National Service: Part One

Papa called me this morning. What could it be? Hundreds of possibilities played in my mind at that very moment. Could it be that he wants to bring us (me, mum, ama and kak rini) out for lunch? Or take us to Queensbay for the Merdeka Parade? I was being very hopeful, expecting every possible outcome from papa.

*Drum rolls*

Aiya. He only wanted to ask me about the National Service, not bringing me out for any celebration. What a big letdown! However, there are always two sides to a coin. So, instead of touching on the bad part, maybe i should look at the better side. He was just being helpful. I am sure that the call was initiated by his intention to help his friends who want to help their own daughter/son to evade the training instead. They probably know that Ah Seng's daughter (that is me) was chosen for the National Service last year and had since returned. For your information, Ah Seng is my papa.

Maybe they think that the NS is a waste of time. Some even said it is a waste of public funds. I'm not sure about the latter though but I strongly disagree with the former. I have been there and I know what good it can bring to a teenager. Everyone has their own say and opinion, but for now, I would like to provide my side of story. Like many others, I was so devastated to find out that I was one of the lucky few who got selected for the National Service. When I saw my name in the newspaper, my world came tumbling down. It was months before SPM and I was really hoping that the name on The Star was a result of printing error. Or maybe there is another person named Ooi Ai Fern as well. But, that IC number is mine. It is me. There is no doubt about it. I am officially a soon-to-be trainee for the 4th National Service.

I was really reluctant to go. I didn't want to leave my family. My friends. And most importantly, it is the food. I've heard that the food tastes real bad. How am I going to survive the three agonising months without food like Char Koay Teow, Lok Lok and Char Hor Fun? I have no choice, do I? After all, it is an added advantage to me if I want to enter local universities (not sure how true it is, but that is what I was told).

March 18, 2007. The day that has made a significant change in my life. And the day I made new friends. My parents, sister and brother sent me to PISA. There, we were divided into groups and sent to our designated camps. I tried my very best not to cry. Three months only-mah. It'll be over real soon. The moment I stepped into the bus, I knew there was no turning back. I was seated next to a Chinese girl. She doesn't speak Hokkien and I don't speak Mandarin. That is when the English language walks into the picture and comes handy. Luckily we can both speak English, if not we will have no choice but to convey our messages using hand signals. Haha. The bus was still not moving. There were more and more people boarding the bus. Then, I received a call. I can't remember if it was from my dad or bro, but it was from either one of them. "Lu ok boh? Mien kia. Bo su eh la. Happy happy okay?". In English, it is literally translated as "Are you okay? Don't be afraid. Nothing will happen. Just be happy".

How can they call me and tell me such things? Were they trying to make me cry? Arghh...Then, out of nowhere, I spotted my mum, then sis, followed by bro and dad. They were waving to me. It feels to me that I was on my way to war, and I am not sure if I'll be able to return or not. Choi choi choi. Waving means bye bye-la and have a safe journey. Lol.

So, I have finally reached the camp, Camp Syruz in Machang Bubuk (somewhere in Bukit Mertajam). There were so many people and I can even see some parents there with their daughter/son. Why isn't my parents here with me? Life is so unfair. Sigh. After the long and arduous process to register, it was finally over and I had to get back to the bus to get my belongings. There, our bags were checked by the trainers and we had our nails inspected. Then, it was my turn for the inspection. The trainer unzipped my bag and took out a container. There was a pair of scissors along with some traditional chinese medicine for uneasy stomach inside. "Ini tak boleh bawa. Ini juga tak boleh." What? Cannot bring scissors? Then, what if I need to cut something? Okay, fine. I relented. Even the US airport securities forbid scissors in hand carry luggages on airplanes after Sept 11. But, what about the medicine? Do you think I have such a black heart to poison my friends with this? After all, it is a medicine for emergency use. It will definitely do more good than harm, I believe. This is so ridiculous. I knew that I had to get back that medicine no matter what. So, after minutes of explanation to the trainer, they finally said "OK-lah.Tapi, simpan baik-baik yeah". Duh. I am already 18 years old.

Anyway, they weren't that bad after all. At least they listened and accepted my explanation. *grins*

* to be continued