After 6 months of service, I am happy to report that I'm back in one piece. I can't tell you how good it feels to have my freedom back. They say you don't understand the value of things you own until you lose them and this was an experience of just that. Starting from the moment you step into boot camp, you suddenly find yourself in a very different environment compared to your civilian life.
I actually had no problems with the strict rules, lack of daily comforts like the internet, smart phones or the strict schedule. I actually saw the military service as a "rehab", an opportunity to free my brain from the stresses of the urban life. The hardest part for me was to be put in an environment filled with people I didn't want to be with. People I had very very little in common other than being citizens of the same country. There was no one to talk to, other than the usual small talk.
Luckily, and ironically, they put me in charge of the armory. So I literally had a Rak's Armory there! In a room filled with the beloved G3 rifles, I found tons of downtime and buried myself in books. They became my friends instead, oh boy did it feel so good to read without the distraction of a computer around me. I also kept a diary to keep my sanity.
However, good times don't last long and being the only higher educated person around in the unit, I was quickly promoted to a sergeant. This meant that I was now in charge of those people. People who were forced to serve there and had no intention of doing anything properly. I however, being a somewhat perfectionist, had problems with that. I think it suffices to say that I learned a lot about managing people there.
Then, there was the coup! It's really embarrassing to have events like this in the 21st century and to my luck, it happened during my service. Though again, to my luck, my unit was a relatively small logistics unit and we were unaffected by those events. Many of you were concerned about me during and I really appreciate that. I am really sorry for those who were forced on streets against civilians under a "military drill" ruse. They're now being charged with treason, it's horrible.
In the end, I think an experience like this can be beneficial to an average person but not for 6 months. It's way too long and it's essentially 6 months stolen from your life. Fortunately for the next generations, the Turkish military is transitioning into a (semi)professional army. I think it'll be very beneficial for both the citizens and the army.
Moving forward
I'm still adjusting and enjoying my freedom. I want to give myself a couple of weeks of downtime before I get busy with life. Right now, I'm playing World of Warships so content about it will start coming in soon as I play.
MechWarrior stuff is on hold as I plan to get a new PC soon and I'm really sick of playing it on a tiny 15" laptop at a resolution and FPS that makes my eyes bleed. So, MWO stuff and streaming after the new PC.
Anyway, I just wanted to give you guys a heads up. I really missed you all!
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