It's not that simple, guys.
Before I even begin and people criticize me for criticizing living in "paradise", let me start by saying, I like it here.
I like that there is so much to do ALL year round. I like that I have not yet checked the weather report ONCE since moving here (which used to be my daily routine first thing in the am), because it's always 75ish and sunny. Always. I LOVE my house. Emphasis on house. Yes we're surrounded by other houses but no we do not have to worry anymore that the current sword fight in the bedrooms will disrupt the neighbor's peaceful evening. And I love that I don't have to drive 40 minutes just to get to Target, or Old Navy, or ANYWHERE. (and, I don't have to pay tolls. Booyah!) And there are no ticks!!!! Or mosquitoes, or flies. Like, at all.
That being said.
Change is hard. Change is hard for everyone and maybe especially harder for me, for whatever reason. When we moved to Cape May in 2010, I haaaated it. I couldn't get out of there fast enough and I had four years(!!!) to suffer there! I would clearly never make it there. But after about two years, something strange happened.
I started to like it there.
Not just like it, LOVE it there. Easily my favorite place I've ever lived, including our home state.
Disclaimer: I'm in no way saying that I actually like the state of New Jersey. I don't. It's a dump and if someone incinerated the entire state I wouldn't shed a tear. If Cape May was in Delaware, or Pennsylvania, or California, I'd love it just as much. If not more.
I fell in love with the small town on the beach feel. The sense of community not just through the city, but our extremely close-knit Coast Guard neighborhood. Where neighbors were friends were family. Where we never locked our doors and the most noise we ever heard outside the kitchen window was the neighbor kids playing, the ocean, or the recruits running by on Sundays.
And honestly? I miss it. Terribly. And I can't help but have a sense of feeling robbed of another year there, since we put in for an extension and were denied and sent here. And even though I was born and raised on the west coast and still have all family connections here, I want to go back. Badly.
Moving from a small town of 3,000 to living inside the city limits of a major border city of 1.3 million will make just about anyone's head spin. It's busy here. BUSY. The drivers are absolutely insane (worse than French Canadian drivers which I didn't think was possible). The crime rate here is high enough where we don't keep our windows open at night and each house is equipped with alarm systems. The neighborhood, even though it's military, isn't very friendly compared to our last one. Only one family has extended friendship (and bless them for it!). One. Compared to Cape May, where people came out of the woodwork the first week inviting you over for dinner, to the enlisted club, to the beach. And I hate palm trees. I don't know why, but I always have. Maybe because when I see palm trees in America they remind me of some tropical island and it's an ugly reminder that I'm NOT on some tropical island, but here on a major freeway staring that them. And they're ugly.
It's just different. Is it a kind of different I could get used to? Probably. There's so much to do here it's easy to push from your mind the discontent feelings. But they always manage to creep back.
Unfortunately (or not?) due to the circumstances of our time here being limited to a year, we already have to think about and discuss as a family where we want to move to next year (we need to put the list in FIVE short months from now! Deja vu, anyone?). And maybe after a year we will forget all about Cape May and fall in love with this area and want to stay. After all, it happened last time didn't it?
I might even start liking palm trees.
Probably not. Let's not get too crazy here.
Disclaimer: Despite the struggles, I am thankful for every opportunity that we are given in each city. I am excited for the next year here and the adventures that it brings. However because of our very short time here, we are forced to really think hard about our future and what's to come 11 months from now. There are opportunities both here in San Diego and a return tour in Cape May next year, so we have to start now to determine what we would prefer. Being a higher priority this time, we should (in theory), get what we want.
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| These ugly bastards.... |
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