The Army

This morning I woke up by the sound of iron beds and lockers being pulled out from the walls. The sound from the heavy iron scraping the stone floor set the tune of a new day in the army.

I once read that life is a dream and my life is so surreal at the moment, it’s an easy thing to believe.

At six thirty in the morning, I make my bed and get dressed. After a quick look in my locker, I take out the same outfit as yesterday – the green uniform. Before stepping outside I put on the cap and walk to the kitchen building across the field.

By seven fifteen, I have finished my breakfast and done the washing up and walk back to attend morning exercise. We line up on two rows in the corridor a few minutes before seven thirty. Once the officer arrives, we spend 25mins building back, bum and tummy as instructed. The purpose with the exercise is to avoid injuries later on in the day.

What happens from eight o'clock onwards is a 12 hours marathon of both indoor but mainly outdoor training and activities. This week I learnt about health care in a sensitive area; we practised an emergency situation – how to handle an accident with wounded, the importance of hygiene and various hospital set-ups and procedures.

For the first time ever, I have also shot sharp at a target with my AK5. Having spent a week getting familiar with the weapon – how to handle it and load it – we’re pretty good buddies now. The rush of adrenaline from pulling the trigger is something I haven’t felt since going live on the air, or acting in front of the camera. It could easily become an addictive sport.

I shower close to ten in the evening and fall asleep straight after. Luckily, nobody snore in my room, or perhaps I am so tired I don’t hear them. I usually wake up a few times in the night by people leaving and entering the room, or sleep talking.

Seven hours later, I do it all over again.