hmm, i thought it would be a good way to build rapport and CBM
between neighbours
just would like to quote a memoir of a person who went
Occasionally, I was called to be the safety assistant and soon it
became a permanent job for me. The instructors would call not only
during rafting/river crossing but also during abseiling and
mountain climbing. They had confidence in my ability. It was very
fulfilling and an equally rewarding job but it was indeed tiring. I
spent more hours than my colleagues on the job. I had little rest
but I never complained. It was fun to be on the other end once in a
while. Acting as safety assistant could be stressful and very
frightening because we bore witness to some of the incidents that
happened. Some injuries could be light but one or two could result
in death or permanent disability.
One morning I witnessed five stretcher-bound casualties in front of
my eyes. They were severely injured probably paralysed. They were
moved out and that was the last time I saw them. We then moved to
Situ Lembang for the jungle phase. This place was located on the
highest point in Bandung near the famous extinct volcano, named
Takuban Perahu. The weather up in the mountain was cold and damp.
It was shrouded in mist and blanketed by clouds. The camp where we
were billeted was sparse. We slept on bamboo splits and had neither
a pillow or a blanket to protect us from cold and the chilling
wind. We were exposed to the elements to toughen our mental
strength and willpower. So they claimed. Offenders were summarily
punished and were ordered to lay submerged in the freezing water
and would be denied any dry clothing until the class was over. It
was here that we were taught to live on treetops.
At night they would spray the trees with live bullets at an hour's
interval to ensure that we remained in our perch. From the treetops
we were taken to an area where we had to live on jungle ferns and
wild shoots. During the three-day exercise we were provided with a
few matchsticks, a packet of salt and nothing else. On the morning
of the fourth day we had a huge grilled python and porridge for
breakfast. This, apparently, marked the end of the jungle stage and
the beginning of the long awaited Long March. How fitting.
