By Jenni Beaver–A friend of mine posted an article on Facebook that talked about all of the reasons why military kids don’t like being asked, “Where are you from?”
I read through it and by the time I reached the end, I couldn’t disagree more with the point the author was making. The article was sending a message to the non-military people out there, telling them not to ask this question. However, at least for me, it’s a welcomed one.
When people ask me where I’m from, it gives me a chance to tell my story, and most people think it’s pretty interesting. I get to tell them about my southern roots, and the Florida panhandle that will always hold a special place in my heart. I get to tell them about the rocky beaches of Guam, and how you can experience the entire island in one day and still be home for dinner.
I get to talk about holding a koala bear in Australia and slipping on a wet, wooden bridge while on a scenic tour. If the koala bear isn’t enough, I get to tell them about the Chinese woman in the Forbidden City who grabbed my arm and asked if she could take my picture.
They sit there and listen as I talk about how I was able to take acting classes in the same acting studio that Scarlett Johansson took lessons in when she was younger. I get to talk about the first time I saw snow and how it almost came up to my knees. The funniest part was, I screamed.
Being a military kid has given me an entire book full of stories that I love to share with people. Sure, sometimes I don’t know where I’m from. That’s one point on which I’ll have to agree with the author of that article. I was born in Florida, but a piece of my heart belongs on that little island in the Pacific, and there’s still a part of me that looks out my window expecting to see Catalina island.
There are pieces of me all of over the place. That’s the beautiful part of my story. I don’t get to answer, “Where are you from?” with a simple town or state name. I get to answer it with adventures.
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