2023/Grace-23000

My life as a military child has been like a rollercoaster. Each year brings something new, and with it that newly empty place near your heart, another spot waiting to be filled; the shaky nerves, sad departures, new beginnings, and exciting adventures, all there at the same time. I have lived in three different countries and have lived outside of the U.S. for nearly half of my life. I have been to 6 different schools in the course of my education, and Iwakuni is the first Dodea school I have encountered. My life has always been moving; I was born in Japan, and we stayed there until I was two and a half, then we moved to Virginia for a year, then California for three years, Virginia for another year, and then surprisingly, to Canada. I lived in Canada for three years, which is one of the places I have stayed in one spot the longest. I loved Canada, the school was small, and everyone in it was really close, so when we moved, it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It left a pain in my heart, and I shed many tears for what I had lost - yet I looked on with hope, excited for the new adventures I would face. The next move took us to California, where we lived for two years. My 5th grade year was amazing there, and I was friends with quite a lot of the kids in my class, along with having one of the closest friends I have ever had. Then COVID-19 hit, and 6th grade was all virtual. This made it especially rough, since we would be moving to Japan the next year, away from all that I know and find comfort in. I remember vividly that leaving my best friend was like ripping a piece out of my heart. During the summer, we got to Iwakuni, and everything was different. I remember that I spent every day texting or calling my best friend, and I missed her dearly. When school started, I was terrified (I even cried on the first day) because I felt like I forgot how to work in a school, that was in-person, and forgot one of the most important things to me: how to make friends. Despite not having been to an in-person school for over a year, I made it through the school year, and even made some new (also really close) friends. Japan has also let us go so many new places that are truly amazing. The fact that our family can finally now come to visit fills me with so much joy, for being away from them is hard. Living in Japan is not too bad anymore, and I now feel like I can handle anything that is thrown my way. Being a military child can be rough, but it can also be one of the best things that has ever happened. It has also made me realize that our world is a truly small world; our family has moved and traveled to places, and we bump into others we had met through the military years later, and meeting a person who has lived where you have can make it easier to connect to them and be friends. It has also made me know the true meaning of Helen Keller’s quote, “True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart,” because despite being away from any friend I have made, they never truly leave me, for they will always hold a special place in my head and heart. But the most important thing that being a military child has made me realize is that love, whether for and from family or friends, is everything to someone like me. It keeps me running, knowing there is someone who loves me and is waiting for me to come back, it helps me adjust to the new flow of life whenever I move, it connects us all, and can make anyone’s day. That love also makes it hard to leave but knowing that I will see those I love again is the best part. Being a military child has made that love, those family members you hold dearly, those friends who are like your missing piece to your heart, those people that you can never forget or find one the same, those people are what has made the love of family and friends one of the most important things to me.