Reservist, the event that comes after national conscription, happens for a period of 2 weeks every year. It is a ritual/life event that every male Singaporean has to undergo. You meet up with old army friends, work and train hard; go through some measure of inconvenience such as slugging it out in the jungle, sitting in the heavy rain, and waiting long hours for activities and training to start. Then you make promises to meet up and catch up after reservist is over, but then the next time you see each other will only be the following year's 2-3 week stint.
Reservist is also a place where life cycle transitions are even more obvious and pronounced, 2 week snapshots of doing the same things, but with changing physiological and socio emotional sense of self each time I'm there.
Recent Comments