By the way, on the march we had with us: a duffel bag, unloading, pouch, shovel, UGC, stockings and a gas mask.

December 28th.

I washed the floor in the morning, today everything seems to be in class. I slept like the dead, fell asleep quickly and got up on command. This is the first time. Still, there was a drill today, but there was nothing complicated, and I looked at the dawn. They also told how AK and Pecheneg (machine gun) work. More precisely, about why the barrel does not overheat and about the AK-12, a mixture of M4 and AK74 with high accuracy and rate of fire and lack of recoil. Today, one guy was sent to plaster the ceiling and I was with him as a helper. I'm not used to construction, I don't understand how I used to do it.

I also pulled myself up with weight, it was very difficult, the muscles had already begun to atrophy, I hadn't trained like this for a long time. Last time in civilian life.

December 29th.

The morning was easy, everything was done quickly, there was a lot of time to shave and even started writing a diary in the morning.

In general, the day is easy, no one really bothers us, we just sit and supposedly teach duties. We went to the sauna, Volodya and I swayed, I stood the bar at 3:05. So far, my record. Company stand down…

December 30th.

The morning didn't go well, in the morning my friend got sick at the construction site. They put him on a bed all white. To be honest, I was scared for him. We took him to the infirmary. There was also a foam party today, the second platoon, as always, decided who would do what. Well, we did everything quickly with our platoon. I also cleaned the belt. Initially, it was painted green, but in our department it is customary to remove the paint, immediately with a metal brush, and then with a small sandpaper. After lunch, the day is light, the barracks were decorated before the new year. They even allowed me to go to bed and sleep. The guys from the visits brought delicious food for everyone, there was even my favorite cookie. By the evening, there was some kind of awareness of the new year and with it sadness and longing.

December, 31st.

I slept well and just looked out the window for an hour and a half. We went outside, and there was snow.. It was very unexpected. Some kind of magic. It was a great day, we were given our phones and I called my family all the time. And I also sewed a couple of secret pockets in the form, for the future. So that you can secretly carry your phone with you. We are waiting for the new year…

They started preparing for the holiday. They carried tables, chairs, and set the table. The second platoon was dumb as always, but we tried. I cut up the whole sausage and a lot of other small things. I didn't want to eat on New Year's Eve itself, there were a couple of contests and skits. We went to the fireworks and went to bed at one o'clock in the morning.

There is a depressive mood in the army on New Year's Eve, you realize that you are losing your life here..

January 1st.

At 5:30, I was awake as usual. We got up at 9. We got up, washed, dressed and started eating everything that was left. I was standing next to a bucket of chicken, it was 7 liters. I ate 5 chicken legs, and then climbed into the same bucket with olivier salad and herring under a fur coat and greedily ate it all. Top with 3 mugs of coffee and a bunch of cookies and other sweets. Coffee in the army is a rarity, especially for the first half of the year. It is so unusual to drink coffee and watch TV carelessly while in the army.. Well, that's how my new year in the army went.