It
It was...A waste of time in primary school, a waste of results in secondary school, a waste of sleep in junior college but it was very much a major part of my life. It played a major role in my development. It gave me opportunities to follow, to lead and to organize. It taught me what the word "respect" truly meant, that "Rank is something you wear, Appointment is something you hold and Respect is something you earn." Above all else, it taught me much about friendship, that true friends go through thick and thin together.
After more than 10 months of abscence, I went for an RCY training last Saturday. It was strange to see my batchmates' names high in the orbat chart, to see all of us wearing the PCO rank. But the most amazing of all, was to see how much we have all grown since day 1 as HQ instructors. Those days, we looked upon our seniors in awe and were, in a way, afraid of them. Now, they are our friends and good ones too! Those days, we were unsure of ourselves, not knowing how to, basically, be instructors. Now, we stand with confidence in front of the cadets, as if to instruct is our second instinct. Those days, we were guided. Now, we take it upon ourselves to guide the younger ones.
Why did I wake up at 5am on a Saturday morning to make a 2 hours trip to do something I don't have to? The reason is simple. I miss something I left behind when I left in August. I miss the friends, the environment, all in all, I miss RCY. I can safely say that I wasn't much help, soncidering I left minutes before there was an activity that I could help in, but just being there was enough for me. It had been a long while since I last donned the uniform and I felt strange in it. Yet, this most uncomfortable piece of clothing I own made me feel good. Sitting in the rec room with friends all around brought back many fond memories. However, the one thing I miss most can never be found again. Training department is now a thing of the past. People who have never been part of this wonderful department will never understand the melancholy that overcomes us sometimes we we think of the "good old days". Initially, we thought a change in structure only meant a change in name for our beloved department but that was not the case. With the abolition of departments, many seniors and batchmates have left. The bond between LD people is different from that found in TD. The way things are done have changed, courses have changed, our expectations of cadets have changed. I don't like these changes.
This short return to RCY taught me that changes were inevitable. It showed me that the frienship I forged in RC still exist. A special thank you to Andy Sir for allowing me to go down, to Doreen Ma'am (I seldom call you ma'am, so appreciate it k?) for jio-ing in the first place, to Viz Sir, Louis Sir, Mel, JF, YH and GX for making me feel at home.
To the those who don't know, RCY = Red Cross Youth (aka my "family" in Singapore). So what did I do on Saturday? In short, I made a trip to Red Cross campsite in Singapore and joined my friends who were organising a course for unit leaders.
