Never Say Never

Jan Mydail said, ~Traveling is not just seeing the new, it is also leaving behind. Not just opening the doors, aslo closing them behind you, never to return. But the place you have left forever is always there for you to see whenever you shut your eyes. And the cities you see most clearly at night are the cities you have left and will never see again.~ Being a military kid was an experience that I wouldn't want to ever have missed. Though I didn't consider myself a military brat, there were certain kids that absolutely fit the bill. In any case, being part of the military family, moving from place to place is always the case, which can have some distinct advantages, as well as, disadvantages.

One advantage is going to new places and whether it was in the states or overseas, every person gets that excited feeling. A feeling somewhat compared to the day before Christmas as one anticipates waking up and finally opening up his or her presents. In any case, living overseas can be an absolute culture shock as one will encounter and/or experience first hand the food, language, and lifestyle that a person will call home even if it is on a temporary basis. It's been said, home is where the heart is and sometimes the place we are is not really where one wants to be. Let me tell you something, of all the places that I have lived, I have to say living in Puerto Rico was considered a tropical paradise.

The one basic disadvantage, though english is spoken on the navy base, was learning a new language that hopefully would be used down the road. It was a basic necessity as trips taken off the base would put one's own spanish speaking skills to the test. Of my 2 1/2 years there and 2 spanish classes this is what I am able to say. Buenos Dias, Como te llamas? Mi llamo Dante Abundo. You soy vente siete anos. Yo voy pa colegio estudiante. Que? Si, soy muy loco en mi cabeza. Si senor, yo tengo un gato em mi patalones. Si, la comida el vien caliente. Tolo lo menes mi tang yvando me loco. Yo quiero Taco Bell, and last but least, Senor/Senora, Donde estas los banos por favor?

As with all High Schools, there will inevitably be cliques that will segregate only with each other. Yet, the advantage with an overseas high school is that the cliques tend to merge within one another because basically everyone knows each other and practically are neighbors. Living on a military base, there isn't much of a clique where jocks, cheerleaders, etc. only hang out with each other. For it's a mixed group of jocks, cheerleader, stoners, loners, troublemakers, freaks, geeks, class clowns, brainiacs, and artists that share a common bond. Of course, there will be altercations but that is to be expected due to living in such a confined area where you will bump into a classmates on a seeingly regular basis.

J.R.R. Tolkein once said, ~The Road goes ever on and on, Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way, Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say."~ In retrospect, military life will always lead you away from one place to another, which may seem fun, but it can be considered an endless cycle that will keep on going until one's parent(s) decide to retire from the military. Ultimately, one may think the friends that one has bonded with and even tolerated over the years will never be seen again as he or she travels the road to some place new; but never say never because being in the brotherhood that is the military, that person will absolutely be seen again.