Last Updated on 2017-05-17 , 6:26 pm

Most Singaporean males would have been through Basic Military Training, also known as BMT. This is the phase whereby civilians would be conditioned to be soldiers, and boy, anyone who has been through the army would know that life with a green IC and life with a pink or blue IC is very much different.

So you can imagine the culture shock these “Ah Boys” have on the very first day of BMT…

Being shouted at even if you’ve done nothing wrong
Everywhere you go, instructors would just shout instructions. There’s no negotiation, no talking back and no nothing—you just follow instructions that were loud as loudhailers. That’s when you get the culture shock: why is everyone shouting instead of talking? And then…

…having to shout whereby you go
Whether it’s a “yes sergeant” or a number off, you have to shout. It’s the culture, and people who don’t even talk much might just have hit shit.

Having to ask for permission for everything you do
Do you remember one joker who just suddenly went to the toilet, and kana screwed upside down by the instructor? Yes, even going to the toilet requires permission. You’re just so not used to that, that there’ll be countless recruits walking into the wrong platoon. Or even into the wrong company.

The hair cut
Need us say more? The barber said people cried before. Like, really.

You can’t recognise anyone from anyone
Everyone looks the same. And when you look into the mirror, you realise you look the same as everyone, too.

Everyone is a number, including you
What’s your number? I remember mine as 3204. Platoon 3, Section 2, Bed 04. On the first day, you’re called by your number, and you call others their number. Now you know why you need to call your parents on the first night? They need the number to buy 4D.

You realise your cupboard is not for you
If it’s yours, you can decide what to put in there, right? Well, well, well…

The 5-minute mealtime surprises you
Okay, technically speaking, you spend 20 minutes queuing for your food, 5 minutes walking around to find your section mates (when everyone else looks the same), and about one minute frozen at exactly 6:00 p.m. (get it?).

You shower and realise there’s no door
No longer do you shower alone. This is the army, not Downtown East Chalet.

You wait for your hair to dry before you sleep…
…and realise you’ve got no hair. #truestory

You can’t sleep on the first night
And you thought everyone could until everyone told you on the next day that they’re all pretending to sleep—just like you.

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