Being a cadet in Tolani Maritime Institute needless to say is far from ordinary. It’s not an easy life. Like most college student we don’t get up late, go out and party, hang out with friends in the evenings, have functional relationships. NO, our lives are more demanding than most people can ever understand.
This is what our daily routine is like –
0545 hrs – Muster
(You’re late – sit ups, push ups, duck walking, frog jumping, star jumps and tonnes of other painfully redundant punishments)
0600 hrs – Morning conditioning.
Now this could be one of three things – 4 rounds around the TMI Lake which is about 800 m in diameter, 14 rounds of the track or god forbid a round of the institute followed by a number of yoga/stretching/toning exercises.
0700 hrs – 0800 hrs – War! You fight for a free bathroom, shave, bathe, and eat breakfast. And not the bacon and eggs good kind but the poha and stale bread one.
0800 hrs – 0820 hrs – Run and make it in time for the muster in college.
(You’re late, you’re shoes aren’t polished, you don’t have your beret or your uniform is in any way improper - sit ups, push ups, duck walking, frog jumping, star jumps and tonnes of other painfully redundant punishments)
0830 hrs – 1245 hrs – Four mind numbingly long lectures where we’re educated, insulted, told we’re not good enough for this profession and given long time consuming assignments.
1245 hrs – 1350hrs – Run back to hostel, eat a mediocre lunch, rest for a bit and run back to college and attend 2 more lectures or 2 hours of seamanship in the gruelling heat in boiler suits.
1600 hrs – 1630hrs - Tea and snacks. Neither of which really pleases your stomach or your mood.
1630 hrs - 1930 hrs - This is free time. What do we do - sleep and try and regain a little strength and spirit.
1930 hrs - 2030 hrs - Dinner. Another gourmet meal that makes you long for food actually made to please the palate.
2045hrs - 2100hrs - Night muster. The warden gives us one of those classic marine pep talks. He punishes the weak, the late, unshaved, intoxicated or anyone that tickles his fancy and promises to make life more of a hell than it already is and wishes us a goodnight.
2100 hrs - 2300 hrs - study time/talk to your girlfriend/tell your folks everything is alright even if it’s not/ watch a movie/sneak in something to eat and drink from the grocer/talk to your girlfriend and say goodnight/tell her you miss her and love her and she reciprocates - you feel better/ put on your headphones and listen to a playlist of songs that give you hope.
Eventually you drift off into sleep. Then you get up at 0545 hrs and it’s the same SHIT all over again.
It’s not for the faint of heart. But even though it’s hard......I endure.
It helps to have a good support system like understanding parents & an unconditional girlfriend. They help you through the hard times and make promises and plans that give u just enough hope to get you through a little longer. But the truth is that sometimes even they can’t help. And it’s times like these when you start to doubt yourself and a volley of questions goes through your mind.
Who am I?
Will I do well in this profession?
Why do my friends always seem to leave?
How long before AK loses faith and says enough?
Have I really changed that much?
And I know people say that this was my choice. I’m here because I chose to be. I know that. But it doesn’t make it easy. Right now my life is hard and I just expect people to understand. Understand why I’m crankier or more unreasonable than normal.I just need to get through this. It will get better.
I hope !
