We got mail!
Quite a long letter, hard to read b/c it was written in the dark while he waited to take his watch (his roommate had the first watch and he didn't think it was worth it to try to sleep for an hour) so he was pretending to sleep when the DI's walked by.
He said he was getting enough to eat and his table head let them eat "normally". He actually likes drilling; finds it hard not to know what time it is, not wearing a watch, and finds it hard to change uniforms in 2 minutes time. (This doesn't surprise me - this is the kid who I swear took 5 minutes to put his socks on in the morning getting dressed for school!)
He won a teeny, tiny Snickers bar (which he shared with his roommate) the first day for losing his voice - showed motivation, but got IT (which I gather is physical punishment - pushups, etc.) for talking in the bathroom.
He had no trouble passing his initial fitness test, but barely passed his swim test without his BCD and fins (scuba gear). But passing is passing, no extra points for style!
He doesn't find the yelling and screaming to be any big deal - on a par with the USCGA's summer AIM program.
He asked us to send a goodie box, some sewing things and a navy blue swimsuit (which puzzles me - didn't they issue a sewing kit and a swimsuit?)
I think he's a little homesick, contemplating how long it will be before he sees us, but basically doing fine.