(no subject)
Jun. 11th, 2005 05:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katsarisAbout a week and a half (or so ago), I had several days of leave just after I took the soldier's oath -- but at the time I wasn't much in the mood for either livejournaling or emailing: got to do some surfing, download the latest episode of Bleach, see the last StarWars with Tilemachos, got myself some books and that's about it. Now I have some exit time from the camp, and got myself in an internet cafe to surf a bit again and make this entry.
*g* So, a brief update -- soldier's life for me can be best described as an unpleasant but liveable *routine* most of all. Liveable, but not life -- life itself exists mainly in the gaps: the times for rest, relaxation, amusement. But these gaps are fortunately plentiful, atleast so far.
A couple weeks ago I was mildly annoyed at how so much of the time seemed to spent on rehearsals for the oath ceremony or the parade and such matters of making an *impression*, rather than actually training us for anything useful -- but after the oath, the ratio of time used on actual training (maintaining and firing a weapon, techniques for moving and camouflage, etc), actual service like standing watch, or relaxation time, to the time used on meaningless activity seems to have increased, so that's all right.
Standing watch -- I've so far stood watch in two 2-hour shifts, one in the late afternoon and one in the middle of the night (standing watch again tomorrow) and both of the time my experience was similar: Both first hours I actually got to enjoy the silence and solitude which are two things I've been largely missing in the army (I actually got to figure out what I wanted to tell about in the Hikaru/Ogata ficlet I've been planning to write during the first of those shifts). The second hour I found in both times boring and tiresome, dully waiting till I'm replaced.
Each of us was supposed to have made shots at three different ranges, 100m, 200m, 300m, and also throw a training grenade. But many of us (including me) got sent to a different camp for guarding service during the two last days meant for those activities, so I didn't get to throw a grenade (drat! :-) or to fire at the 300m. And my 100m shot was hopelessly miscalculated, due to the fact that the person next to me seems to have been wrongly shooting at *my* target as well -- out of 10 bullets fired I saw 15 bullet-holes, and got given a grade of 10/40 (out of a maximum of 10/50 which would meaning 10 bullets all hitting the 5-point bulls-eye) -- very likely more than I deserved. My more accurately measured 200m shot was graded at 8/28, which is decent enough -- most people got less I think.
Both leave time and exit time helps tremendously. I was much more relaxed once I returned from my first leave time than before it. And this morning (after one week of no exit or leave at all) I felt snappish -- now as I'm enjoying a full afternoon and evening of exit time, I don't think I could feel more relaxed.
Bought "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco today. In Greek, since I can't read Italian -- it's been a while since I've read a book in Greek I think, since I prefer to read English-language books in the original language.
This week (starting Monday) they'll be sending us to the near-the-border destinations which we'll be spending many months. Much depends on where they send us, but how unpleasant life will be there depends muchly I'm sure to the people we encounter there -- a thing outside our control. Hoping for an island rather than Evros, but that's just about it -- and ofcourse also hoping that they take me for the computer-related Research-Informatics section.
*g* That's all for now.
*g* So, a brief update -- soldier's life for me can be best described as an unpleasant but liveable *routine* most of all. Liveable, but not life -- life itself exists mainly in the gaps: the times for rest, relaxation, amusement. But these gaps are fortunately plentiful, atleast so far.
A couple weeks ago I was mildly annoyed at how so much of the time seemed to spent on rehearsals for the oath ceremony or the parade and such matters of making an *impression*, rather than actually training us for anything useful -- but after the oath, the ratio of time used on actual training (maintaining and firing a weapon, techniques for moving and camouflage, etc), actual service like standing watch, or relaxation time, to the time used on meaningless activity seems to have increased, so that's all right.
Standing watch -- I've so far stood watch in two 2-hour shifts, one in the late afternoon and one in the middle of the night (standing watch again tomorrow) and both of the time my experience was similar: Both first hours I actually got to enjoy the silence and solitude which are two things I've been largely missing in the army (I actually got to figure out what I wanted to tell about in the Hikaru/Ogata ficlet I've been planning to write during the first of those shifts). The second hour I found in both times boring and tiresome, dully waiting till I'm replaced.
Each of us was supposed to have made shots at three different ranges, 100m, 200m, 300m, and also throw a training grenade. But many of us (including me) got sent to a different camp for guarding service during the two last days meant for those activities, so I didn't get to throw a grenade (drat! :-) or to fire at the 300m. And my 100m shot was hopelessly miscalculated, due to the fact that the person next to me seems to have been wrongly shooting at *my* target as well -- out of 10 bullets fired I saw 15 bullet-holes, and got given a grade of 10/40 (out of a maximum of 10/50 which would meaning 10 bullets all hitting the 5-point bulls-eye) -- very likely more than I deserved. My more accurately measured 200m shot was graded at 8/28, which is decent enough -- most people got less I think.
Both leave time and exit time helps tremendously. I was much more relaxed once I returned from my first leave time than before it. And this morning (after one week of no exit or leave at all) I felt snappish -- now as I'm enjoying a full afternoon and evening of exit time, I don't think I could feel more relaxed.
Bought "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco today. In Greek, since I can't read Italian -- it's been a while since I've read a book in Greek I think, since I prefer to read English-language books in the original language.
This week (starting Monday) they'll be sending us to the near-the-border destinations which we'll be spending many months. Much depends on where they send us, but how unpleasant life will be there depends muchly I'm sure to the people we encounter there -- a thing outside our control. Hoping for an island rather than Evros, but that's just about it -- and ofcourse also hoping that they take me for the computer-related Research-Informatics section.
*g* That's all for now.
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(no subject)
Date: 2005-06-11 09:33 pm (UTC)Glad to see you are doing OK, and this is not a I-want-to-kill-myself-with-my-yphresiako post!
The name of the rose is a brilliant book, but the copy which I have is 90% comments, and a mere 10% text by page:P But it was so much worth reading it:)
I hope you are ok, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you again soon:)
Where will you be transferred to, do you have any idea? Are you peziko or pyrovoliko?
Be good dearest:) :*
Eley8eria
(no subject)
Date: 2005-07-13 12:04 am (UTC)I ám truly sorry that it took me a month to reply. Back in Corinth I hardly had any opportunities at all to use the internet -- and last couple weeks I was in a somewhat non-communicative mood, after they found me with a fractured bone in the foot :(
Anyway, I am sorry again -- and thank you for the well-wishes!