What things do you remember about adapting to military life?

I had looked forward to joining the Marine Corps since I was 12. When I joined at 18 I really had no life skills. Being on my own for the first time and making my own decisions was the hardest for me. Military life in general was a blast.

I had a purpose and couldn't just give up if I felt like it.

While I never had any issue with being in several multi-racial neighborhoods growing up, I had never been in such close quarters with so many cultures for such a long time, and in an open squadbay for living arrangements for several months. It meant an impact to sleeping habits and getting used to everyone else's foods, music, languages, senses of humor, and all of it was for the good or bad, pretty or ugly. It's more intimate than a marriage at times. You get to see some of the most disgusting habits imaginable, but thankfully, if you have good platoon leadership, they will help teach them how to change that into good habits soon so that everyone's habits at least become more agreeable. It at least teaches everyone to become more amicable and to learn to accept one another for who we all are... green. If you aren't used to being around multi-cultural communities, it can be quite an adjustment. Be open-minded. You also still need to be conscious that not everyone shares your ethics, even though you are all expected to not lie, cheat and steal, that's not reality. You still need to watch your back.

My mother, a nurse, would come home and say "Oh, I'm so tired." As a teen full of energy, I paid no attention. Then I went off to basic training. After a couple of weeks, I wrote her a letter and said, "Mom, now I know what you mean when you said "I'm so tired". It must have given her a great deal of satisfaction.

Running everywhere. I have been out for 8 years and I still do it. It's more of a very fast walk now.

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Learning how to be organized and neat with everything.

I joined later in life then most. Turned 30 in basic. Adjustment was a little different for me. I had already established who I was a s a person living my life with a family of my own, wife, kids. Not to mention competing with kids nearly half my age. Fun times.

I remember that I went from basically no structure in my daily life, to having everything planned out. I remember it being a lot harder than I realize.

Not so easy:
Lack of sleep

Easy:
All the traveling