2024/Alexandria-

Growing up a military child has shaped my life in numerous ways. Most of my time has been spent in Okinawa, Japan therefore I didn’t experience excessive moving around the world or the trouble of having to say goodbye to friends. Being able to grow up abroad has broadened my perspective of life because I have had the privilege to see the life and culture of numerous other countries. When traveling to other countries I not only got the opportunity to see the glamorous parts that are typically showcased to the general public on the internet, but the reality for some people living there in poverty.

Though we traveled as a family which consists of my mom, my dad, sister, and myself, there were times when my dad had to travel alone since he would have to deploy for work. During deployment periods when it was just my mom, sister, and myself at home, it did not feel the same. Being at home without my dad was hard for all of us. He plays a vital role for all of us and keeps us together as a whole. Whenever I am in need of anything such as advice or simply just comfort, I always go to him because he seems to always understand and sympathize with me. Deployment periods were also hard because I had a constant nervous feeling that something could happen to him when he was gone and we wouldn’t be able to be there for him, which is another hard aspect of being a military child.

As lucky as I am to be living on a tropical island, there can be times that the island can make me feel trapped. When incidents in the states happen regarding family emergencies or when my sister moved there for college, there is not much we can do since we are not close enough to be around each other's comforting company. Family emergencies are always a haunting thought in the mind since you never know when you’ll be able to make it back to make it back stateside. Altogether, I am grateful for the experiences I have encountered and look forward to my future as a military child.