2024/Aria -

I am here in Japan because both of my parents work for the Navy. My parents are civilians working at Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Far East at Yokosuka Navy Base. Even though they are civilians and not military, I am still like a military child because I live away from home to support the military.

It is very hard because I don’t get to stay in one place. We always will have to eventually move. Just like now, I have been staying in Japan since 2017. This year is my last because we must move again because of our parents' work. Not being able to stay in one place makes it hard to make long term friendships.

But there are some good things about being a military child too. The good things are that I get to try new foods. Some of my favorite foods like gyukatsu, curry udon and gyoza are from Japan! I also get to learn some cool Japanese traditions and events like Girls Day, Sapporo Snow Festival, bowing, and Sakura viewing.

Another bonus of being a military child is that I meet a lot of new people from moving around. I will keep most of my friend’s phone numbers so I can talk to my friends when I must move again. What is also nice is that I get to participate in the Base sports and SAC program. I can also use the swimming pool and go to golf courses on different bases.

In conclusion, being a military child is good and bad. You can get a lot of experiences and learn new things. But you also lose friendship and gain friendships. You can have multiple ways to use methods from each school you have been too though. But really being a military child is not a good thing or a bad thing.