Austrian Military

It's been 7 weeks now since I began my 6-month service for the Austrian military and soon I will finish the basic training (next week).

How is it like?

Well, it was quite a change from school life and summer holidays. First of all, i had to cut my hair (30 cm) because long hair are not allowed (they are if you habe a horsetail or a bun but you will get punished anyway). Well, they will grow back after time.

Secondly, in these seven weeks we had very long days. You have to be awake at 6:00 (better 5:30) and you serve until 15:30 to 22:00, it depends. But mostly, you had 55 hours or so a week.

Also, in the basic education there is some drill and they can be a pain in the ass and scream, but if you do all correctly, you won't be their target.

The most fun parts are fight trainings in the woods, where we paint our faces, build tents and pits and crawl through the mud. Then you get your k-munition and "shoot" at your enemy and simulate a fight. It is exhausting and sometimes you ask yourself "what am i doing here" but at least when you lie in your bed, you think "that was a great day".

My comrades are very nice, altought I am a little too shy to really make friends with them. But I am alright.

The food at the canteen is sometimes good but mostly catastrophic. The dishes and cutlery are never clean, most foods are a few days old, sometimes it tastes like nothing food should taste like. But at the military, you are always hungry. And I never got sick, so it can't be that bad.

The military base we are in is quite "old" for something that was built in the 80s, but that's also a positive thing - if it is a bit dirty, it won't be noticed that qiickly, so we don't have to clean that tidy.

At the weekend, we are at home. I always have to take a 3 hour train ride! But soon, beginning next week, I will be in a nearer military base. I will either become a Tragtierführer (alpine soldier who leads horses that carry goods) or have to clean their stables. I think, I will become the first, because I am no farmer (and farmers are most likely to be in the stable). But I will ne okay with both. :)