Living in a Military Family – Making Friends, By Tajiana Beard, Age 11

It was the end of the 2008 calendar and the middle of the school year. I was in a new community and felt scared walking into my new class. I knew nobody and had no friends. I kept telling myself not to be scared and that it will be okay. As the day went on, I made more friends and I wasn't nervous anymore. I ended up having a nice teacher and great friends. I might have had a great school, but I just didn't feel safe at home. I liked the house, but for some reason, at night time I just couldn't sleep. I think it's because I didn't feel safe. I was just so used to my old house and my old room. For a while, I hardly slept at all. Sometimes I would just sleep on the couch.

Living in a new house wasn't the worst challenge. The hardest thing was getting to know the people in my neighborhood. At first, everyone was staring at me and I could hear people giggle at me when I walked by. Now, I have lots of friends. I actually made friends really fast, but I was just so scared. I usually am not shy, but I didn't know anybody. I started playing outside a lot and made lots of friends. I was still the new girl at school and everybody stared at me. I wanted to move back to my old school where everybody knew me.

This year, I had a new girl in my class. She was really quiet and I knew she felt like I had last year, so I started to talk to her. Her name is Payton, and now she's one of my friends. When I met her, I knew I wasn't the only one who has been the new girl who knew nobody.

Right now, everything's fine with me. For example, I have lots of friends. However, when I move again, all of this is going to start all over. I do love moving, but I hate leaving my school because I usually leave in the middle of the school year. I totally hate the thought of leaving my friends because I will miss them so much.

There is one thing that is good about moving. The good thing for me is getting to see all the different cultures because they're so cool and different and unique. Right now, I live in Japan and I love it. It is so beautiful, especially the seawall, because the waves are so cool. I love swimming in the ocean because it feels so good. The hiking trails are so beautiful, too, because of the awesome view. This is the first country out of the United States that I have ever lived in and that I have ever even visited. It's kind of weird that it's the only country that I have been to because I am in a military family.

I love it in Japan, but I miss my family and friends back home so much. I still talk to my friends in Texas and my family in Nebraska almost every day. I either email them or I call them on my Vonage phone (that I love). They always ask me when I am coming back to Texas and I always have to tell them "not for a very long time.” It was really hard on me to leave all of my friends behind. I have lots of friends here, but I will always remember my friends in Texas and they will always have a special place in my heart and mind. When I move away from Okinawa, I will make sure to stay in touch with my friends because I want to remember them just like I remember my friends from Texas.

When I first moved here, the only place I really found to make friends was at the Kadena Youth Center. Most people were really nice there and I always had fun. I joined clubs and helped the community by picking up trash and by doing lots of different other things. Almost everyday after school, I would walk to the Youth Center with my friends and sometimes we would stop by the Non-Commissioned Officers’ Club on the way and get a snack. I really love going to the Youth Center because I could have fun and hang out with my friends. It was also great because my mom couldn't pick me up after school, so I had somewhere to go and I didn't have to be home alone.

Being in a Military family can be really hard, but when you have friends, it makes it way better. If I didn't have friends, I don't know what I would do. I am going to have to leave my friends, but I know that when I move again, there will be new people there, and most of all, there will be new friends and a chance to make many new memories.

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My Life as a Military Child, By Brian Burke, Age 12

I have been a military child for my whole life and I've lived overseas for as long as I can remember. Being a military child and living overseas provides a number of opportunities, such as interaction with other military kids and host country nationals. Living overseas also provides a chance to visit historic landmarks and other interesting places. I have lived on the island of Sicily since I was five years old and have visited almost every country in Europe. Some of the things I love and love doing I would not have discovered if I wasn't a military child and had not moved to Italy.

Living abroad enables military kids to develop qualities that civilian kids may not acquire as quickly. Many military kids have developed similar qualities because they are what they are—kids in military families. Qualities such as being more accepting, being more trusting, and being able to make friends and reach out to people are part of every military kid. These are just a few of the extraordinary qualities we share.

I joined the Student 2 Student program at my school because I know what it is like to be new to a school, and know that it can be challenging. I want kids to feel accepted. In the Student 2 Student program, I show new students around the school and show them where important sites are, like the library, cafeteria, gym, nurse, bathrooms and their classes. I don't just show them around, I am very often one of their first friends at the school.

Most kids in America do not have to move once in their life. Some military kids have to move as many as eight times before they graduate from high school. I think that moving is a speed bump not a road block. And I think that it is an opportunity for many things.

Because of being a military child, I now see the world as an adventure that I can go on and learn and experience new things.

Living Abroad, By Ashley Hicks, Age 10

I have been moving most of my life. First, I was born in Colorado and I lived there, too. I lived there until I was one year old. Then, I went to Texas. I lived there for three years. That is when my dad joined the Army. After that, I left Texas at the age of four years old on my way overseas to Germany.

I liked a lot of things in Germany. It was fun in Germany. In Germany, my mom got a teaching job for DoDDS. I stayed in Germany for four years. My house in Germany was on the base. It was kind of big and I had a lot of friends. I really liked the food in Germany. It was very good. I have been a lot of places in Germany with my family.

Then we moved to South Korea. I really did not feel anything when I went to South Korea because I was very young. I did not understand why we had to leave our friends. I stayed there for two years. I had two different apartments in Korea. They were very big and roomy. I liked the food in Korea, too. It was very good.

Now I am in Japan. I am not sure how the food tastes, but it does not look very good. It could be good. I just have to try it. The feeling that I had when my mom told me that I was moving to Japan was happiness. However, I was going to miss my friends and the foods. It was sad telling my friends good-bye.

My sister wants to go back to the States, but my mom said no. I still think about my friends in Korea and Germany. Are they still there? Do they remember or miss me? I still keep in touch with my best friends on the email. When I moved here to Japan, the movers kept on breaking our things. The day we got here in Japan, we got our cell phones. The second day we got our car. We were still house hunting then. When we found a house, it was very big and cost a lot of money. My house has four bedrooms, but the fourth one we use as a computer room.

My family and I have been to three different continents. And I have visited over twenty different places in Europe and in the United States. I know people who have lived in one place and never went anywhere. I have been to many different schools and sometimes the same one. I have many different friends all over the world, too.

Sometimes I like living abroad, but sometimes I do not. My life, being part of a military family, is very interesting. My home has always been overseas since my dad joined the Army. The way I feel about overseas is that at first I didn't care where we went. Then I started missing my friends and realized I cared.

I am ten years old now and have been half way around the world. Since I was four years old, I have been overseas. It has been six years and I'm ready to leave. So this year, I am moving back to the United States. I am going to North Carolina for one year. Then I am going to Virginia for I don't know how long. I am happy that I am going back to something that I know. I am happy to go back with all of my family. Just being back home in America is the best feeling as long as my family is together. I have gone to school in the States before, so it is like nothing different. I will miss overseas and having to leave my friends that I made over here in Japan. Japan was fun, but very expensive. I will miss my school and everyone in it. I hope to do well at my next school and not make too much trouble for the new teacher. I will miss my old teacher, Ms. Turner.

Moving is very fun, but sometimes hard on you. You have to have courage and a positive attitude when you come to a new place. Try to make the best of it. You might like that place. Give it a try.

A Military Life, By Ruth Burgess, Age 12

Life in the military is supposed to be hard, they say, but I don't agree with them. Maybe it's because I've spent my whole life in a military family, and that I don't know what it feels like to settle down and stay in one place for the rest of my life. Maybe it's because I'm so used to barely seeing my father, or because I'm accustomed to saying good-bye every two or three years. Maybe it's because I'm so used to moving to different places, always being the new kid. But to me, life in the military is exciting, and if I mess up, I can always start again in a new place. My freedom is much larger than any normal child because overseas I live in a protected, safe community. The expenses are surprisingly low where you can buy cereal for two dollars, or a loaf of bread below a dollar.

I've visited places that no child has ever dreamed about going. I've been in China and climbed the Great Wall! I've been to Egypt and have walked in the pyramids! I've visited and lived in so many places, and experienced so many wonderful events. It's hard to believe all of this could fit into a twelve year old. I cannot deny that social life is hard, leaving the friends you have been with, and thinking you might never see them again. It might be hard to adjust to the people around you, who are not talking in the same language, or maybe in restaurants you are thinking, “Squid with fries? Where can I have a decent American meal?”

In my opinion, it's worth it. If I had a chance to settle down and stay in one place forever, I wouldn't want to take it. Why? Because I enjoy having more responsibility than other people. I love how I get to go and live in exotic places and see different cultures. These opportunities that I have, these experiences, are things that I treasure. And I would never, ever, want to 1eave.

Life as a Military Child, By Payton Buss, Age 11

There are many places with many different qualities that can be alike or different, but no place is exactly the same. America is extremely unique. So unique, that it has formed its own defense system called the military. Many countries have allied with the country. So, the U.S. has asked if they may send some of their people to the places that they will accept for the Americans to live. Now many people respect and live for their country. The influence it had on their children made them want to join, too. For doing that, the citizens of the U.S.A. give them their respect.

The first place I ever lived (where I was born), was Washington state. I'd love to tell you about it, but the thing is that I can't really remember it. The reason behind that is because we moved before I even turned one year old! What I can gather, though, is that I was born there when my sister was practically three years old. I lived on an island, and that's it. Not much. After that, I can remember a little of the other places.

Next, we lived in Iowa. We stayed there until I was five and my sister was eight years old. Our dog, Snooter, is a white Westie. She was a lot of fun to be around, but we had to keep her on a leash outside, because we didn't have a fence. We were very close to my father’s family. I used to think that the drive to my grandparent's house was super long. My favorite tree was the old weeping willow with the long leaves and the way the bark twisted around each other. For my backyard, we didn't have a pool, we had a playground, and not just a playground, but a built in playground. In the winter, when it snowed, we'd climb up the little hill that separated us from our neighbors dragging our sleds and speed down the hill. Mom drove me to preschool and then went off to dental school, while my sister rode the bus. I was jealous because I wanted to ride the bus like "all" the kids did (my preschool didn't have a bus, I'm referring to Big kids). Then after I had a happy five years in Iowa, it had to end all too soon.

We then move to Camarillo, California—a place five hours north of San-Diego, very sunny. I absolutely loved Camarillo. There was nothing not to love. I remember my best friend, Jessica Mertez. She lived right next door and was pretty sporty so I didn't see her very often, though we did have lots of fun. The other friend on my block was Jeffery Westover. He told me scary stories until I was afraid of the dark, but otherwise he was a good friend.

We had a really big house. It had enough rooms for us to have our own rooms and a guest room! We had a decent-sized kitchen, along with a pool. The pool was positioned right below the hot-tub and, from the pool, the outside of the hot-tub had little¬ rocks. Once a duck tried to nest in our pool, but dad scared it out. Jessica was the only one who let the duck stay in, so the duck produced ducklings! You haven't heard everything, the duck and her family lived right in her pool! They died though; you can't expect them to survive when they're diving in a pool. Anyway, it's time you see the next destination.

This time it's only five hours south, San-Diego. Mom and I always walked to a nice little shopping center for our Saturday breakfast. The best part about where we lived was that we were approximately five minutes away from Sea World. Oh, and be sure to get wet on the two rides. My school was Creekside Elementary School, part of the Poway district, but was actually in San-Diego. That's where I had the best teacher ever! Mr. Parker. We were Parker’s pupils. If I had got him in fourth grade, he wouldn't have been the best teacher ever. Best teachers ever are reserved for third grade. I seriously suggest that Mr. Thomson teach third grade, then he could be a best teacher ever. I came here over-prepared for fifth grade. Now, All Aboard!

I am now in Okinawa, Japan. I am enjoying my time here as much as I would anyplace. The Japanese are very nice, courteous, and caring. I know that myself because my nanny is Japanese. I spend so much time on base, sometimes I forget I'm in Japan. This is my first time overseas, and I thought it was going to be like any other move, any other place, but I was dead wrong. In Japan, people aren't impolite, and the move was much more stressful, box-filled, and complicated than any other move that happened to me. I didn't like the way we had to wait to get onto a plane to San Francisco, to get to Tokyo. I hope you enjoyed learning about my life.

Moving, By Tyler Mosley, Age 11

When I found out we were moving, the pressure was on for me. It was hard enough just to tell my friends that I was leaving. It was even harder just to tell my best friend.

I was extremely sad in many ways. What made me even more sad was that I could only bring a little amount of my stuff on the plane. We gave most of our belongings to our relatives. Then, when the sign was put up for our house to be sold, we left for the airport.

When we left the house, it broke my heart to leave my friends and family behind. The way it broke my heart was that I had played with all my friends since I was just two years old.

Just to get to the airport was about two hours long because of the traffic. As we drove to the parking lot, there were many cars parked outside the airport. Most of them were mini vans and regular sized vans. As I went into the airport, it felt like the world was smaller because of how many people were at the airport. Many people spoke of where they were going or where they came from. People spoke different languages, which was weird to me because I only knew English back then. What I thought was even weirder was when I tried to talk like the other people, I would get tongue twisters or it would tickle my lips. I tried to speak like the other people who did not speak English. Standing in line, I said my last good-byes in person to my relatives. As we got on the plane, I sat right next to the window to wave to my relatives getting into their car, but unfortunately for me they didn't wave back. The plane was crowded with many people and the only thing that satisfied me was that I got to sit next to the window and my family. To me, it was boring on the plane. I tried my best at entertaining myself. I looked out the window and thought about the animals and plants and what they look like from the air. After what felt like an hour, but was really only thirty minutes, I got bored again. I got up to stretch my legs and other body parts, and then I sat on the chair and went to sleep.

As soon as I fell asleep, they announced that we had arrived at Tokyo, which got me pretty mad because I was tired. As we got off our plane, they checked our passports and stamped them. When we were inside the airport in Tokyo, we did the same thing we did before—just sit and wait for our plane. My parents thought that I would ask if we could see the sites or see the shops, but I was too sleepy to even move. So I went to go sit next to the window where the planes took off.

Ten minutes into watching the planes taking off, I fell asleep. I snoozed for an hour. I could have slept even longer, but we had to get in line to go to Okinawa. We were served food on the plane to Okinawa. I only ate a little amount of food because I was sleepy. The ride was at least three or four hours long.

When we got to Okinawa, I felt like a cheetah running at one hundred miles per hour, but somehow I still felt sad inside. I tried to forget about the past, but it was almost too hard. I tried my best to forget about it. We went to get our bags and I saw many different faces and people. I felt very weird. I tried my best to blend in, but the more I tried, the more I felt weird.

When we got out of the airport, it felt like a totally different world to me. As we got outside, I saw some words. They were hard to read, but I found out how to say them. They were pronounced "Naha Airport.” After that, we got a cab to go down south of the island. There were many new things that I had never seen before. We got a room in a hotel on Camp Foster. The room was just the right size for me. When I got off base to see some of the Japanese culture, I met some Japanese children and American children just my age. That made it easier to live there and let go of the past. I will always remember my friends and family members in America by heart. I was happy to be living in Okinawa. I'm still happy living in Okinawa to this day, but I will never forget about my homeland, America!

Moving, By Emily Parrott, Age 11

Being a military child is unique and has its advantages and disadvantages. We get to have special identification cards at age ten while most non-military have to wait until they are older. We know more about the world than most and can adapt to new situations easily. While most kids usually never set foot outside of their hometowns, we travel all over. But with traveling, comes another experience. That experience is moving. That is what I am going to talk about in this essay.

There are quite a few negative things about moving. But it is part of being a military kid. It is hard to look at it that way, though, when you are actually moving. Sure, you are going somewhere beyond your wildest dreams (or nightmares), but you are leaving friends and possibly family. It is really hard to leave the community that you have worked so hard to fit into. It is a highly frightening experience. "You will make friends when we get there," your parents say, as though you are just walking down the street to visit a family. "It is an adventure!" they declare, "and whether you like it or not we are going!" Yes, moving can be a pain in the neck sometimes, but it isn't going to change anything if you whine.

Though there are lots of bad things about moving, there are also lots of good things about moving too! It is usually fun to move to exotic places. If you happen to move back, you already have friends!

Also, have you ever heard the song that goes "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold?" Well, that song is true. You can still keep in touch with old friends. And new friends are always out there! In school, in the neighborhood, and at activities, new friends are everywhere, waiting for you to discover. If you put yourself forward, anything is possible!

Personally, I have moved five times in the last eleven years. All of those moves have been really helpful to me. For example, moving has taught me how to easily cope with changes like switching houses and making new friends.

The experiences that military kids have give us advantages that don't seem like advantages to non-military kids, like flexibility. Flexibility is important to learn as a child because it helps you cope as an adult. I have learned to love moving because it is something I do every two or three years. For instance, when I moved from Maryland to Sicily, Italy, I was excited to move to somewhere exotic. Plus, I kept in touch with my old friends until I found new ones.

Moving, as I mentioned before, is part of being in the military. It is fun sometimes, but the ups and downs are tremendous. I write this essay in hopes that it will help other kids in the military. I personally think moving is exciting after all the boxes are gone. It quickly becomes a piece of cake and a stroll down Easy Lane with a picnic basket full of fun in your hand.

Though the military is tough, it is part of your life. Just think of all the advantages you have over other kids! You have everything better off than them. You can use your vast knowledge to help! When it all comes down to it, the military life is the choice I would choose to have as a kid. You get to see new places and other new things! The military life lives through thick and thin. So go and get those new experiences!