Sunburn, Dumbbells, and a Page from My Day

Another full day of the university's military training.

The tiredness was manageable. The sun was harder to ignore. The skin on my neck has started peeling, which I only properly noticed when I looked in the mirror. Apparently, the past few days had left more of a mark than I realised.

Still, there has been more to it than heat and fatigue. I feel as though my endurance and patience are getting a little practice too.

Our instructor is strict. His surname also happens to be Yan—the same Chinese character used in the word for “strict.” He is living up to it. We are almost always the last group on the field to get a break.

We get along quite well, though. I had lunch with him today. On the field, he is the person who keeps us standing a little longer; at the table, he is simply someone sitting beside me over lunch. I liked seeing that other side of him.

The training itself is not more than I can handle. That is probably enough about it for today.

What I have noticed most lately is how full the days are.

I have not made it to the library for several days, and some of what I studied recently is beginning to feel less clear. Then there is the daily washing: clothes, socks, all of it. Training, meals, laundry—and somehow the day is gone.

So, naturally, I bought an annual gym membership today. Time to work on my chest.

Complaining that I cannot fit in the library, then adding the gym to my schedule: yes, that sounds like something I would do.

When I finally sat down to write tonight, the feeling was unexpectedly familiar. It reminded me of keeping a diary in high school.

I did not need to arrive at a larger lesson before putting anything on the page. A few things had happened: my neck was sunburned, I ate with our instructor, I joined a gym, and at night I went back over the day in words.

It was busy and a little tiring. There was also something in it worth keeping.

That will do for tonight.

Get some sleep, friend.