First and Subsequent Days (Confinement Week Part 1)

Hi, everyone! Confinement period is over and I can finally taste a little bit of freedom in the form of the Chinese New Year holidays. Before sharing activities that I've been through these past few weeks, let me tell you a little about what it is like on the sunny island of Tekong.

Pulau Tekong, where the sun is too hot, and the showers, too cold,

is how I would describe Pulau Tekong to family members asking how it is like over there. The afternoon and evening sun over there was mostly scorching, with cloud cover almost non-existent. So much so, that sunburns and sweat are a daily routine for any recruit in Basic Military Training (BMT) on the island. Aside from the weather, Pulau Tekong also seems to experience time dilation (Interstellar!), where time moves much slower on the island relative to mainland Singapore. Simply put, what felt like 2 months on the island was actually 2 weeks in real time.

Many also ask about the conditions in BMT, like the food, facilities and what not. Do not be concerned! Because Pulau Tekong has extremely... mediocre amenities. Without leaving anyone to their own imagination, the bunks, toilets and facilities are all accurately captured on film, in the Ah Boys to Men series. The food, is also very similar to the meals served to parents for food tasting on the island.

In short, with regards to the conditions on Tekong, I would say that it is pretty "habitable" and "Sufficient to survive". After all, its BMT, not a 9 week holiday retreat.

Adjustment Week

Within the first few hours on the island, after saying goodbye to our parents and freedom, we were assigned to our bunks. There, I met the people that I would be spending the next 9 weeks with. Unlike the drama depicted in many NS movies, my bunk mates are all nice people. My buddy is also the direct opposite in terms of me, in all ways. So, meeting new people from all walks of life kept the first few weeks much more enjoyable that it could have been.

The activities done during the first week of BMT centered mainly around orientation lectures on conduct and behavior, which lasted for the first 3 days. It felt like I was back in JC again... Physical training (PT) only began from the fourth day onward, with an introduction to the training routines (like warm ups and stretching). 

The rest of the time was dedicated to dealing with bureaucracy and red tape. Filling up a one page form took almost an hour! By the end of the first week of confinement, I was still feeling quite excited for the activities awaiting, which brought me to the next week of confinement