City For The Lost: Something from the past

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Something from the past
Was clearing my gmail and I found this email to myself. Most probably written when I'm in PAD.

"At the end of the nine-months training, standing at the edge of the parade square in our Number one uniform, awaiting our grand entrance, adventures or misadventures during training flashed before the mind. It is not until that moment that I realize what I have experienced was something once in a lifetime.

Having been transferred from the army to the Police Force during my NS stint, the transition was abrupt. It was a very different culture. More was expected of you during the training especially as a senior officer in training. While physical training is inevitable during NS, no one expected to kayak around Singapore during leadership training. After that, passing by the coastline of Singapore was never the same. The bonds forged during the nine months were put to test numerous times and stood through each one of them. The camaraderie was something that could only be forged through time.

Montage of these and other incidents flash across the mind, as I tried to make sense of the nine-month stint. I came to realize that the lessons learnt goes beyond the training programmes. Like all rites of passage, this symbolizes growth. Standing there, at the edge of the parade square, in many aspects, I have grown. Like a proud parent, the instructor said as we march in, "All the best, my NSPIs." In the eyes of others, we have grown too."
found it @ 3:03 PM
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