When you move to a new duty station it can feel a little overwhelming and scary when it comes to meeting new people. It can also be a little lonely while you work on making new friends. I know for myself it has always taken a good six months before I felt like I had made some good friends in a new place.

One of the best ways to make friends if through different events and activities at your duty station. Getting involved on post can help you feel like you are more apart of the Military life. You can meet others who are going through the same Military struggles that you might be going through. Whether you live on post of off you can find a lot to do at almost any Military base or post.

• If you are looking for a Bible study you can check out PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) or MCCW (Military Council of Catholic Women.) There might also be a Bible study going on within your spouses unit or Brigade. You can also find out about religious services at the chapel.
• If you have small children you can look for playgroups that meet on post. They might be done through the YMCA or MWR offices. There might be unofficial playgroups put together by other moms looking for new ways to connect. Facebook might be a good place to check for those types of groups.
• If you enjoy hobbies such as Arts and Crafts or playing games such as Bunco, you will want to check with your local MWR or Spouses club to see if there are any of those types of events going on. Our post has a monthly Bunco night through MWR that I have enjoyed going to in the past.
• If you have children ages 0-5, some duty stations offer a MOPS (Mothers of Preschools) group for you to join. Some of these have a small fee and others are free. This is a great way to meet other moms.
• Check for events during the year.  Our Army posts has a lot of fun days for kids.  There might be food, games and inflatables.  I think the Military loves to put out inflatables for the kids.  And the kids love them.
• Many of these activities also have leadership positions that you might be interested in taking part in. There are different positions and you might find one that is a perfect fit for you. This is also a great way to get to know others on a more personal level.

The best thing to do when moving to a new duty station is to seek out the opportunities they have for you. There are a lot of options and you should be able to find something that interests you. Being involved on post isn’t for every Military spouse but I really recommend it if you are wanting to feel more apart of the military community.  It can be a great thing to have during a deployment or training period when your spouse is not home.

Where have you gotten involved on post?