[News] We Are Who We Are: 'I've moved 10 times and been to 11 different schools'

[Angel of Death]

Being a military kid involves a lot of change.So far I've lived in two countries - the UK and the US - and five states: Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Texas and Virginia.Because my dad is in the Navy I've moved house 10 times to live on many different military bases.I've attended 11 different schools and there've been times when I've gone to two or three different schools in one year.It's been difficult. I'm always having to start over and meet new people.I'm always the new kid no matter where I am.There have been a lot of times where it's felt very lonely. In particular, my freshman year of high school was a really hard time emotionally. I cried a lot. I felt very disconnected.I've learned that it takes a lot of commitment to make and keep friends.And always being on the move has taught me how to put in the effort to keep in touch with people.My best friend from kindergarten is still my best friend today, even though I haven't lived near her in years.

Another big lesson I've learned is acknowledging just how important kindness is, especially because I meet so many new people all the time.Truly, I don't think people realise it but being kind is the most simple way to become acquainted with new people.I rely a lot on technology, too. I got an email account when I was about eight years old to keep in touch with my friends.I started using YouTube when I was about 10 or 11 because I found that documenting my life, because I'm always moving, was another good way to hold on to memories with different friends.I don't think I could have kept in touch with everyone without technology and social media.While it's hard at times, it's also a really interesting life. It's very cool to experience so many new places.I appreciate having gotten the opportunity to experience how other people live. I feel like it's helped raise me.I love being able to travel back to the places I've lived and know there are people there who care about me.It's incredible to see how connections and friendships can stretch across a whole country.For a kid, military bases are fun because they're like their own little world.A lot of them have bowling alleys, movie theaters, commissaries, pools and youth centres. Some even have abandoned bunkers to explore.

But you'll find sometimes, when you live on a base, that you can end up staying there without leaving for weeks at a time.You can definitely feel very trapped.And on military bases, all the houses look exactly the same. It can feel like a very fake world to live in.It's hard, too, because while you're closed off from the outside world, the outside world can't come to you either. When I wanted to hang out with friends, they couldn't just stop by for a visit.Both my parents are very accepting and laid back. It never felt like I was growing up in a tough military household.But I've had a lot of friends who say it's expected of them that they have to join the military because they have generations above them that were a part of it.I'm also very grateful because my dad has never been deployed to a war zone.But I have other family members in the army who have gone off to war. They struggle with things like PTSD.Growing up as a military child, I think I became desensitised to so much of what I was seeing.In military schools we'd make Christmas cards for soldiers who were away on the front lines, for example.I didn't really acknowledge it because I was so used to seeing it but I've been surrounded by war my whole life.It just seems so normal to me now because it's been a part of my life forever.