As many of you know, I have accepted a new job in the Denver area and will be moving back to Colorado next week (crazy that it’s already here!). As these last few days fly by and my focus shifts to packing and cleaning my apartment, I find myself feeling a whole spectrum of emotions that I would like to share.
First, the Air Force. I have truly valued working for the Air Force for the past five years. I am and always will be incredibly grateful for all of the experiences I had and growth I’ve felt during my time working for the DoD. I was able to finish my Masters, travel back to and live in my beloved Germany again, and meet so many incredible people along the way. The friendships I have made will truly last a lifetime, and I honestly believe I am a better person for having had this time working for the government. I have grown more understanding, compassionate, and mature in my experiences and I would not trade that for the world.
I never really planned to leave the Air Force at this point in my career. I had thought about it a lot throughout my career, yearning for more personal stability after a lifetime as an Air Force brat and the dozen plus moves I have made in my life, but that was always kind of a cloud in the sky. More like a whisp than an actual tangible plan. That being said, now that I have decided to leave the DoD, I feel even more confident that this is the right choice for me. This is very complex and frankly not everyone’s business, but I honestly feel like I cannot be complicit in what the federal government is doing right now. The blatant censoring and silencing of freedoms that are supposed to be inherent to every American terrifies me and I don’t agree with a lot that is happening, which makes being a federal employee difficult, especially now that the DoD is blatantly asking for people to report those who are expressing dissent. Let’s just say I am certainly on some McCarthy-esque lists, and while I will always stand up for my rights and those of every human being, and while I am not afraid of the sychophancy displayed by the MAGA followers, I also know that some things are not worth risking my peace, and a job certainly is not one of those things.
All of that being said, leaving is bittersweet. I worked so hard to earn this job and I remember the day I finished my five months of training like it was yesterday. I could not stop crying tears of joy because I was so proud and excited about all I had accomplished. Driving around base for the last time brought out tears of sadness instead. I am going to miss my organization and some of the incredible people I have worked with, and I am truly sad to be moving on. This sadness does not temper my excitement for the future, but it shows me how important this period of my life was to me and how much I will carry it with me moving forward.
Moving on from the Air Force and federal work, I am admittedly incredibly sad to be leaving Germany. I did one last trip to Heidelberg yesterday because I had to fit my favorite city in before I leave next week, and I literally cried in the car on the way there. I have spent almost 1/3 of my 20s in Germany and these experiences have been the most transformative of my life. I cannot even begin to express what I have gained from living abroad and honestly, if I spoke about it to the extent that I want to, I would seriously annoy people with my “I lived in Europe” stories. If I could go back and tell baby Meg all of the adventures she would have, who at 19 decided she wanted to spend a year in Heidelberg on a whim, I’m not sure that younger version of me would even be able to grasp how much I have changed in these past eight years. I am going to miss so much about Germany and Europe as a whole, but I will forever be grateful for all of the memories, travel, and adventures. Everytime I look at my travel magnets on my fridge, I am going to be filled with so much joy and gratitude, and because of that, I feel a lot of peace in my soul. Leaving will absolutely be bittersweet, but that bitterness is because I had the opportunity to enjoy and love my time overseas and I get to miss it when I’m gone.
Now onto what is next. I will be working in the Denver Metro Area as a Social Caseworker for the Department of Human Services, Child Protection Division. Basically, I’m going to be a social worker with Child Protective Services. I am super excited about this opportunity and really passionate about the work. Working with and protecting kids is something that I feel incredibly strongly about, and I know that I will be able to take all of my experiences into the job to make myself the best social worker I can be. And what is truly wild about all of this is the fact that when I was first applying to undergrad, I was originally looking at Social Work programs. I switched to Criminology to have wider career opportunities, but it really feels full circle that I will be moving forward with that. I’m really thinking about going back and getting a second Masters in Social Work so I can one day get my licensure, but I don’t really have $40k to spare, so that might have to be on hold for a bit. On a side note, if anyone has like a rich son who needs a contract wife or something, I could be persuaded (kidding, kidding). Either way, I truly cannot wait to get started on this new job and get to make such a valuable impact.
I am also incredibly excited to be back in the Denver metro area because I have so many college friends who are still in Colorado that I will get to see again. I will be staying with my beloved Megan/M2 for a bit while I get settled back in Colorado and do some house hunting. I cannot wait to see her and get to bother her every day. It will be like we are college roomies again plus her husband Ryan haha. I also get to see a bunch of other friends and catch up with all of them and I honestly just cannot wait. I’m arriving basically at the beginning of October which means I am oging to get to enjoy all of the fall activities Denver has to offer and enjoy the crisp Colorado fall. I know this will be a good new chapter for me and I am feeling a lot of peace about this change.
I might turn this into a Colorado blog or I might just let it rest as an archive of my expereinces in Europe. I’m honestly not sure yet haha. But for now, Auf Wiedersehen Germany. I love you and I will miss you. And hello Denver! It is so good to be back. Wish me luck on my new endeavors! Love you all.
Travels in Germany 