If there’s one thing that I have gained from being a military child, (besides becoming a pizza addict) it was developing a love for where I live, believe it or not! Many of us military children are moved from one side of the world to the other. This comes with a series of hardships that negatively affect our life, whether it is losing contact with friends, struggling to find a home, or trying to adapt to a new environment. I echo this sentiment. However, of these problems, we find faith in the solutions -- coming to terms with our environment. (And no, I do not mean our natural environment!) I mean the home you live in, the people you interact with, and the food you eat! Now, even thou
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As many people will say, freshman year was a TOUGH one. I had no idea that this would be the year I would crumble and have no hope of reassembling my life in the near future. I spent so much of the year trying to paint a mask - a beautiful, colorful, yet "normal" mask. I look back to the numerous times I was pulled into my counselor's office to discuss my future plans after high school. After many failed attempts throughout the year, my counselor closed his book and said so kindly, "Lillianna, who are you going to be?" I sat up in my seat and looked at my callused hands from gymnastics and countless hours playing viola. Partially perplexed why my counselor did not ask me what I was going to
As we plunge into Summer, cares seem to float off our shoulders as if we were simply shedding layers of an outfit. The stress of school is minimized or at least put on hold. Busy schedules of clubs, sports, tutoring, and other school-year activities are now nowhere to be found on our calendars. Typically, this is the time of year when that scene in High School Musical occupies our minds, where everyone is tapping their pencil against their desk, staring at the clock, and muttering, "Summer, Summer, Summer," amidst excitement for the first Friday night party and the anticipation to burn all our papers in a bonfire. Throughout our childhood, this was always the time of year, as if it was
In late November of 2019, I had the pleasure of visiting Taiwan for three days. Taiwan, located not too far off the coast of southeastern China, is a culturally rich island with many exciting activities to do and many great foods and treats to consume. I only had the time to visit Taiwan’s capital and largest city, Taipei, and the neighboring nature parks surrounding. This was my first vacation since moving to South Korea, but it is overall a very popular vacation spot for those who live in eastern Asia. During the first morning in Taipei, after getting the much needed morning coffee, I traveled to a group of historical temples located within the Zhongzheng District. The sectioned-off area h
Military life is one of experience and livelihood. It is truly one of the most unique experiences that one can have, especially when you are raised into it. Something I've noticed over the past couple of days is how different and complicated every military experience is. All of us have a different story, and through sharing those stories among each other as a community, it builds our character and shares wisdom. I was talking to my friends the other night about our paths to military life and the tears of both joy and sadness that have been shed as we walk our paths. It's poetic, in a way, how our paths cross and intertwine, forming strong bonds. My dad joined the Army at an older age than mo
Most military families are no strangers to deployments, and the sad truth is that these long spans of separation can greatly disrupt a family dynamic. I was born six months after my dad enlisted in the Army with just my mom and grandma in the delivery room. He didn’t meet me until eleven days later in the airport after coming home from Basic Training, and unfortunately this absence from my life became a trend. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely appreciate the sacrifice service members make when forced to leave their families for deployments or move to duty stations where their loved ones can’t join them. Our military parents often don’t have a choice in the matter, and I don’t hold a grudge ag
For me, my brothers, my parents, and for millions of people across the globe, the past couple of weeks have been difficult. It’s in times like these, I remember something my mother told me, something hard to forget: not everybody was raised the same way me and my brothers were. Of course, that’s no excuse to not open your mind to new information, change your way of thinking, and reform the ideals of others, but it provides explanation to the way some people act in crises like these. I am black. Both of my parents are black, and the same goes for both of my brothers. Due to our dad being in the military, we’ve lived an upper-middle class lifestyle our entire lives. It certainly isn’t a small,
Have you ever felt scared to try to talk to new people? Well, hopefully this article can help!
To all you military kids out there. I recommend reading this out loud. When I did, I felt so empowered; so free when I read it. It makes you really realize just how powerful your own Road-Map is. Because home truly is a Road-Map. "Where do you live?" Response: "You have to be more specific." Blank faces look at me. "I've lived in state one, state two, state three... state I've lost count by now." Please check all that apply: State of residency: Are we talking at birth? Now? Where I lived five years ago? Are we talking about the place I lived for ____ years? Or the country that I lived in for ____ months? Are we referring to the place where my sibling was born? Are we talking about districts,
Moving is nothing new to military kids. Over the course of my life, I've moved a total of eight times throughout the...
Unless you're just relocating to the next town over, moving often involves long hours of travel by plane or car to get to your next destination. Music can be a great way to pass the time! Here are some of our team members' personal recommendations for your consideration. (WARNING: Some songs listed below contain explicit lyrics, but you're probably old enough to determine if it's right for you, so we won't take those out.) Elena 1) The Beatles - The Beatles (the White Album) There is a song for everyone in the White Album. Every single song in the album is unique and listening to it all the way through is an experience. I personally like it because it reminds me of one of my favorite duty st
Moving is always a topic I have mixed feelings towards. I love traveling, but I always miss the people I have to leave. Sometimes it feels like a loop, a suffocating loop that you can’t seem to get out of. Starting over in new places can leave you feeling helpless or alone. I didn’t always have friends or people I could talk to about how moving felt. I have only had one bad moving experience with less to do with the process and more with fears I ended up unearthing. The first move I can remember was when I was three years old. We ended up living in North Carolina for six years while my dad was stationed at Fort Bragg and then a year while going to school in Texas. I remember because I used t
It’s honestly a really rare occurrence to say you’ve been stationed in one place for a very wide chunk of time. Or at least, more than two years, that is. Most brats that I’ve met say they’ve even been lucky to stay two or three years in the place they were stationed. When I moved to the little town of Copperas Cove, I had no idea what to expect. I had just left my best friend at the time back in Maryland and, according to my mother, she saw a part of me start to change. I claimed I wouldn’t make new friends and was going to fail. Being a quiet, shy 5th grader, this was a very scary time for me. We were the oldest kids in elementary school, and we were maturing fast. We would be in middle sc