A day in the life of a National Service trainee

• We wake up at around 5 a.m.
• At 5:50, all the trainees have to line up on the tarred terrain for the morning assembly. The strength (i.e. the number of trainees) of each company will be counted. If there are any important announcements to be made, they will be made during the morning assembly. We also exercise.
• Breakfast is served at 7. That’s the only meal of the day which changes every day.
• At 8, all trainees go for classes, dressed in their class outfits (duh !).
• There’s a break at 10:30, and we continue at around 11.
• We end at 12:30 for lunch break. On Fridays, the situation is different: we don’t have breaks, but we end at 11:30 as our Muslim friends pray at around 12 or 12:30…
• We rest until 1:30.
• At 2, physical activities begin. These end at 4:30. From 4:30 to about 6, it’s free time – evening tea is served, and the trainees are free to break a sweat at the basketball court or the football field, or return to the dorms.
• Dinner is served at 7.
• We have a night assembly at 9. Announcements concerning the programme, as well as the trainees’ discipline, are made. Once a week, the Assistant Commander (Exercises) will brief us on the next week’s agenda.
• Nightcap is at 9:30.
• At 10, the strength of each company is counted once more. All trainees line up and return to the dorms.

Yep. That’s a day in the life of an NS trainee. However, if there are any events which need meticulous preparation (e.g. the Patriots’ Night), physical activities (and perhaps classes) will be temporarily halted. There are no activities on Saturdays and Sundays, and I go for mass every Sunday morning. I'm glad there are a large number of Roman Catholic brethren over here — I don't feel awkward anymore.