The obstacle course

Imagine this :


you've already dirtied your combat uniform during the first-aid class after playing the role of a dead person shoved under a car. And just two hours later, another surprise comes. When Cikgu Bujan cries "GO !" you and your friends run as fast as your feet can take you, right to the obstacle course track. There are nine obstacles to pass altogether.


You pass the fence and the swinging bridge pretty easily and you arrive at a 6-foot wall. It's difficult for you to actually get to the top, and it's even more difficult for your friends to lift you up. And after that there's a wall for you to balance on, which is 8 feet high - that's pretty easy. Suddenly another challenge comes - the monkey bars. You try your best to hold on to the bars but your weight just pulls you down into the river. Next up - you try and grab a rope to cross the river, but you just get dragged into the water (again !), and your already heavy combat uniform is made even heavier with the water. You finally arrive at the grille of barbed wire and if you lift your head or your butt by even a millimetre, you'll be torn into shreds. You find it hard to move, and when it's finally over, your uniform is covered with dirt, sand, water and mud. And for all that, you took half an hour. Your face is flushed, your hands are red and your entire body is covered in sweat. You finish last, but well. At least it's over...


Welcome to the obstacle course at Camp Miri, Sungai Rait.


Well, this isn't unique to Camp Miri ; all NS camps have to have this.


There are three main types of trainees in this race : 1) the light ones, like Qina, who pass effortlessly, 2) the not-so-light ones, who manage to pass with help from their friends ; 3) the heavy ones - like me - who can't even be lifted by their friends, let alone lift themselves out of the water !


I was that heavy - to the point that Aimée's pants tore when she lifted me up the six-foot wall. Truly, I was a fish out of water.


Some anecdotes :


When everyone had finished crossing the monkey bars, I was still waiting behind. Qina was waiting for me. Cikgu Simon was on my left. After just groping onto five bars, my hands were filled with blood and couldn't take it anymore. I fell into the river, and three people - Aimée, Connie and Qina - had to lift me up !


And then we arrived at the next obstacle. I tried getting the rope across but I just fell in. Cikgu Shirly would've thought that I was the weakest among the weak. But then, I still didn't give up...


And finally, the wire grille. I resolved to get in there. I didn't wanna give up in the middle. I was already wet. I tried moving on my knees and elbows but the more I did it, the more tired I became, and I kept on falling. At the end of the course, Cikgu Bujan was there to cheer me on. The way he enthusiastically said "Don't give up !" made me want to finish the race. And finally, I did it ! I finished last, but f* it - I did it ! And immediately after the race was done, I washed my face.


I haven't had the time to wash my combat uniform. Seriously, if I had a chance to escape from this race, I'd do it. We'll be competing after holidays. And I haven't got any physical strength. I'm not gonna be of any use to the En Avant, so I might as well just scrap off my name from the list...