your focus in the last week. You will return to ICC for a fun day. Skits to thank the staff, little trinkets for them, music, dancing and sweets. For 6 months you haven’t been able to watch anything but news programs or religious TV. It’s your first opportunity to reconnect with the world. You will spend the next few days getting ready to leave, mailing out extra stuff you won’t need at the halfway house but would like to keep. On the day that you leave you will be processed at ICC, given your paperwork and told to report to the halfway house within the time frame. It is a violation not to get there in time and you will be returned to the camp. You will have plenty of time to enjoy life, this is not the time to play. Go straight there….it’s not worth it not to.
Visitation: Sundays only. You cannot talk to anyone but your guests and the guards watch you to be sure you don’t. Also, don’t eat the junk. If you are caught the guards could let the ATL’s know and you will be dealt with. You are subject to a strip search after each and every visit. Don’t talk to the campers…they could be your Bunkie from the camp, but everyone knows not to talk to each other. You will be watched very closely. Remember that you are representing ICC while at visitation and you are held up to a higher expectation. Don’t blow it.
Boots: You will learn the fine art of shining boots. They will teach you all about it…don’t worry. Before it’s all over you will be able to see yourself in your boot tips. Spit shining didn’t work for us, we tried. A little ice, a little polish and a rag. It’s an art, but you’ll learn it.
If you get there and you decide that you can’t do it you can quit and you will be taken back to the camp. Before you do that, look around you though. If she can do it, so can you. The ATL’s don’t want you to quit…no matter what they say. I saw many women be returned for stupid things and for legitimate reasons. In the end, you will know. The first few weeks are the toughest, if you can survive those, you can survive the entire time as long as you follow the rules. It’s about life….we have to follow the rules. If I could do this program as a 45 year old mom, anyone can do it. It's a game, and you have to play to win. Keep that in mind.
One last thing. Your bed and your Bunkie are assigned before you get there and she is your best friend in ICC. It’s the beginning of learning teamwork. Decide who will get ready first, who will make the bed first. Help each other and depend on each other. It isn’t unusual for her to iron for you or for you to make her bed if she’s moving slowly. If one person is late reporting to the drill pad in the morning, the entire team will suffer by doing push ups. DO AS MANY PUSH UPS AS YOU CAN TO TONE YOUR BODY BEFORE GOING TO ICC. You will be shocked at how many you can do by the time you leave. There are flag ceremonies twice a day and each squad is rotated to handle this. Make sure you practice with your squad to avoid extra PT. The staff and ATL’s at ICC are there to help you….I promise. It’s not easy, you will be shaken to your core but stick with it. You will count the days off as a team when you are marching to chow and every day marked off is a day closer to home. Keep your eyes on the goal, which isn’t to finish ICC, but to be back with your children and your family. Learn the lessons and take them to heart, don’t be hardened by this experience. What doesn’t kill us does make us stronger.
If you have any questions, let me know. I’ll be glad to help if I can. Good luck to you.