My American Culture

I have a couple of American cultures that I have been introduced to over the course of my life. One of them is being a military brat. My dad has been in the military (Marine Corps) for all my life. That being said, it allowed me to move all over the world and experience different cultures. Learning about other cultures and having to apply it to my culture to "fit in" was challenging at times. It got a lot easier as I grew up. I understood how things worked with being a military brat. Meaning, I knew that another stop was waiting for us and I would have to start the whole "new girl" experience, all over again.

I was about 7 years old when my family moved to Okinawa, Japan. Although, we lived in an community with mostly American military families, we were introduced to the Japanese culture everyday. The school I went to had  several Japanese teachers. They were in charge of teaching us about Japan and the many features that went with it. For example, we learned how to use chop sticks the right way. We also learned about the many dishes Japanese people eat and also had the chance to try some of them. At this point, it wasn't hard at all to "fit in" because everyone there was in the same boat as me. When I got to North Carolina, that all changed. A fourth of those people were military brats (like me) but the rest had lived in New Bern their whole life. These kids grew up together. I couldn't relate to these people, so it made it difficult to make friends. When I finally became friends with a couple of people, I was relieved. My circle of friends began to get bigger and bigger. I got close with those people.

It all changed, when I got the news that I would be moving to Virginia that summer. The "making relationships" process would have to start all over again. Virginia was a whole different environment than North Carolina. New Bern was a small time, so everyone acted as a huge family. Virginia was the complete opposite of that. Along with that, the school system was different, the "hang out" spots were different, and the people were different. That's when I knew that adapting to this new place would be a lot more difficult than I realized. My sophomore year was probably my hardest year of all. I had no friends, sat by myself at lunch (I know, I know), and didn't do so well academically. I soon became friends with a few people. And from that moment forward, my high school career
became so much better.

I have lived in 6 places. I was born in Jacksonville, NC and from there I moved to California then to Okinawa, Japan, then to Kansas, back to North Carolina, and then to Virginia. Virginia will be my last stop  but my parents plan on continuing their journey after my brother and sister graduate high school. Being able to experience those different places, definitely made me the person I am today. And I am beyond thankful for that.