Essay: The Importance Of Moving To Italy

When I was in fourth grade, I remember my Dad getting home from work with the news that we might be moving to Italy on orders from the Navy. The feeling of being uprooted and losing all my friends and familiar surroundings was all too familiar to myself and my siblings.

This day was already so memorable because it was on the day of the 2008 election, and Senator Barack Obama was, in all likelihood, going to be the first black president. Although I couldn’t comprehend all of the significance of his presidency at the time, I could sense that it was going to be an important day in our country’s history. This marked the beginning of an era for America, and an era that I didn’t think I would be able to experience as a resident of the United States.
I had travelled all across the country, and seen things by first grade that most of my high school classmates still haven’t seen. The cross-country drives allowed me to see everything from Yellowstone National Park, to the mountains of Boulder Colorado, to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Driving around the country in a packed Honda Odyssey minivan gave me the opportunity to see so many national treasures that many people will not see in their entire life, which I am incredibly thankful for.

Besides seeing the country, the most important thing I gained from being in a military family was meeting people from all walks of life. Living in Southern California helped expose me to new cultures that I hadn’t experienced before, and going to school that was mostly comprised of Mexican-Americans allowed me to transcend any racial barriers at young age. It was at this small Catholic school that I met my closest friends and created my fondest memories during my childhood. The lifelong friends that my parents met are a still apart of my life, and I hope to be connected with their families in another fifty