PART IV: Getting used to the routine and other stuff
Memoirs from boot camp
Getting used to the routine went out pretty well. The trick is taking the whole thing like one long day dream, sometimes a bad one. The down side is that I could feel my brain going numb and losing sharpness day on day.
As for the “civilian life” or al-Hayat al Madania as we called the outside world at camp, it was not the same. Marwan Hamadeh would survive the injuries sustained from an assassination attempt, Arafat was dying, Bush won, Sheikh Zayed died, and Beirut has less speed bumps!
We got to watch the news every night at the Cadets’ Shelter. The shelter’s vendor kept the remote control with him, so he decided what TV channel we watched. Sometimes it was TéléLiban and sometimes it was LBC.
The week was divided between classes, lectures, exercises, combat lessons, day trips, cleaning, and meals. Everyday we woke up at sunrise. An hour later, we would be standing in formation at the main square. On Mondays we would sing the national anthem. Then the day would continue according to our schedule. At sunset we would all be enjoying leisure time.
There is much food of little variety and average quality at the canteen. Our main meal was lunch, for which we got any combination of beans, potatoes, and rice. One day it is lentils and rice with mashed potatoes, the other it is potato stew with lentil soup, and so on.
Breakfast was made up of olives with any of jam, halawa, mortadelle, and processed cheese (a brand called Meer which I have never seen or heard of before). Dinner was boiled eggs or mashed potatoes with some of the left over main course from lunch. Sometimes, tasteless tea is also served.
When I had the time and the energy to queue, I got some cans of tuna, corn, fruit salad, or even Nestle cream from the shop. The pastry shop (not the canteen) was closed after 50 cases of food poisoning surfaced due to their éclair. An investigation was opened and it was still ongoing when we left camp.
One thing we got a lot of was apples and I loved that. Every year, the army buys whatever apples Lebanese farmers produce and could not sell and these used to end up in our cafeteria. On average, I used to eat 5 apples per day. At that rate I was bound to never see the doctor anymore in my life!
Sleeping conditions were generally bearable; having the top bed meant that I could see Beirut and the sea, or whatever appeared through the smog from my position.
Of course I had to make my own bed and keep my stuff packed every day. As the days went by I got better at it. To avoid washing my tray at every meal, I used to cover it with disposable aluminum foil. I also used plastic forks and spoons for the same reason. Not very eco-friendly, I know, but the environment was not particularly heavy on my conscience at that moment.
One thing I learnt to live without was warm water!! We got really cold water and all the hot water we wanted at the camp. But most showers had broken mixers, so one had to make a choice to shower with water either at 10 degrees Celsius or at 80 degrees!
The bed shook a lot whenever my neighbor rolled over in his sleep. I did not get very much sleep so I used to compensate for that by spending most of my combat classes, which took place outdoors, sleeping or just lying on my back staring at the surrounding pines and olive trees and listening to the sound of the water flow in the nearby river. It is very relaxing and peaceful in a feng shui kind of way. Of course, getting caught asleep in class meant punishment!
One can be punished for many reasons, including but not limited to: noise in class, late for a meeting, late for class, dirt on boots (my specialty), boots too shiny, improper outfit, not wearing the beret outdoors, improperly addressing a superior officer, unenthusiastic singing, smoking, sluggish performance in class, sports, or marches, and low grades on exams. The supervising officer has the right to invent a new reason to punish a cadet whenever he thinks it appropriate.
Punished people are detained for some time on vacations, which is very unfortunate because we would be eagerly waiting the moment we are “released” from camp to go on vacation. More severe misdemeanors could get the perpetrator thrown in prison.
Another punishment is of a much more “sporty” nature. First of all, note that our backpacks weigh around 4Kg and each of our two blankets weighs 3Kg. A helmet weighs 1.5Kg and the boots weigh 2Kg. Here’s how the punishment goes: every day at an assigned time, usually 2130 hours, the punished meet up with the officer on duty in the yard. They are wearing full combat gear (all of the above stated items), and he is upset they are wasting his very precious sleeping time. He makes them jog, sprint, crawl, roll, parade, march, chant, and even do tens of push ups.
Most of the guys lose all feeling in their legs for the next few hours and get severe cramps that last several days. As I think about it now, I am surprised I made it through one of those punishment sessions (Yes, I was caught asleep!). I remember I kept massaging my legs and could barely walk for around 20 minutes.
So we trained, marched, paraded, studied, ate, and cared for our hygiene, beds, and beards. We took turns at cleaning the rooms, halls, corridors, and even the bathrooms and showers.
Well, I guess the worst parts in random order are: not-enough sleep, waking up at sunrise, queuing to eat, shave, shower, drink, and buy stuff from the local shop, and general hygiene problems resulting from 400 guys sharing 17 showers (actually 18 showers but at least one is always out of order), 20 sinks, 20 toilets, and 12 sleeping halls.
The stress varies, but it all boils down to how one takes it all. It sucks! But it only makes you stronger, plus I was getting fit. I managed to lose 12 kg in only 21 days. I knew my tummy would be flat by the end of tour.
Getting used to the routine went out pretty well. The trick is taking the whole thing like one long day dream, sometimes a bad one. The down side is that I could feel my brain going numb and losing sharpness day on day.
As for the “civilian life” or al-Hayat al Madania as we called the outside world at camp, it was not the same. Marwan Hamadeh would survive the injuries sustained from an assassination attempt, Arafat was dying, Bush won, Sheikh Zayed died, and Beirut has less speed bumps!
We got to watch the news every night at the Cadets’ Shelter. The shelter’s vendor kept the remote control with him, so he decided what TV channel we watched. Sometimes it was TéléLiban and sometimes it was LBC.
The week was divided between classes, lectures, exercises, combat lessons, day trips, cleaning, and meals. Everyday we woke up at sunrise. An hour later, we would be standing in formation at the main square. On Mondays we would sing the national anthem. Then the day would continue according to our schedule. At sunset we would all be enjoying leisure time.
There is much food of little variety and average quality at the canteen. Our main meal was lunch, for which we got any combination of beans, potatoes, and rice. One day it is lentils and rice with mashed potatoes, the other it is potato stew with lentil soup, and so on.
Breakfast was made up of olives with any of jam, halawa, mortadelle, and processed cheese (a brand called Meer which I have never seen or heard of before). Dinner was boiled eggs or mashed potatoes with some of the left over main course from lunch. Sometimes, tasteless tea is also served.
When I had the time and the energy to queue, I got some cans of tuna, corn, fruit salad, or even Nestle cream from the shop. The pastry shop (not the canteen) was closed after 50 cases of food poisoning surfaced due to their éclair. An investigation was opened and it was still ongoing when we left camp.
One thing we got a lot of was apples and I loved that. Every year, the army buys whatever apples Lebanese farmers produce and could not sell and these used to end up in our cafeteria. On average, I used to eat 5 apples per day. At that rate I was bound to never see the doctor anymore in my life!
Sleeping conditions were generally bearable; having the top bed meant that I could see Beirut and the sea, or whatever appeared through the smog from my position.
Of course I had to make my own bed and keep my stuff packed every day. As the days went by I got better at it. To avoid washing my tray at every meal, I used to cover it with disposable aluminum foil. I also used plastic forks and spoons for the same reason. Not very eco-friendly, I know, but the environment was not particularly heavy on my conscience at that moment.
One thing I learnt to live without was warm water!! We got really cold water and all the hot water we wanted at the camp. But most showers had broken mixers, so one had to make a choice to shower with water either at 10 degrees Celsius or at 80 degrees!
The bed shook a lot whenever my neighbor rolled over in his sleep. I did not get very much sleep so I used to compensate for that by spending most of my combat classes, which took place outdoors, sleeping or just lying on my back staring at the surrounding pines and olive trees and listening to the sound of the water flow in the nearby river. It is very relaxing and peaceful in a feng shui kind of way. Of course, getting caught asleep in class meant punishment!
One can be punished for many reasons, including but not limited to: noise in class, late for a meeting, late for class, dirt on boots (my specialty), boots too shiny, improper outfit, not wearing the beret outdoors, improperly addressing a superior officer, unenthusiastic singing, smoking, sluggish performance in class, sports, or marches, and low grades on exams. The supervising officer has the right to invent a new reason to punish a cadet whenever he thinks it appropriate.
Punished people are detained for some time on vacations, which is very unfortunate because we would be eagerly waiting the moment we are “released” from camp to go on vacation. More severe misdemeanors could get the perpetrator thrown in prison.
Another punishment is of a much more “sporty” nature. First of all, note that our backpacks weigh around 4Kg and each of our two blankets weighs 3Kg. A helmet weighs 1.5Kg and the boots weigh 2Kg. Here’s how the punishment goes: every day at an assigned time, usually 2130 hours, the punished meet up with the officer on duty in the yard. They are wearing full combat gear (all of the above stated items), and he is upset they are wasting his very precious sleeping time. He makes them jog, sprint, crawl, roll, parade, march, chant, and even do tens of push ups.
Most of the guys lose all feeling in their legs for the next few hours and get severe cramps that last several days. As I think about it now, I am surprised I made it through one of those punishment sessions (Yes, I was caught asleep!). I remember I kept massaging my legs and could barely walk for around 20 minutes.
So we trained, marched, paraded, studied, ate, and cared for our hygiene, beds, and beards. We took turns at cleaning the rooms, halls, corridors, and even the bathrooms and showers.
Well, I guess the worst parts in random order are: not-enough sleep, waking up at sunrise, queuing to eat, shave, shower, drink, and buy stuff from the local shop, and general hygiene problems resulting from 400 guys sharing 17 showers (actually 18 showers but at least one is always out of order), 20 sinks, 20 toilets, and 12 sleeping halls.
The stress varies, but it all boils down to how one takes it all. It sucks! But it only makes you stronger, plus I was getting fit. I managed to lose 12 kg in only 21 days. I knew my tummy would be flat by the end of tour.
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