As I’ve said before, we just completed our second PCS. Our last duty station was part of the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure), and was pretty much a ghost town by the time we got there. We lived there two years and closed the place down.
Our new duty station, however, is like a thriving small town. Being overseas, there’s much more of a sense of community, I think, than for stateside bases. Isolation can set in quickly and ferociously for spouses, even in on-base housing. While jobs are harder to come by, volunteer opportunities abound, from the Red Cross to the school. At this duty station, there’s even a Facebook page to help new mommies by providing meals.
I’m a firm believer that a person only ever gets out of a situation what they put in… Sort of a “reap what you sow” mentality.
I personally am part of a women’s Bible study on base, and I deliver meals to the aforementioned new mommies when I can. I make it a point to visit the scheduled playgroups for kids my daughter’s age. I plan to spend more time volunteering at my son’s elementary school, as well. While it’s hard to volunteer very much, what with having to pay for childcare for my two-year-old, I feel like I’m finally starting to make friends and settle in.
How do you make new friends? Where do you plug in when you get to a new duty station?
