PLKN : The First Day

We were to report at camp on New Year 2007.

Parents were to drop their kids at pick up center where buses are provided to bring the trainees to their respective camps.

My pick up center was PISA. 10 minutes away.

I met a friend from high school, all excited to leave for camp and the picture of his girlfriend, another fellow classmate, safe in his wallet (he showed it off to me and my mom, such cheeky boy ~ maybe he was not aware that his precious hair will be trimmed off at camp to show the scalp)

Also, met another fellow elementary schoolmate and his father.

Both of the boys are going to different camps from mine.

The pick up center swelled with parents and kids in no time and what's supposed to be an emotional departure went topsy turvy when buses were suspended by the Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (I hope I got it right) and parents and kids were not told about it.

We were going in different directions and I knew no one who's going to the same camp as mine.

Mom had to leave for work and abah stayed on until I got on the bus, at 12 pm.

The bus was supposed to go for another camp but had to make a turn to pick us up.

By the time we reached camp, we had to register and I was assigned to Alpha company and the friend that I just made during the trip was put into Bravo company and what did that make us?

It makes us rival of course.

The trainees from the other camp had lunch with us and left afterwards.

And us, we were given tray, cutleries and cup to take care off.

We had to wash them after the very first lunch. It was very yuckish since the other who came early already done theirs so u can imagine the situation.

Right after that, was the most painful journey.

Everybody had a bag weighing a boulder and our accommodation is up the hill.

I transited 4 times before I was finally at the top.

I took in the surrounding.

There is another hill on top of accommodation hill, which where is the helipad.

The accommodation hill has boys and girls dormitory, surau and class blocks.

Downhill are office, integrated hall (dining+convenience store+sickbay+clinic) and pond.

Climb another small hill and you are on the flat tarred square.

Indeed the camp lives up to its name ~ Kem PLKN Bukit Besar.

It is, HILLY and HUGE.

I got into my dorm where most girls are lazing around.

I picked the bed in front of the door and man, they gave us the locker that we had when we were in form 1 in high school.

It was small.

Anyway, I said hi and sorted my stuff and whats not and were observing with my ears.

There was English being spoken.

There were a group of girls, already broke the ice to my left.

Whom, later, would be my gang throughout the service.

I went downhill alone and, presenting to yours truly, the outside world.

I have been walled off with somewhat good students. The worst the boys did were chasing the mosquitoes (smoking), ransacked the canteen at night and whats not.

And PLKN is nothing close to that.

It walled off seventeens from across the country regardless social and education status.

PLKN is, the real melting pot to the extent it was scary rather than exciting.

There were boys who served in jail, boys who snatched motorcycles and during the camp itself a girl took some recreational pill.

I found out when we were heading to the surau that my companion is the cousin of my friend who slept next to me for 3 years.

We spoke English the whole day and yes, you should boo me for that.

I like speaking in English but I forgot that it was PLKN, u might repel many people by doing that.

During dinner, I went with my new gang and everybody was jumbled in the dining hall.

The next day, we were segregated into company.

I sat for a brief period with the friend I met on the way to camp with her new friend.

The new friend is a daughter to some army official and her father knows the commandant and she was talking about all sort of things PLKN.

I say, get a life! I don't even bother to catch attention of any higher ranks official.

hahaha.

Up there, walled by the colorful fence are girls dormitories.

Anyway, later in the evening in our night attire, we were put into lines and was given the taste of camp ~ shouting trainers. Really sometime you wish they have pertussis, that would serve them well =p

I put the mosquitoe net for the first time in my life and dozed off on my new bed, wondering what did they have in store for us tomorrow.

Credits : Photos are from this site

another photo dated 2008 was scavenged from the internet.