And then his first station was overseas. Okinawa. And I was the girl who lived in the same small town her entire life and had never been out of the country.
Also, an introvert who had built in friendships and relationships and never had to work on making friends.
I've written a bit about my experiences in Okinawa and how much it challenged me. And how I've grown through those challenges.
We spent three years there and I can't say that I was sad to leave. I wasn't particularly excited about moving to Idaho but I saw it as an opportunity to let life slow down and to meet the goals that I wanted to meet. And it's mostly worked. I've managed to grow and blossom in this boring and slow environment.
I'm so close to being done with my bachelor's degree that I can almost taste it. Two classes, a year of in-class experiences, and some tests are what stands before me and my own classroom. It's exciting, terrifying, and almost tangible.
And then, news. Military life.
Oh, I kind of forgot about them.
I took for granted that we would be here for a few years. Most people get stuck here. We've only been here for eight months. Nothing would get in my way of finally finishing school and becoming the woman I want to be.
Brandon got orders.
Overseas.
At first, he wasn't sure where. We were simultaneously excited and nervous that we would be heading back to Okinawa (it happens).
I cried.
His orders would be right in the middle of my student teaching. I've spent the past year planning this around Idaho. There's no way I can do this overseas.
Don't get me wrong, we want to be overseas. At least I think we do. But the timing couldn't have been worse. I always told Brandon, just let me finish school and get some experience under my belt. That's all I ask.
Well, the military doesn't care what I ask.
We're going to England.
England. Full of the rich history and museums that I crave, close to over European countries we've always wanted to travel, and with my favorite kind of weather: cool and rainy.
Once I cried and processed and talked to others, I bounced back. I can go back to my hometown in Missouri and spend a few months living with my family and reconnecting while I'm doing my student teaching and getting licensed. I can meet my husband a few months later when everything will already be settled. I'm terrible at moving. It stresses me out to see all our things strewn about and I get anxiety about how we have too much stuff. It will be nice to let Brandon handle at least one side of that.
I think I've finally accepted how things will be. I still need to talk to my student advisor and see how this will all work out. I'm hopeful that it will all be fine.
I'm tentatively hopeful about living overseas again.
I'm scared that I won't blossom and thrive in an overseas environment again. I can't take three years like Okinawa again.
I think my resiliency is getting better. I think I'm adjusting to the changes and unexpectedness of military life.
I know I need to work hard in the next year to create good habits that will sustain me in a foreign country and, hopefully, in my first year of teaching.
I know that I need to work harder to be in that place by the time 2019 comes around. It's going to take some work but I think I'm ready for this new challenge.
