Meet the Member Mondays- Emma M

Hi there, my name is Emma Matthews. My husband is Phil, he is coming to the end of MS3 (class of 2015) in the Air Force. We have two baby angels; Lily, who is 16 months and Daniel who is 4.5 months. 

I am from Ireland and Phil is from New Jersey. We met in march 2010 in Haiti while volunteering after the earthquake. When we both returned home in the summer, we had a brief long distance romance which involved a couple of extremely expensive transatlantic date weekends, before we decided to go the distance. We got married in London in April 2011 and Phil started school in July. It took me a while to get my visa sorted - I was a legal alien for the first year of medical school, but I finally got my Green Card and work permit in April 2012. 

I am a trained Occupational Therapist however, my qualifications are not recognized in the US so I plan on completing a masters program once the babies are a little older. So right now, I am a stay at home mom with my 2 little ones. I love to run and have a jogging stroller so am very looking forward to springtime when we can get out everyday. I love hiking, picnics, cooking, baking, travelling, going to the pub, concerts, plays, reading, drawing.  I also seem to spend a lot if time on FaceTime and Skype to friends and family in Ireland. Technology really helps the homesickness! 

I joined the spouses club when Phil started school and it has been a lifesaver for me. I felt very lonely and isolated when I first arrived in this country but the club and the wonderful people I met through it really helped me to feel at ease. I have made some wonderful friends through the club and it's marvelous to have people around who understand exactly what it's like to have a partner in medical school!

Things I love about the military are-

- Instant friends through SSC

- Tricare - the babies even have their Tylenol covered!! It's a pretty awesome service.

- Military discounts

- A man in uniform! 

- BHA

- The NEX

 If anyone wants to make a play date or hang out without babies, just give me a shout! We live in Gaithersburg but are happy to travel anywhere.