2025/Amaris-30815

I remember the first time I saw a dandelion. Caught between the cracks of the sidewalk, it swayed precariously in the lingering breeze, desperately trying to remain secured to its refuge. Thinking only of its beauty, I plucked it from its home and blew. I watched, transfixed, as the wind carried the white puffballs–as I would later learn they were called–to new heights. I was six then, and on the cusp of making the biggest expedition of my life. 7,300.13 miles, 11,748.42 kilometers, away from the lively salsa filling my grandma’s house, the community pool with the endless deep end, the funky Spanish whizzing past my head, and everything that tethered me to “home”.

Being a military kid is no easy challenge. One minute, you're eating alcapurrias with your cousins, mouth sticky with malta, and the next you’re clumsily singing “Umbrella” with your new friends from Bechtel ES, in Okinawa, Japan. We manage though, floating in the wind (or stuck on a 18 hour flight) before ultimately burrowing new roots into our new habitat and beginning anew. Being a military kid has brought me so many unparalleled experiences, and I’m truly grateful that I’ve been able to have seen the things I have–to have lived the life I have. There’s nothing else quite like it, and that’s why I love being a military kid!