Falling In

I wish I could be more excited about going for In-Camp Training (ICT).

After all, it's conventional wisdom that Singaporean men look forward to it as a break from the office environment, and a chance to catch up with old army buddies.

I see it a little differently. There are four things about ICT that get on my goat:

1. That I have to go for it. This is often treated with incredulity by many of my friends who don't have any reservist liability because they were downgraded, or were put on the holding list upon ORD-ing (despite being obscenely fit--too many of my friends fall into this category). They can't believe that I'm already due for my fourth ICT, having gone for three as an undergraduate at NUS.
2. That it isn't as easy as people think. Yes, my ICTs have been a far cry from the regimented days of my full-time National Service (NS), but it isn't exactly the "book in, read newspaper, go canteen break, go back bunk to sleep" affair that I often hear it described as. I've had to go outfield, and even been subjected to the ignonimity of being sent for a haircut by my RSM...despite having gone for a haircut the day before booking in.
3. That it isn't really a time for me to 'catch up'. My two and a half years in NS could perhaps be best described as 'complicated'. Even though I'm attending my reservist ICTs with the same people I did NS with, I'm neither familiar with my current function nor platoon mates. As I said, it's complicated...could take me a whole night to explain. The short of it is, I'm somewhat of a liability to my platoon, being the new kid on the block.
   

So you see, I do wish I could be more excited about going back. I wish I could tell the kind of NS stories that are told whenever Singaporean guys gather round at a table, but I don't. I wish I could reminisce with the people I will be seeing in two hours' time when I return to camp, but I can't.

What about the fourth thing, you ask?

Well, today's my 25th birthday.