Well, I think down here, you really have no choice. I think they have passed a new law about serving in the army. You have to get your military ID as soon as you are 18 and there is a chance you will get recuited to serve 6 months in the army. It all depends on luck and physical condition. If you don't qualify, or maybe if you have some "connected" relatives who could "get you off the hook" then you don't have to serve.

It would do some good, though, if a good friend of mine could crack my back with a baseball bat or hit my legs with a hammer. But, fortunately, I have two uncles who work at the air force and are somewhat connected (I think one of them is a colonel) so I could be spared. But, many other "cholos" are not as lucky as I am and they will have to spend 6 months of their lives living in some filthy barracks with their fellow "cholos".