“My mother is a retired Navy veteran and my sisters and I were military brats. We lived in several states across the US including Alaska and Hawaii and eventually ended in the DC metropolitan region right before I started college. I moved back to DC after graduate school to be closer to my family. Growing up we moved every two to three years and I attended four elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools. It’s strange to me to think my children will most likely grow up in one house, attend school in one school system, and have friends that have known them since kindergarten.
I loved moving around. I loved meeting new people and living and new places. I didn’t understand the concept of homesickness. How could someone miss their house when all this new, fresh, undiscovered world was outside? I loved reinventing myself and not being pigeon-holed as a certain type. In each new town, I could decide how I wanted others to view me. At times it was difficult to always be the new girl, to make new friends, and to leave said friends, but I believe all of the transition in my life gave me infinite amounts of patience, the ability to adapt and be flexible, the willingness to try new experiences, and to not be afraid of being alone.”
