Day 1

Dear Journal,

This morning, I woke up a kid, a dumb kid. I‘m still a kid, but not so dumb anymore, as I am now learning how to be a good soldier as well. I feel important and proud to be representing my country in the 43rd war. But that doesn’t mean I won’t keep my eyes open for a chance to escape. I would love to unite with my family soon.

Though, I was dreading joining the Army because of the hard work and dedication required, I have found that there are some real positive aspects to this place; more than I had ever imagined. For example, this afternoon I made a friend, Esteban, who is nice and friendly, and genuinely helpful, whereas Juan (the jerk), is a mean, arrogant, show-off that kisses up to the sergeant. At least, I have my buddies, Lolo and Ignacio who are always there for me. We have a connection; a strong, unbreakable bond of friendship.

We were given a meal in the middle of our night-time training. I’d like to say they were generous with their portions, and had a wide selection of foods from around the world, but let’s get real. No, actually, it was a tiny serving of beans and tortillas, with a mug of coffee. No doubt tasty but unfortunately, after all the loading and reloading of our guns, my appetite was a big as a hungry army of soldiers and their limited menu with small portions didn’t do much for me. Oh well, nothing’s perfect. The food wasn’t bad but it just wasn’t enough.

One of the hardest things about being here are the snakes and scorpions that share our sleeping grounds. It becomes very hard to fall asleep, knowing these creatures could crawl on me at any moment. Hopefully, out of absolute exhaustion I will get some sleep during the next few nights so that I can be fresh in order to impress Caption Mendoza.

Uno Ramírez

Picture from: http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200708/r171214_643322.jpg