2024/Victoria -

Being a military child is a little hard. I was born in Japan and lived there for less than a year. I then moved to Poulsbo, Washington. I lived in Washington for 7 years. It was really fun. Then I had to move to Japan, in Asia. I had to move away from my friends in Washington. I didn’t know exactly what it would be like since I haven't been there for around 7 years. I want to tell you about how life was like when I had to move away from a place I loved.

I moved to Washington at a young age. When I first moved to Washington, I could only speak Japanese. But living there, it helped me learn to speak fluent English. I had friends from my class living in my neighborhood. I also had other friends that were older and lived next door. My school wasn’t too far away either. When Corona came, we did online meeting classes. Then next year I went to normal school. I only knew I was going to move to Japan when I was 7 or 8 years old. My friends were all so sad and so was I. I didn’t want to go, not knowing how much I enjoyed living in Japan. I wanted to stay with my friends.

When I moved there, I never wanted to go to a Japanese school. So my parents were able to sign me up to a base school. But I do have to go to a Japanese school during summer break. My Base school is so fun. I have made many friends. The lunch there is mostly good too. I am good at work and try hard! When I went to the Japanese school, it was okay. Everyone was so nice. They were also so energized. We took care of silkworms too.

It was heartbreaking when I had to leave, but that is how it is. I had fun coming to Japan anyway. It was sad, but the change was good. My school and living in Japan is amazing. Going to someplace new can be different, horrifying, and amazing. I am glad I moved to Japan.