Most individuals would define me as a military brat. My dad, who is now retired, dedicated twenty-two years of his life to fighting for his country in the United States Army. In the last two or so years of his career, my mom, my two little sisters and I trekked across the ocean with him all the way to his last duty station in Wiesbaden, Germany. Boy, was that a new experience. I was starting my freshman year of high school in a strange place. To make matters worse, we had moved in the middle of the year so it was clear I was going to be one of, if not the only, new kid.
Although the school was run by the military, meaning it was full of American students, I still had the jitters about the whole situation. It seemed to be a whole new world overseas. Not just the school, but the quaint little towns and nearby cities. High school there turned out to be way better than I thought. In fact, that is what began my transition to adulthood.
While the school provided lunch for all students, most were allowed to leave and go off campus to nearby stores to obtain their lunches. Going off campus was about the only adult-like thing I had done at that point and I absolutely loved it. Nearly every day I left campus to go to the bowling alley, commissary, or PX to buy whatever I wanted for lunch. After arriving home and completing all of my homework, my parents allowed me to go out with my friends and ride the nearby bus to downtown Wiesbaden, which happened to be a short distance away.
I was presented with yet another adult like situation. Who else gets to walk around and shop with friends in a foreign country with no parents in sight? I was finally able to be free and buy clothes, accessories, and more without the watchful eyes of my parents. It was a great experience and I loved every moment of it. After a while though, I figured out that both lunch and shopping was adding up to much more money than I expected. At that point, I decided to get a job.
Babysitting was the easiest job to attain, but the hardest to perform. My mom made friends with ladies that had loads of children for me to watch. Watching children younger than me gave me a sense of responsibility. It was my first job and I was going to do my very best to uphold it.
After some of my first babysitting jobs, it hit me that I was no longer a little child anymore.I had blossomed into a young lady. I continued to babysit for the remainder of the time there so I could acquire a constant flow of income. That way, I could afford to pay for my lunch and shopping trips with no problem.
Living in Wiesbaden, Germany was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. With that transition, my childhood began to disappear as my adulthood blossomed to incorporate my new interests and activities.
