2024/Nicole -

I’ve lived in the same home for nearly 16 years.

As a daughter of a retired marine, who’s stayed in Okinawa for practically my whole life, I find myself to be a bit of an outlier in the trends that surround me. A trend where most kids I know don't stay in the same home for more than three years. My house was much older than the ones I went to on weekends to have sleepovers at, though the struggle of constantly moving and attending new schools was fairly foreign to me. I felt similar to how my dad was when he was a marine: a camouflaged soldier in the midst of commotion. My hypothetical green uniform hid me from first-hand journeys of new orders and new schools, yet I still was aware of how other military kids would experience it.

I was quick to familiarize myself with the word sonder, or the realization that everyone has their own complex story just as the next person. Watching my friends PCS to places across the world, I realized I was watching them embark on the next part of their story. Suddenly, something I once deeply dreaded, saying goodbye, became something a bit more beautiful. Although saying goodbye to friends before they moved is difficult, there is much for me to be grateful for in a world that is constantly changing. Not only has being immersed in the lives of military kids allowed me to view the beauties of other’s stories, it has taught me to be more appreciative of things in mine. I appreciate my friends in great amounts, and am happy that I can be part of their stories, no matter the duration.

Growing up in camouflage is a unique, and rewarding experience. Being a military kid has taught me great amounts of appreciation. I am as eternally grateful for the house I have been living in my entire life, as much as I am grateful to have such opportunities that I have as a military kid, through meeting new people and learning different cultures. The calluses on my dad’s skin and the many honors he has been gifted makes me understand I have my dad to thank for that. As a devoted marine for many years, he displayed true strength for me. As for my mom, who took care of me and my sisters while my dad was stationed elsewhere, she is someone who I appreciate infinitely. I hope to be as resilient and heroic as them someday. For now, I will continue to soldier on in my hypothetical camouflage, blending into the familiarity of my childhood home as my friends around me deploy into new horizons of their stories. And I’ll appreciate every passing minute.