How time flies! It has been a month since we finished our military training. A new leaf was turned over. However, the experience of our military life is doomed to become an indispensable part of our life. The lessons we have learned, the spirits we have gained, and the good habits and characteristics we have cultivated are our lifelong treasures.I still remembered on the move in day of our military training, everyone wore a smile on their face, looking forward to the coming ten days of group life. When I was delivering the speech as the battalion commander on the opening ceremony, I could clearly see the flame in my fellows’ eyes. That is the color of their enthusiasm. However, the challenges followed. When we moved into the dorms, we were required to keep the room neat and tidy all the time. Whenever we left the dorms, we had to keep everything in order, with no personal stuff within the reach of vision and no garbage in the trash can. More importantly, the sheets should be smooth enough so that no wrinkles can be found. And the quilt must be folded into a tofu with a clean-cut on the edge. Impossible as it may seem for us, we still spent hours and hours striving to meet the requirements. No complaints were heard because we all knew that it was a necessity for a soldier to perfectly clean up the room he lives in.I have never doubted the statement that anyone, no matter who he is, has his shining points. And during the activity Ultimate Challenge, I confirmed my thoughts based on what I saw. In order to help the teammates stride over a rope hung at the height of 1.8 meters, countless boys voluntarily served as the human ladder to shoulder their companions across the rope without touching it. You can sense out how proud we boys were when the girls expressed sincere thanks to us. And the strong tie between us has been ever more strengthened. The most important training for us was to practice our drill formations daily. Our drillmasters showed their extraordinary understanding of the students. They did not put much pressure on us and gave us enough time to take a break, telling us it was more important to take care of ourselves than devoting ourselves to the training regardless of personal conditions. We were all touched by their humanitarian teaching methods and open mind. So we all tried our best to repay their generosity and understanding.You must have been amazed if you were at the closing ceremony of our military training. During the military parade, the resonant slogan and the ordered array demonstrated our will power, our determination and our tenacity. I guarantee you will see a grand new class of 2019 in the fall semester.

This article was written by Andy Fang. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Andy Fang