The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

TONE
We want to hear your voice!

Which school event do you most look forward to this year?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

The hardly stationary Chris Reade

Exhausted, Chris Reade staggers off the jet way from the plane and sleepily heads towards the baggage claim at SFO with his parents. After a 10-hour red eye flight from Morocco, not much is on his mind beyond getting home to his bed. But for Reade, home is all over the world, never living in one place for more than a few years.

Reade has lived in six different cities in four different countries. It has been a tough experience for him, never being able to truly settle down. At times, just when he feels he is taking root, he is forced to pack up and leave.

At the moment, Reade is a sophomore in high school and resides in Palo Alto. He passes time with schoolwork, sports, and friends, when time permits. His itinerant lifestyle is unlike the majority of people, but there is an understandable cause.
Reade’s father, Evan, works for the State Department of the United States Government, where he is a consul officer and has the responsibility of issuing visas to foreigners. It’s a job that requires a move every few years. The whole family attempts to make the best out of each location. "I admit there are several downsides to my profession, but we have stayed together as a family and have overcome all kinds of obstacles," Evan Reade said.

Reade spent his earliest years living in Tunisia and Barbados. For the most part, he enjoyed these places, but each move took a piece of his life from him. Despite what many may believe, Chris did not find that living in these exotic countries was the treat that many people would imagine it to be. "Most people say, ‘Oh that must be great living in the Caribbean,’ but after a month or two, it’s not that great," Reade said.

From the Barbados, Evan’s job brought the family back to the United States, to Arlington, Virginia, where Reade stayed for all of elementary school. In Virginia, go-carting with his friends was Reade’s favorite activity.

The next move, an extreme one, was to Morocco. Here, Reade was reluctant to form new relationships after having to leave some very important ones behind in Virginia. Being the sociable and kind young man he is, finding friends was never too difficult. But, even as he made friends, there was the nagging thought that, at some point, he’d be leaving them behind. Having to attend American schools consisting of at least 95% foreign students in these countries was very difficult, made even more so because of his inability to speak the native languages.

Chris has enjoyed each place, but his favorite was Arlington. "I just loved the East Coast aspect," he said. "The people were very friendly, and I kept a positive attitude. Part of it was being too young to miss my previous life."

Most recently, the Reades trekked across the world to Palo Alto, where he has been for the last two years, living a stable life, attending Palo Alto High School. His mother, Mary Rose Reade gave some insight on their current situation: "We think Palo Alto is a great place and it’s our hope that we will be here for an extended period of time."

His family’s itinerant lifestyle has undoubtedly been the hardest on Chris of all his family members. After repeatedly leaving behind friendships and facing great changes, Reade said, "Feels like everything you did there was a waste."

It has taken a lot of maturity to maintain composure and succeed everywhere he goes. No matter what country he is in, Reade has enjoyed playing football and track. He has also been a diligent student. The payoff for that will be admission to a high-quality college upon high school graduation.

While Reade’s college plans are largely uncertain, he fantasizes about the possibility of attending Stanford. Regardless of where the rest of the family heads off to next, college in the United States is planned as his next move. According to Reade, the prospect of finally controlling his location and much of his lifestyle is exciting.

Through all the moves and changes, Reade has managed to keep his optimistic spirit and prosper in many different situations. "The lifestyle has been wearing at times, keeping things mixed up with lots of pretty extreme changes, but I’ve made it through the toughest part, and after this, I’m off to college."

Leave a Comment

Comments (0)

All The Paly Voice Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *