Well it has been a very long time since my last post. And since then my whole world has changed. I don't even know how to write about it because so much is different and my life has changed so much. But in a good way.
So I left for the army two days after my last post in January. Off to boot camp as a new recruit. Saying goodbye to Dwayne and the kids was hard. But at that point it still hadn't hit me as hard as it was going to in the weeks to come.
Basic training was definitely a culture shock! The first couple of weeks there were the worst. When it really hit me hard that I'd left my kids behind. Left them behind for 16 hour days of work. Days of people yelling, of both physical and mental trials. Of being told what to do. Who to look at, and who to address and not. Days of learning the military way of life.
But also forming the strongest of friendships that for years to come, the bonds will never break. Sharing every waking moment with other people for three months, you really get to know people. And after three months of training, and waiting for the time to be up so I could see my family it was hard to say goodbye. But I'd waited so long for that moment.
Dwayne and Cameron travelled up fromTasmania for my march out. As much as I wanted all of my kids to come, it just wasn't feasible. So just the two of them it was. And as soon as I saw them I burst into tears. A blubbering mess. But the time with them was short lived. I was allowed one night to spend with them and then it was back to Kapooka by 0600h the next day.
And although my time at Kapooka was almost over, there was still more training to come. I was bused of to my next destination a couple of days later.
To Bandiana for employment training. In the Albury/Wodonga area on the NSW/VIC border. Here was a completely different atmosphere. We learned our trade during the day, and the evenings and weekends were ours to do with as we pleased. It was a different life again. A small taste of what the real army would be like after all my training was completed.
But although it was easier I still missed my family like crazy. And on more than a few occasions when I was having a hard time being away from them, my friends had to pick me up and tell me to hang on. If I didn't have as good friends as I did it would have been much harder. These certain friends have become like family. And although at the end of our employment training we were all posted to different units around the country, I know they'll always be there.
Finishing training was the best feeling. But I can't even begin to describe the feeling of seeing my family again for the first time in months. I hadn't seen my girls since January, and had only seen Dwayne and Cameron once. I got off the plane, saw them and was in tears yet again.
All up I spent five months away from my kids. It was the hardest decision I ever made. But it turned out to be the best thing I've ever done. I'm now living in Darwin, on the other side of the country (where it is HOT!) am enjoying my job and have made life easier for us. I love what I've done. I'm so proud to ba an Australian soldier. But most of all I'm proud to be a mum building a life for my family.
