SACILE, Italy -- A bottle of Kentucky whiskey shared shelf space with San Quirino prosecco in the kitchen of a small duplex on the outskirts of Sacile. In the dining area, corn chips and buffalo chicken dip sat beside a creamed eggplant and mint spread. Outside, a traditional, stone pizza oven, adorned with a Texas welcome trinket, baked numerous homemade pizzas.

 

A pizza cooks in a traditional, stone pizza oven during an Italian-American get-together, Aug. 20, 2016 in Sacile, Italy. Aviano Airmen and their Italian friends gathered nearby to taste the pizzas made by both Italians and Americans at the party.

 

Around the oven, Italians drank a fruity, bitter Oregon mixed drink while their American friends shared thimbles of limoncello. If not for one 724th Air Mobility Squadron Airman, the whole experience, this moment, would be a dream instead of an almost-weekly occurrence.

 

“My mother always told me, ‘You’ll never meet a stranger in your life,’” said Tech. Sgt. Jake Watson, 724th AMS combat resources and readiness flight chief. “That’s more of a challenge than a statement, though. She wanted me to be outgoing, so I decided the language barrier or whatever else wasn’t going to stop me here.”

 

To all of his co-workers and friends, Watson is the poster boy for Italian-American relationships. He rock climbs with Italians, helps his Italian co-workers and is even dating the woman of his dreams, Sara, who is a local national.

 

From left, Shara, Watson’s mother; Marilisa, Sara’s mother; and Sara share photos from home during an Italian-American get-together, Aug. 20, 2016 in Sacile, Italy. Watson’s parents came to visit their son to experience his everyday life and meet Sara and her parents.

 

But becoming the face of international relationships didn’t happen overnight. It took some time before Watson’s Italian experience became an everyday affair.

 

“When I first got here, one of my Italian co-workers was taking care of his hospitalized friend’s garden,” said Watson. “I could tell he needed some help, so I got some people in the office together and we went over to help.”

 

The garden turned out to be a bonafide apple orchard and Watson’s team put in work, but he said the sweat and effort was all worth it in the end.

 

“Most people haven’t driven a tractor, but my friends had the opportunity when they went to help,” said Watson. “That’s the point of it all—to get out there, to have new experiences. It all starts with just interacting with people.”

 

Party goers scramble around the cramped kitchen while making pizzas during an Italian-American get-together, Aug. 20, 2016 in Sacile, Italy. Watson met most of his Italian friends through his rock climbing hobby and by helping out his Italian co-workers.

 

From that experience, Watson started a new hobby which involved many of his co-workers. Of course, this led to even more opportunities to “never meet a stranger.”

 

“The apple orchard thing became consistent, and from there I learned about some nearby cliffs,” said Watson. “So, of course, the team got together and we went for a climb.”

 

After the first climb, they went for another. Then another. Then they lost count of the climbs and started to count the names of locals they met on the cliffs. One name, however, became a little more common for Watson.

 

“I was talking with some of my friends, and one of them mentioned a friend looking for a place to stay while she looked for an apartment,” said Watson. “I didn’t know Sara would become more than that, but I’m happy she did!”

 

 

Sara and Watson play with Sara’s niece during an Italian-American get-together, Aug. 20, 2016 in Sacile, Italy. Sara helps Watson learn Italian while they experience Italy together with their multinational friends.

 

Watson’s experiences have impacted more than just his personal life.

 

“We often forget that our Italian co-workers have been here longer than a standard tour,” said Watson. “Through building relationships with the truck drivers who bring us parts or just here in the office, I have a much greater understanding of the way the office works.”

 

His Italian counterparts gave him a different, more seasoned perspective on daily tasks and the work ethic of Watson’s Airmen. Furthermore, those relationships gave him better insight into handling personalities at work.

 

“If you just do more stuff, you have more experiences to share with other people,” said Watson. “You’ll start to relate to your team on a personal level, which transform’s them into a family that can get the job done no matter what.”

 

As a member of that team and as Watson’s troop, Staff Sgt. Wade Harp, 724th AMS vehicle control officer, joined Watson on his journey toward Italian immersion.

 

From right, Harp and Watson share a laugh while making pizzas during an Italian-American get-together, Aug. 20, 2016 in Sacile, Italy. Watson became Harp’s supervisor in June 2015 and, along with a portion of the 724th AMS team, they travel and climb across Italy and Europe.

 

“Reaching out to the Italians really enhanced my tour here,” said Harp. “I owe a lot of that to Watson. I travelled a lot more once he came around.”

 

Harp said that, like Watson, his time together with their Italian friends has opened his world to a lot of new experiences.

 

“I’ve been to Croatia several times. I’ve climbed Mangart in Slovenia,” said Harp. “After Watson convinced me to clean out the pizza oven, I even learned how to cook traditional Italian pizza for everyone. Being here has made me a better rock climber, chef and person.”

 

Harp pulls a pizza out of the oven onto a homemade pizza block during an Italian-American get-together, Aug. 20, 2016 in Sacile, Italy. He learned how to cook pizzas from watching videos online, and with Sara’s help.

 

To enjoy similar experiences, Watson said it only takes is one jump.

 

“If I see people jumping off a cliff and they’re okay, I’m going to follow them,” said Watson. “That’s all anyone needs to do—just jump. Go to the local grocery store. Get involved. Be outgoing. Soon enough, you’ll never meet a stranger the entire time you’re here.”

 

Editor’s note: U.S. Air Force photos taken and released by Senior Airman Krystal Ardrey.