Two year (what a twoyears its been)

That's right. Two years ago, today I left home for the United States Navy. The monument gives me a time to reflect, and I've been thinking of the things that I have accomplished in the last two years. Really, I've been contrasting that which I have accomplished with all that I probably would have accomplished had I not joined the Navy. I can start with college. Had I not enlisted, I probably would have attended college. Given my overall lack of effort in High School, however, chances are that I would have been at an unexpensive local college, i.e. Meremac. That means that I would still be living at home. But knowing my parents, I would have had to pay them rent. That means that I would have had to work when I wasn't at school. But, again, given my time constraints, I would probably be working a job that I didn't particularly care for. Okay, so it could be worse. Then, I take into consideration that in order to pay for school, I would have to take out a loan. That would mean that I would have to start out my entire career in debt. Not an ideal living, but definately an all-too familiar one.
Taking all of that into consideration, here's what the Navy means to me: food, money, free education, a job, opportunity for travel, in-demand skills, an appreciation for home, a place to live in freaking Monterey, fluency in a foreign language even if it is Arabic, and most importantly a use for all of this built-up potential that I've been hearing about all of my life.
Contrasting with the alternative of debt, rent, a bad job, living with my parents (which wouldn't be too bad), and a strong desire to go do something else, I think I made the right choice. Salaama fil kharage