Photo by Courtesy Photo

Sadie Junior, 11, stands over the Tiber River in Rome, Italy.

As junior Sadie Johnson stepped into Legacy she felt a rush of adrenaline, knowing that a year ago she lived in a completely different place, Naples, Italy.

Johnson was born and raised in Texas. She moved to Naples during the summer of 2013 because of her Dad’s job. She lived there for three years up until January 2016.

“I really enjoyed my life in Italy,” Johnson said. “It’s a different lifestyle. It was a lot slower and way more relaxed.”

While Johnson was in Italy, she attended two different schools. She went to an international school and the high school on the military base. The international school consisted of two Americans, including Johnson, the rest were from allied countries. The school on the military base was just like any other American high school with a really low class count.

“It was hard making friends at the international school because everyone spoke different languages during their free time,” Johnson said. “It was easier to make friends at the American school. I think because everyone moves so often, so they either make friends or they don’t.”

Before Johnson came to Legacy for her Junior year, she spent her second semester at Lake Ridge where she played JV softball. She went to Lake Ridge because her family hadn’t moved into a house yet. She came to Legacy after moving into the school zone.

“It was hard moving into such a big school,” Johnson said. “I like Legacy. I like it more than I liked Lake Ridge.”

Johnson’s Dad works for Lockheed Martin, an American global aerospace, defense, security and advanced technologies company worldwide. He was working on the F35 fighter jet project with the Italian government. Johnson said leaving her friends wasn’t as hard as leaving her family.

“My family was a little upset because we were moving so far,” Johnson said. “I think it was harder on me missing them instead of vice versa.”

At first, getting back into the routine of daily American lifestyle was a challenge for Johnson. She still talks about Italy and her experiences a great deal.

“It was hard at first,” Johnson said. “People here aren’t used to people moving so it took some time. I think the hardest part was moving back when I have changed so much but everything here is the same.”

The one thing Johnson missed when she moved from Texas to Naples was American food. She couldn’t shop on base so she had to buy all Italian food.

“The weird, little things that you wouldn’t think of is what I missed most,” Johnson said. “Mac and cheese didn’t exist when I lived in Italy.”

Johnson has not only spent three years in Italy, she has also traveled to Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, England, Spain, France and Turkey.

“Traveling really opened my horizons,” Johnson said. “It really changed me in the sense of perspectives. I really want to encourage people to travel. It is really important to see the different ways people live.”