2025/Aubrey-

Where are you from? It’s a simple question for many, but for me, it’s a journey. I've moved around often—never staying in one home for more than four years. By the time I was nine, I had already lived in five different states, and I embraced a new adventure when I moved to Japan at eleven. While it may seem daunting to some, it has shaped who I am. I've learned to make new friendships quickly and say goodbye without much pain. I’ve never been on a quick road trip away to see all my family. The comfort of familiar faces and laughter has followed me wherever the military requires.

Hearing my dad come home from work and announce, “We’re moving again,” was difficult for me as a kid. I would start to feel overwhelmed at the thought of being the new kid at school and leaving all my friends behind. So many questions would flood my mind! Sooner or later, I would find myself sleeping on an air mattress in the empty living room of what had once been my home but was no longer.

People often dream of moving far away from their hometown, leaving their families, and starting over in a new place, but it’s the opposite for me. Sometimes all I want is to be able to go to a place I’ve known my whole life with people I know and love. The welcoming feeling of seeing friends and family I haven’t seen in years and catching up on all different things sounds like a distant dream to me.

One year, when I was a kid, we had to spend Christmas Day in a hotel room without most of our belongings. We didn’t have a Christmas tree, stockings, or even a kitchen to bake cookies in. For our Christmas breakfast, we ate cereal from the hotel’s breakfast buffet. Eating a big breakfast with my family after opening all my presents was one of my favorite traditions, as we usually made cinnamon rolls. Being a military child has taught me to rarely complain.

Being a military child has allowed me to experience different parts of the world and meet many diverse people, despite all the stress and hardships. I have traveled more in 15 years than most people do in their entire lifetime. I have caught glimpses of many different and diverse cultures. I am extremely grateful to be a military child and for all of the experiences it has brought me.