A Chao Recruit's Story
"Training to be soldier, fight for our land. Once in a life, two years of our time. Have you ever wondered? Why must we serve? Because we love our land and we want it to be free to be free...Yah!Looking all around us, people everywhere. Children having fun, while we are holding guns. Have you ever wondered? Why must we serve? Because we love our land and we want it to be free to be free...Yah!
Stand up, be on your guard. Come on everybody, do your part. Do it for our nation, do it for our Singapore...Yah!"
This is the first song I learnt in the army. Yup, it's been 2 weeks already.
Leading a disciplined life's not easy, for the first 2 weeks that is. It's the same thing everyday. You wake up before dawn, brush your teeth, wash your face. Gather downstairs to gulp down half a litre of water, march to the cookhouse for breakfast, area cleaning. And after that, it's training, training and training all the way. (Not forgetting lunch, dinner, night snack and the water parades in between.) The nights are short and the days are long. There is no escape. (Unless you can swim approx. 4 km back to mainland)
Training is tough, no doubt about that. We do push ups more than the number of steps we take each day. (That of course is just an exaggeration!) We jog, carry weights, and all other sorts of exercises to build up our strength, endurance and stamina. With muscles aching beyond imaginable and our bodies full of sweat, mind over body, we push our bodies to the limit. To tell you the truth, I feel a lot healthier. I dont sneeze early in the morning now :D
It's the people there that make life tough. (Maybe they should change the name from Pulau Tekong to Pulau Tekan) Generally the sergeants and officers there are nice people. (After office hours that is) However, it is also their duty to train us recruits into operationally ready soldiers. Therefore I don't blame them for being harsh on us at times. However, I do feel a little awkward at times, taking orders from sumone the same age as me, or one year my junior.
Would you believe if I told you that they also hold lectures in the army? Yup, lectures from topics regarding health and fitness, to first aid, to CPR are held. Having the appropriate knowledge in mind will benefit us should there be a time of emergency.
You know what I like most in the army? It's the food! I dunno bout other people, but I always look forward to meal times. I would have a mountain of food on my plate and I would finish it all in 10 mins. There would be rice, with 6 dishes (4 meat dishes and 2 vegetable dishes), soup, a cup of syrup flavoured drink and a fruit. Sometimes they provide ice-cream or Jell-O instead of the fruit. At times, we even have Western food for our meals. Whoever said army food sucks? By the way, my parents and friends said i've put on weight.
Apart from washing my own clothes, I would say that area cleaning is one routine that I hate. One can clean the bunk today only to find it dusty again the next morning. And even if you think the bunk is spick and span, the sergeant is sure to find some dusty little spot that has been overlooked. There are so many things to take note. No stains on the windows, no dust behind and in the cupboards, no dust on the floor, no dust on the fans and lights. No finger prints on the cupboard mirror. No dust on the sides of the cupboard door. No cobwebs on the walls, no kiwi polish stains on the floor. No dust under the table and chairs. No dust on the side of the bed. Bed must be pulled. Particular clothes must be hanged at the designated areas....the list goes on and on. It's like doing spring-cleaning everyday!
Hmm...although there are lots more to talk about, I'm kinda tired of typing already. Think I'll go take a nap now.
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