Living in Germany, Texas and Biddeford

Speight has experienced life through many cultures and timezones.

A majority of adults travel out of their hometown. Most travel out of the state at least once. Some even travel to other countries. But how many 16-year-olds can say the same?

Sydney Speight, a sophomore with a mouth that seems pre-programmed for smiling, started off shyly, talking about her dog, Khloe, and her interests, mentioning that she loves “Asian music, like Korean music…reading, drawing, and that’s it.”

But as soon as the topic of how long she had lived in Biddeford came up, she grew animated, stumbling slightly in her haste to explain.

“Well, I was born here, but since I’ve been back it’s been…well, a few months, no, not a few months…I’ve been back since school started [this year].”
Filling in the gaps between her birth and her return to her hometown, she listed off locations. El Paso, Texas, Fort Knox, Kentucky, and, tagged onto the end as the grand finale, Germany.

Each city varied, with similarities and differences between them and Biddeford, things that Speight liked and disliked.

“Germany had really nice people, and the weather was nice sometimes, but I didn’t like it when it snowed all the time, or when it was cold.” Speight said. “I don’t really remember Kentucky because I moved when I was ten. It was always sunny in El Paso, but when it got windy, the sand went everywhere which was awful.”

Out of the three, Speight picked Germany as her favorite.

“Germany was just all different, it was pretty cool.”

But there’s a larger reason for Speight remembering Germany as the best of the four. She met her best friend there, and maintained the connection even after she moved again. Now, they plan on having him fly out to visit, eventually. “I miss just being weird with him,” Speight smiled. “We always had fun together. I miss talking with him, because he’s really busy now and we don’t get to talk often.”

Speight’s plans for the future don’t just include having her friends come to her. After only living in one place for an average span of three years, wanderlust runs in her blood now.

“I don’t feel comfortable living in one place for a long time since I’ve moved around so much.” Speight explained. “The one place I want to visit is Korea.”

Expanding on her reasoning for desiring to see Korea the most, Speight says her interest started with music. “I’ve been in love with the music, and I’ve seen many pictures, and I’m like, I want to go see that…see what that place is like.”

Though Korea tops her list, her travel log won’t end there. Speight hopes to travel frequently and widely, and her current career plans support that dream.

“I want to be a RN [Registered Nurse], for medical, or an architect.” Speight said. With those careers come opportunities for work and travel all over the world, perfectly fitting hers pressing desires to explore the world and travel the globe.

And wherever on the Earth her footprints end up leading, they started here, in Biddeford, Maine.