a field camp diary

i had my field camp from august 10 to 15, and this was what i wrote in my pocketbook, word for word.

day 1
8km route march was way more terrible than i thought it could be. nice way to start this field camp. i just tried to keep good and keep my morale up. after all it is not everyday that i get to sleep in a tiny tent on uneven hard ground with my dear buddy. sounds fun, innit? in spaces so cramped that we can't sit up, can't move around. just lie still and try to sleep.

hard to imagine it's a sunday. i spend my time thinking about what others are going at each moment. my family, friends, ex-friends.

5 more days, one good thing is days here are short, 12 hours at most. good times ahead.

day 2
today passed surprisingly quickly. there's really nothing here that really bothers me or that i am unable to accomplish. me and my buddy woke up at 12.45am last night and thought it was already morning and time to get ready. we didn't believe that it was still night and even thought that my watch was spoilt. how strange.

there's really nothing much for us to do here except wait a lot and wait more. sometimes they go crazy and start fucking us around but it's fine, just take it and go. such is the sad life of a recruit. they say we're fucked up, we say YES SIR. smile and move on.

day 3
oh we're already halfway through this. nice to know that i still don't miss home, just the comforts of home. quite sad, don't you think? i was trying to think of something that would make me feel happy but i drew a complete blank. in the end i just gave up and went back to turning my mind off in order to let the hours pass faster.

we moved to a new campsite and tonight was cold, especially after rain. i think it's much more miserable to be in the cold than heat.

anyway heat rash is here and it feels great, like many ants biting my back. it comes and goes without warning. my face is also starting to rot so it'll be interesting to see what i look like when the weekend comes.

day 4
dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig.

dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig.

they said we were supposed to take 45 mins but it went from 3+pm till almost 10. feels good. i didn't really feel tired until after sundown when it began to feel like shit, but i didn't have any complains or negative thoughts because there is really no alternative. either dig or dig, no need to think or feel anything.

itch itch itch itch itch itch itch itch itch.

heat rash and digging is the perfect combination. almost everyone is inflicted with this joy, like an inevitable part of field camp. i'm worried that it'll stay even after this is over, then i would be a happy soldier for a long time to come.

day 5
at this moment, the only thing on our minds is tomorrow. end of field camp, book out, finally. some want to eat fast food, some want to drink coke, but for me, i just want to bathe and get rid of that stupid itch on my back.

training is easy because oc is not around, and the day passes quickly. most of the time we're sitting around waiting and eating at the same time. eat eat eat, there's so much food. i'm enjoying the combat rations. i think it tastes better than cookhouse food. i ate 3 packs of dessert tonight because no one else seems to like it.

one more night.

day 6
today was all about crawling and cleaning, rushing and shouting, but it's all fine because we're going home. actually i don't feel any different or special or elated. maybe just a little relieved that i don't have to live in a shitty environment any longer, or until monday's sit test at least.

so we made plans to meet for prata later that night and 10 out of 12 turned up, which is great i suppose. it's nice to be able to wash my face and be free for camo for once in a long time, but unfortunately my face has already started to rot, especially around my chin.

perhaps, perhaps this camp has taught me to love the small things in life, like bathing and clean clothes and toilet bowls.