this week i had a really interesting and informative time in camp. (i know... totally unexpected) the whole lot of us had to attend a chemical defence course and a medic-cum-first-aid course (i forgot the proper name for it). it was kinda fun actually and really not as bad or boring as most of the other shit that is synonymous with the army.
for the chemical defence course, we actually donned those chemical suits you see on the telly (you know, the hazmat types). suit, overalls, gloves, masks with filters... the whole enchilada. it was bloody uncomfortable, really hot and extremely difficult to breathe. if you were a clautrophobe, you'd be screaming for realese like one of dolly parton's boobs. after a prep course we were put to the test: in batches, we were placed in a room where something was smouldering right in the centre, spreading caustic smoke all around and were told to perform drills and do some really stupid shit. at the end of it, before leaving the room, we were to remove our mask (the one and only revered barrier between fresh breathable air and horrible corrosive crap), close our eyes, hold our breath as long as possible and answer a series of stupid questions.
i couldnt hold my breath long enough to survive the whole line of questions. the moment i tried breathing, i choked. i opened my eyes and they burned. my face was feeling all prickly; like a whole group of drunk peranakans were smearing belachan topped with chili padi on my face. but still the stupid seargent persisted. i finally answered the last question and burst through the door to the outside and, more importantly, to fresh air. by this time my eyes were red and tearing, my face was on fire and i was coughing and breathing was horrible. the effects were short-lasting but the experience was definitely memorable and interesting.
the second course, the first aid one, started out as most lectures usually end up; insanely boring. it was so irriating to learn all that crap about bandages and slings and wounds and fractures and all that stuff. it was interesting but to get cramped with all that information over a short period of time was just plain bad-planning. the scary and fun part came when we had to learn about (and later perform on our partners) infusion a.k.a. drips.
i have to say, learning about it and actually sliding a needle into your buddy's vein is totally different. i never thought that i would be able to do it but man, i did it. (of course i had to do it twice because i missed the vein the first time around, but lets not dwell on that...) it was really nerve-racking to perform because a whole lot of shit could have gone wrong, and the dude your happily jabbing into is your friend, plus you just leant the procedure! so no pressure...
but like i said i did it. it was actually exhilirating (and relieving) to get it right. getting jabbed, on the other hand, was just as nerve-racking. but i had an excellent partner, who got it right on the first try. so all in all it was really cool. i mean when will i ever again get to infuse a dude only after a couple of hours of practice?
for the chemical defence course, we actually donned those chemical suits you see on the telly (you know, the hazmat types). suit, overalls, gloves, masks with filters... the whole enchilada. it was bloody uncomfortable, really hot and extremely difficult to breathe. if you were a clautrophobe, you'd be screaming for realese like one of dolly parton's boobs. after a prep course we were put to the test: in batches, we were placed in a room where something was smouldering right in the centre, spreading caustic smoke all around and were told to perform drills and do some really stupid shit. at the end of it, before leaving the room, we were to remove our mask (the one and only revered barrier between fresh breathable air and horrible corrosive crap), close our eyes, hold our breath as long as possible and answer a series of stupid questions.
i couldnt hold my breath long enough to survive the whole line of questions. the moment i tried breathing, i choked. i opened my eyes and they burned. my face was feeling all prickly; like a whole group of drunk peranakans were smearing belachan topped with chili padi on my face. but still the stupid seargent persisted. i finally answered the last question and burst through the door to the outside and, more importantly, to fresh air. by this time my eyes were red and tearing, my face was on fire and i was coughing and breathing was horrible. the effects were short-lasting but the experience was definitely memorable and interesting.
the second course, the first aid one, started out as most lectures usually end up; insanely boring. it was so irriating to learn all that crap about bandages and slings and wounds and fractures and all that stuff. it was interesting but to get cramped with all that information over a short period of time was just plain bad-planning. the scary and fun part came when we had to learn about (and later perform on our partners) infusion a.k.a. drips.
i have to say, learning about it and actually sliding a needle into your buddy's vein is totally different. i never thought that i would be able to do it but man, i did it. (of course i had to do it twice because i missed the vein the first time around, but lets not dwell on that...) it was really nerve-racking to perform because a whole lot of shit could have gone wrong, and the dude your happily jabbing into is your friend, plus you just leant the procedure! so no pressure...
but like i said i did it. it was actually exhilirating (and relieving) to get it right. getting jabbed, on the other hand, was just as nerve-racking. but i had an excellent partner, who got it right on the first try. so all in all it was really cool. i mean when will i ever again get to infuse a dude only after a couple of hours of practice?
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