Being a military kid and going to college and being away from all things military can be difficult, and you can feel out of place. Growing up in the military was so rewarding and has helped me to view the world differently and gain experiences I am so lucky to have. I have heard every terrible comment about the military here and the military life is so foreign to other people. Coming to upstate New York and attending a small school has made me realize how much people do not know about what I have experienced. These are just a few situations I have been through, and as a new class graduates and goes out into the world here are some situations to be prepared for.

1. Introducing yourself on the first day of class will be difficult.

Sitting in class on the first day when the professor asks the class to go around and say where you're from and what your major is contains a tough choice for many. When I say, "Hi, I'm Alyssa. I'm from Germany and I'm an Occupational Major," people gasp and say "That's so cool, really?" It's interesting how many people don't believe I'm from Germany.

2. The amount of times you have to explain yourself is exhausting.

Whenever you meet new people you have to explain how you're from another country or you've moved all over and it just gets tiring after a while. At least in my experience, the life of a military kid is not easy to understand to people who have never been around that sort of life.

3. The time difference is excruciating.

This is an issue when I'm away at school with my parents and on breaks with my friends. I have called my mother crying at two o'clock in the morning because of drama or just because I was stressed out, and she surprisingly picked up. Before I go away my friends and I set up a time and a day that we'll try to FaceTime each other and that really helps.

4. You can't just go home for the weekend.

Watching your friends leave and just going home makes you super homesick. I wish I could just get on a plane and go home for the weekend or when we have a short break but I'm usually just stuck at school. It's important to have times when you can get off campus and get away for a little bit.

5. "So you're fluent in German, right?"

This has to be one of the most annoying questions I get asked frequently along with, "Wait, if you're from Germany aren't you German?" If you are coming from a different country and get asked a question like this, even just answering the question in that language can make the person super impressed.

6. "How did you find Ithaca?"

I have gotten asked this question about 100 times this year. I did go to an American school where I looked at mainly American Universities through College Board, Ithaca was not that hard to find.

7. "Are you from Berlin or Munich?"

Um, neither I'm closer to The Czech Republic honestly. I appreciate that you know where the big German cities are, and I will explain how close I am to them if you just ask. You will most likely not know where any place is that I mention to you though.

8. "So, you went to military school?"

I actually laughed the first time someone asked if I went to military school. The fact that where I went to school, but it was just a regular high school on a military base is surprisingly hard for people to grasp.

9. You get unusually happy when you see people in uniform or you can tell they are soldiers.

Seeing someone in uniform when you haven't seen one in months is just amazing. I never thought I would miss it so much, but I do because it reminds me of home.

10. Being surrounded by English is weird.

Hearing English everywhere and just speaking it wherever I go is still weird to me. For about 12 years I was surrounded by two languages, so I still want to speak German places. Going home and getting to speak German just feels so right.

11. The dining hall will try to make food from your country, but they will fail.

My school had an Oktoberfest dinner, and it was the worst. They tried, I will give them that, but nothing was right. The food was not even close to what it would have been like, and they didn't even have the German names.

12. People will try to one up your experiences.

"Oh, I know everything about Venice, I was there for two days." "Germany isn't all that great, I was there for a week this summer." These are amazing experiences to have,I strongly encourage people to go visit Europe and fall in love with it like I have. After you visit however, do not try and act like an expert and that you know more than someone who has lived there for most of their life.

13. You will get so excited if you find another military kid.

When someone stopped me on my way to class because she noticed I had sports tags on my backpack it was one of the most exciting mornings I've had at school. She ended up being from Stuttgart and it turns out we swam together. Being at a small school, I thought I was the only military kid, especially from overseas. It's nice knowing that I'm not the only one.

14. The military will always be a big part of you.

Even though I am not the typical military kid, the military is still a big part of who I am. I can put up with explaining where I'm from and waiting to see my family because I would not change how I grew up for the world.

SEE ALSO: Confessions Of A Sister With A Brother In The Air Force