2024/Maria -27462

Being a military child is a life full of experiences and new things to learn. You get to visit many countries, learn new languages, and cultures and go to different schools. Children whose parents are in the military get to visit countries that most other kids will never. Most military children know more than one language especially if they are European. My name is Maria and my dad is in the Spanish military. I grew up in Spain but I have lived half of my life in other countries. When I was 4 we moved to the Netherlands. After 3 years there I had learned to read in English before I did in my native language, as well as French. It's a great experience. But at such a young age It can be hard. Moving from the country where you first lived is sad and scary because for a 4-year-old like I was, making friends with people I didn't speak the same language was hard. For me, the worst part is leaving because saying goodbye to people you love but know you might never see again is tough to do and tough to deal with. Although I have gotten used to it, I still cry when I leave. When my dad finished his service years in the Netherlands, we came back to Spain and stayed there for three years. Now I live in Belgium, my last year, my third year, the saddest one; 3 more months, and I move on to another destination. Besides that, I have never moved anywhere else but my dad has left for missions in countries far far away. Like when I was 10 he left for 6 months for Poland and I couldn't see him because of covid. For me being a daughter whose parents are in the military is hard. If I had to describe It I would say it is like a chapter of your life, you finish it and you move on. You flip the page and It's like it never happened, just a memory. It's an experience, you learn things and meet great people, go back to your home country, and the same thing again.