My Life as a Pad Brat - Moving Around

Hey Guys!

When someone new asks you where you are from, usually this requires a pretty simple and straight forward answer, right? Not for me.

I enjoy meeting new people and I have met so many people in my life so far, however, when people ask me where l'm from, inside I panic. I quickly analyse whether this person is likely to be in my life for a while or not, and respond with the short answer, or long answer accordingly.

So, the short answer goes something like this: 'oh, just down the road from here'.

The long answer is slightly more complicated, and goes something like this: 'well, I was born in Liverpool but only lived there for twelve days, then we moved back to Germany where my parents were living. Then from there we moved to Nottinghamshire for a little while, then Newcastle, then Chester, then back to Germany for five years... (usually the person I am talking to at this point is  bored), then we moved to Wolverhampton and then we moved to Lincolnshire.'

So really, I'm  not from anywhere. Up until 2002 we had never lived in one house for longer than two-and-a-half years before moving again. To be honest, most people I encounter are like  'that's a lot of moving, are you a Traveller?' to which I respond, 'no, I am a pad brat!'

Although some people think moving around a lot is a bad thing, personally, I couldn't have asked for a better upbringing. I experienced three primary schools and two secondary schools, and met so many people, some whom I am still in touch with, some sadly not.

I have travelled to places where I would never have travelled to before should I have not have had a military family, and in my opinion, some of the richest experiences come from travelling and seeing the world. Granted, I havent been 'travelling, travelling' only for holidays, but still, I was never good at staying in one place for very long anyway.

So my pad brat upbringing has definitely stayed with me. Meaning, since I have been a fully fledged 'proper' adult, I have moved house more times than I've had hot dinners. I usually get about a year in to living somewhere (sometimes less!) and crave a new house. As you may have read in my previous post I am a student of Psychology, so self analysis tells me that moving around as a child has impacted my adult live too, and I am fine with that. It may become costly in the future, but until I feel totally one-hundred percent comfortable in the home I am living in, I will keep moving.

If you are a pad brat, I would love to hear if you have the struggle of explaining where you are from on a regular basis, and what your experiences are with travelling the world, or the United Kingdom.

That's all folks!
VLJ
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