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So, I'm adding another personal entry to the forum. Where to begin? I was born in South Korea to a military father. I lived there for about 3 or 4 years, before I moved to Australia. There I remained for a good 9 years, until I was 12, at which point I immigrated here. Now, joining the Canadian forces had always been on my mind during highschool; however enrolling at the RMC in Ottawa or applying for the reserves wasn't feasible. Why? Because at that time, I hadn't earned my citizenship. It was only in 2008, when I was.... 19 that I was officially declared a citizen of Canada. So, logically I should've applied as soon as I received my citizenship card, but unfortunately, being the parochial student I was, I decided to wait until I finished my degree at U of T, where I was expecting to graduate from in 2011. Big mistake. 2009 came along, and with it the recession that managed to drag down various sectors of Canadian industry and society. It didn't occur to me that the army would be struck by massive and cumbersome budget cuts until the fourth quarter of 2009 when I read Romeo Dalllaire's statement that military spending would be declining. So, after smacking myself for waiting so long, I started doing some serious research into application procedures and such, all the while fighting the realization that even if I applied, I'd be in for a long and incredibly tedious wait. So here I am now. I finally submitted my application documents in March of 2010, after visiting the CFRC at Yonge several times. I'll be going back in about two weeks to submit additional references, because I didn't provide a sufficient number. For the time being, I'll be in school, finishing off the semesters and crossing out the days on the bloody calendar, provided that they even have spots by the time they process me, which at this point is looking bloody doubtful indeed.
So lessons learned: Don't let school postpone your decision to do anything in life, especially a pursuit that you're ardently passionate about. Don't let family matters and concerns impede your ability to make a mature and independent decision. And finally, apply to the military that you've wanted to be a part of for so long, as soon you receive your bloody citizenship card.
As for my motivations for joining the military, they're conventional, if not cliched. At the risk of coming off as a pompous idealist, I want to enlist, because there are plenty of academics and intellectuals who contribute to society already. I feel that my place is with the forces, because I'm drawn to a life of challenge and discipline, rather than one of complacency and comfort. I would rather experience the hardship and adversity that the military has to offer, than consign myself to what I see as an insipid life of research and papers. Applying to the forces was the first choice I'd made in a while that was completely independent and free of external considerations. It felt great to finally apply, and even though it's going to be a trial, I'm eagerly looking forward to what the next 6 to 8 months have in store.
Physically, I feel great. I've all but eliminated caffeine from my diet. I've never been a slouch when it comes to physical activity, so I'm confident about my chances concerning the fitness test. Although I've heard some harrowing stories about the aptitude test, I'm looking forward to going in and writing it, whenever that happens to be.
Well, since Combat Arms reopens in April (1st is it?), I guess I'll update my entry then. Wish me luck I suppose.
So lessons learned: Don't let school postpone your decision to do anything in life, especially a pursuit that you're ardently passionate about. Don't let family matters and concerns impede your ability to make a mature and independent decision. And finally, apply to the military that you've wanted to be a part of for so long, as soon you receive your bloody citizenship card.
As for my motivations for joining the military, they're conventional, if not cliched. At the risk of coming off as a pompous idealist, I want to enlist, because there are plenty of academics and intellectuals who contribute to society already. I feel that my place is with the forces, because I'm drawn to a life of challenge and discipline, rather than one of complacency and comfort. I would rather experience the hardship and adversity that the military has to offer, than consign myself to what I see as an insipid life of research and papers. Applying to the forces was the first choice I'd made in a while that was completely independent and free of external considerations. It felt great to finally apply, and even though it's going to be a trial, I'm eagerly looking forward to what the next 6 to 8 months have in store.
Physically, I feel great. I've all but eliminated caffeine from my diet. I've never been a slouch when it comes to physical activity, so I'm confident about my chances concerning the fitness test. Although I've heard some harrowing stories about the aptitude test, I'm looking forward to going in and writing it, whenever that happens to be.
Well, since Combat Arms reopens in April (1st is it?), I guess I'll update my entry then. Wish me luck I suppose.
