Some stories remind you just how big the world is, and at the very same time, how small it can feel.
This was one of those days. Inside City Hall, Mayor D.C. Reeves stood smiling as he welcomed a group of students from Pensacola’s sister city, Gero, Japan. Teenagers. Bright-eyed. A little nervous.
A long way from home.
Hours earlier, they had been at Brown Barge Middle School, stepping into local classrooms and experiencing everyday life here in Pensacola.
But what they were really exchanging went far beyond schedules and school routines.
They were sharing culture. Perspective. And understanding.
Or, as Laverne Baker put it, “I have found that you don’t need to speak the same language to love each other.”
Laverne, alongside Nan Harper, helps lead these exchanges through Pensacola’s Sister Cities International. What they’re building goes far beyond itineraries and welcome ceremonies.
They’re building connection.
The schedule includes moments like origami and a little dancing. But what’s really happening is something harder to define and impossible to measure.
Students are learning how to truly see one another.
“They show them how to dance, or do origami, writing, calligraphy, and they learn,” Laverne said.
“They come to share cultural foods. And you realize by watching them that a smile, an offer of food, that becomes the conduit.”
It’s a reminder we don’t get often enough: the things we think divide us, like language, geography, and background don’t have to be barriers, but instead, in this case, are invitations.
Anthony Biondolillo is now living in Gero, Japan but is orginally from Pensacola.And if you want to understand just how much intention goes into this experience, meet Anthony Biondolillo.
Originally from Pensacola, Anthony now lives in Japan, where he has spent the last 23 years building a life that started with a simple connection.
As a child, he lived in Okinawa while his father served in the military.
The culture, the people, the feeling all stayed with him. So, he went back. What began as a semester abroad turned into a career and a calling.
Today, Anthony serves as a coordinator for international relations, helping guide both students and teachers through cross-cultural experiences. He also teaches English and supports English teaching educators in Japan.
And when it comes to the students visiting Pensacola, he’s quick to point out they’ve earned their place.
“In order to come to the United States, they have to write a report on why they want to go,” Anthony explained. “They have to get approval from their schools, then interview with the Board of Education. They’re scored on every part. If they pass, then they can come.”
“They really have to work for this,” he said. And you can tell.
Because as they stood inside City Hall smiling, bowing slightly, giggling quietly, there was a sense that this wasn’t just a trip.
It was something deeper. Something, as Laverne said, that “the connection here isn’t spoken, it’s felt.”
And maybe that’s the real story. Not just that students traveled thousands of miles from Gero to Pensacola.
But that in a room filled with different languages, customs, and life experiences, everyone understood each other well enough to laugh, gather for photos, and feel the significance of being welcomed from the podium.
Sometimes, no translation is required.
