Basic Training
"You may now alight, " boomed a loud voice over the ferry's intercom. Walking off of the ferry, I looked around in awe at the countless unfamiliar faces that shared a common fate: Basic Military Training Camp with the Singapore army. When I was younger, I had often laughed when my older friends departed for their three-month training. I quickly realized, however, that the first three months of my two-year national service would be no laughing matter.
With my first steps onto the sunny island of Pulau Tekong -- my new home -- I thought of Tony Blair's famous declaration: "It is the dawn of a new era." Apprehension overwhelmed me as I considered that my own life was about to take a drastic turn. Determined to make the most of the situation, I followed my orders to report to the auditorium, where I officially enlisted in the army.
My assignment placed me in Charlie Company, which was renowned for having the toughest training of all the companies in the island's two camps. Yet the first two weeks were not as horrible as I had envisioned. I spent my days doing foot drills and strength-building exercises, signing documents, and speaking with insurance representatives. In those first calm days, I frequently wondered why I had worried so much about basic training. I quickly discovered why.
Within another week, I was "falling in" at three in the morning, doing a hundred push-ups in the mud, spending hours practicing drills in the scorching sun, and marching ten miles with a 55-pound backpack. The Charlie Company officers worked hard to uphold their reputation as the toughest company, and my entire body ached to go home every day. Although each day seemed more grueling, I was surprised by how rewarding it felt to meet such a mentally and physically demanding challenge. The sense of accomplishment that I felt after three months of basic training was second to none.
Perhaps one of the most rewarding aspects of my time with Charlie Company was the friendship that developed among the eleven new recruits who shared a room with me. At first, I wondered how we would get along, given our divergent backgrounds. My own status as an honors student from overseas set me apart from the local polytechnic students and the poorly educated young men with whom I lived. As time went by, however, the camaraderie among the twelve of us grew into something that I have yet to experience again. Regardless of race, education, or religion, each recruit pushed the others to try harder, which in turn completely redefined our physical and mental limits. Knowing that eleven other people depended on me just as much as I depended on them made me understand the importance of teamwork.
After the monumental fifteen-mile march that marked the end of my military training, I was no longer the pampered teenager that I once was. My former lack of urgency, occasional tantrums, and childish outlook all dissipated after three months on the island of Pulau Tekong.
Successfully completing the most challenging endeavor of my life has convinced me that I can accomplish anything. Now, I face challenges and hardships head-on; backing out will never again be an option.
Many of my friends who did not have to go through military service scoffed at the idea of postponing university for what they saw as a waste of time. I view it in a different light. For me, my time in the military was a golden opportunity that allowed me to discover the absolute limits of what I can achieve. Without a doubt, the basic training that began my military service was "the dawn of a new era" for me.
太傻点评：
这一篇军事训练的感情，主人公从开始恐惧军事训练，到明白期间的艰苦，以及建立起令它毕生难忘的友谊，这一切成为他毕生受用的经历。而文章主要应该是突现军训后的强烈对比除了应该着力写军事训练的艰苦外，更应该加重笔墨在建立起的友谊如何成他们前进的动力。文章的“新纪元”前后呼应，使文章更为统一，后面的“新纪元”起到点晴一笔，表明主人宫所走的将会是他人生更为有意义的一页。如果后面两段可以合并联合来写，文章结构将会更为明晰。
翻译：
［评价一项重要经验，成绩，你所遇到的风险，或者你所面临的道德困境，及它对你的影响。］
基础军事训练
“你们可以下来了，”渡口的广播系统隆隆地传来洪亮的声音。离开渡口，我环顾四周数之不尽的陌生面孔，我们有着同一命运——与新加坡军队在同一个基础军事训练营。当我年当少时，我会嘲笑要去三个月军事训练老朋友。很快我认识到，无论如何，为国家服务两年中前三个月军事训练将不会是一个可笑的事情。
当踏入我的新家——Pulau Tekong这个阳光岛屿，我想到Tony Blair’s的一句名言：“这是一个新纪元的开始。”忧虑困扰着我，只因为我认为这是我生命中一个残酷的转折点。当我决定充分地利用每一个机会时，我照我所收到的命令到礼堂报到，而在那里从职务上我应募入伍了。我的任务是Charlie公司指派的，而这间公司因在这岛上两个军营所进行的最艰难训练而出名了。前两个星期并没有我想象中那么恐怖。每天都只是做一些脚力训练，力量加强练习，签订文件和与保险经纪沟通。在第二个平静的日子里，我经常地想知道我为什么对基础军事训练这么恐慌。很快我发现了答案了。
在另外一周里，我凌晨三点就被叫醒，在泥地里做一百个掌上压，在烈日下进行几小时的训练，以及背着55磅的背包行军十里路。公司工作人员的苦劳支撑起最艰苦公司的声誉。尽管每天的几乎累到受不了，但我所惊奇的是如何感激这个感觉上精神与肉体上如此苛刻挑战。经过三个月的基础军事训练，我的成就感觉是首屈一指无可比拟的。
可能在公司里最值得我回忆的是和我同一寝室的11个新成员所形成的友谊。首先，我想知道在不同的背景，我们是如何相处的。我的身份是一个有别于当地工艺学校的优秀的海外学生，而与我相处的是受教育程度低的年轻人。随时间的过去，无论如何，我们12个人之间的友情得到升华，至今我仍想再经历一次。无论种族，教育程度或者宗教，每个都会激励其他人更加努力，更加坚强，这反而完全重新定义肉体与精神界限。当知道其他十一个人像我依靠他们一样来依靠我时，我明白的团队的重要性。
经过15里象征式的行军标志着我们的军事训练结束，我不再像以前一样是一个放纵的少年。以前的懒散，喜怒无常和孩子气经过三个月的岛上训练一并洗掉。成功完成我生命中最具挑战性的努力，使我深信我有能力完成所有事。现在，我所面对的挑战和困难：无论如何反复都不会动摇我。
我的许多没有进行过军事服役的朋友嘲笑推迟大学而去军事训练只会是浪费时间。但我却有不同的想法。对于我来讲，军事训练的时光是我的一个黄金机会去让我发现我所能达到的绝对界限。毫无疑问，为开展的军事服役所进行的军事基础训练对于我来说是一个“崭新的纪元开始”。
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