After a long hiatus of not writing anything for this blog, I am back. I am very sorry for my absence in writing, but hopefully you were able to stay entertained by some of my previous blogs. The last I wrote was over a year ago. 2016 has come with a lot of change and many more realizations about how my military brat life has impacted my life (after being dropped out of the nest.)
Senior year at Purdue was definitely a hectic one. The fall semester was spent mostly in the editing and production studios while I was the producer for the news program, Fast Track. I was also in the midst of grad school and job applications. In December I found out I was accepted into a master’s program overseas. Needless to say, my last semester of school was an anxious one with all the anticipation of moving to jolly ol’ England.
So why this sudden return to blogging about my military brat experiences? Well, because without those experiences, I definitely would not be sitting here today.
There is the obvious reason that having moved so often, I don’t feel attached to a home town and it made moving to a new country not as daunting as it may have been otherwise. Certainly, growing up a child of the military gave me a mindset to adjust to new environments, make new friends, and find opportunity wherever I go. But there is the factor of sheer experience as well.
As you might have read from some of my previous blogs, when I was a senior in high school my family moved from Alexandria, Virginia to Great Falls, Montana. Not a move I was particularly thrilled about. But when we moved to Great Falls, one of the saving graces of the move was finding a job I loved with the local TV station, KRTV. In that job I experienced everything from trucking 1960s era cameras around a studio, to being a technical director for live broadcasts, to creating my very own series that was aired every Sunday night. Never say never, but I definitely would not have had that experience in DC. This job spurred so many new opportunities to arise during my undergrad which has all led to my getting into this Master’s program. It is also where I base a lot of my knowledge for my current courses.
What I am saying by telling you all of this, is that maybe there is a move that you are not looking forward to. Or maybe you’ve been stationed somewhere for a year and still feel like an outsider. I encourage you to use this time of feeling a bit like a misfit, to think about yourself and your goals. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, maybe you have a unique skill you can work on.
This is one of the best things about moving frequently, it really allows you to develop your own perception of yourself. There are a lot of times during transitions where you may find yourself alone. No, I won’t sugar coat it and say that spending summers unpacking boxes and thinking about your future is way better than spending it at the pool with your best friends. But in the long run, if you use this time wisely, it can really pay off. Find something that you’re interested in and get involved in it. This doesn’t have to set you on a path to the rest of your future, but you also never know what things that seem small right now, may have a big impact in the future.
My Dad was always really good about putting things into perspective for me. One or two summers in the span of your entire life, is miniscule. But you use that time to build a strong foundation for the rest of your life.
I have some big hopes for the future of this blog, but it will really only be successful with your contributions. If you have a military brat story of your own, send it along. I would love to share the stories of others, because there’s only so much wisdom in my own cranium ;) Also, if you are a military brat, spouse, parent (or whatever affiliation), and you have a question or issue you would like to see covered, send those along as well!
Lastly, thank you for your continued loyalty! And cheers! Here are some pictures from my time at KRTV and my new digs in the UK.
Senior year at Purdue was definitely a hectic one. The fall semester was spent mostly in the editing and production studios while I was the producer for the news program, Fast Track. I was also in the midst of grad school and job applications. In December I found out I was accepted into a master’s program overseas. Needless to say, my last semester of school was an anxious one with all the anticipation of moving to jolly ol’ England.
So why this sudden return to blogging about my military brat experiences? Well, because without those experiences, I definitely would not be sitting here today.
There is the obvious reason that having moved so often, I don’t feel attached to a home town and it made moving to a new country not as daunting as it may have been otherwise. Certainly, growing up a child of the military gave me a mindset to adjust to new environments, make new friends, and find opportunity wherever I go. But there is the factor of sheer experience as well.
As you might have read from some of my previous blogs, when I was a senior in high school my family moved from Alexandria, Virginia to Great Falls, Montana. Not a move I was particularly thrilled about. But when we moved to Great Falls, one of the saving graces of the move was finding a job I loved with the local TV station, KRTV. In that job I experienced everything from trucking 1960s era cameras around a studio, to being a technical director for live broadcasts, to creating my very own series that was aired every Sunday night. Never say never, but I definitely would not have had that experience in DC. This job spurred so many new opportunities to arise during my undergrad which has all led to my getting into this Master’s program. It is also where I base a lot of my knowledge for my current courses.
What I am saying by telling you all of this, is that maybe there is a move that you are not looking forward to. Or maybe you’ve been stationed somewhere for a year and still feel like an outsider. I encourage you to use this time of feeling a bit like a misfit, to think about yourself and your goals. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, maybe you have a unique skill you can work on.
This is one of the best things about moving frequently, it really allows you to develop your own perception of yourself. There are a lot of times during transitions where you may find yourself alone. No, I won’t sugar coat it and say that spending summers unpacking boxes and thinking about your future is way better than spending it at the pool with your best friends. But in the long run, if you use this time wisely, it can really pay off. Find something that you’re interested in and get involved in it. This doesn’t have to set you on a path to the rest of your future, but you also never know what things that seem small right now, may have a big impact in the future.
My Dad was always really good about putting things into perspective for me. One or two summers in the span of your entire life, is miniscule. But you use that time to build a strong foundation for the rest of your life.
I have some big hopes for the future of this blog, but it will really only be successful with your contributions. If you have a military brat story of your own, send it along. I would love to share the stories of others, because there’s only so much wisdom in my own cranium ;) Also, if you are a military brat, spouse, parent (or whatever affiliation), and you have a question or issue you would like to see covered, send those along as well!
Lastly, thank you for your continued loyalty! And cheers! Here are some pictures from my time at KRTV and my new digs in the UK.
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