Originally from Mola di Bari, Italy, one of my closest friends, Pasqua Guardavaccaro also known as “Tina” was delighted to share with me, her immigration experience. As we sat over coffee, Pasqua explained how her move to “the new world” allowed her ultimate childhood dreams to become a reality. After docking in Elis Island, Tina expressed how her life drastically changed right before her eyes. She also spoke about certain obstacles that she was forced to overcome while making her transformation from a foreigner to the American she is today.
“Pasqua, what kind of name is that?” said a student in my fourth grade class. Aside from all the snickering and giggles, this was just about the only conversation anyone of my classmates ever had with me when I was first introduced as “the new girl from another country.” I remember it like it was yesterday, me - a foreigner from a small town in southern Italy oblivious to the fast - paced New York City lifestyle. As I stood in front of the class with Mrs. Richardson, I was forced to introduce myself with the little to no English that I knew. I could still feel the heat melting down my bright red face that resembled a tomato or as we say in Italian, pomodoro, as I stared into a classroom filled with nothing but American faces. Day after day, I would go home and tell my parents how America did not feel like the “free land” that everyone bragged about. All I wanted to do was go back home, but I needed to realize that this was my home and there was nothing .. absolutely nothing I could do about it.
Everyday at dinner time, my parents would ask me how school went, I would tell them how I constantly got teased and picked on. There was also many times where I knew the answers to the questions my teacher asked, but was too embarrassed to answer in my Molese accent. Therefore, the other kids thought I was unintelligent, which made the teasing even worse. I used to come home with gum stuck in my hair and a sticky face from all the tears that flowed from my eyes - but most important of all, at nine years old, I did not understand WHY my family was here. My mother Loretta explained, “Pasqua, back in Bari, daddy have no job. We come here so daddy no leave us for months at a time to work for money.” She would also say , “ We come to America for better opportunity so one day you can have good life for your family.”
What my mother was trying to say was how in my hometown, it was very difficult for people to work, basically, you had two choices, either you would work on the ships and leave your family for six months to a year, or leave for Germany and find work there. My mother would never allow my father to move out to Germany, so instead, he worked in Bari for a large fishing industry that supplied fresh fish throughout the southern Italian region. Sometimes he would leave us for six months .. eight months or even a whole year before he would return home. With my younger brother and I to take care of, my mother greatly struggled without my father around - this was the main reason why my parents decided to migrate to America - for a normal and more “free” life.
My uncle, Francesco ( my father’s brother ) had already been in America for several years, so he helped make our move much easier. We stayed with him and his family in a small apartment in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn for about a year and a half until we moved to our apartment not that far away. My father and uncle worked in a pizzeria down the street while my mother was a typical housewife who took care of my brother and I. I remember when I used to watch papa make pizzas, how happy he was, the smile that was always on his face lit up the entire room. He used to tell me how one day he wished he could open up his own pizzeria and keep Italy alive in his heart by making all different types of Italian dishes.
Twelve years later, my English has greatly improved. Occasionally, my broken English comes into play if I’m at home or casually speaking with friends. I might say something like “ io voglio water!”, meaning, “I want water!” or “io sta andare dentro il backyard”, which means “I’m going in the backyard.” I can honestly say that I feel very comfortable with English, but there are times when I make up my own little mixes of Italian and English words. I guess it’s just common nature to me. You are probably wondering how I came up with the name “Tina” from “Pasqua”, well, I was named after my grandmother, meaning “Easter” in the Italian language, but after living in America for several years, I decided to “Americanize” my name to Tina, which is more plain and simple. I actually think it fits me well. Becoming an American citizen has brought not only my family an opportunity to fulfill their dreams, but has also given me the chance to pursue my education and set high goals for my future. To explain, I am currently a student at Saint Joseph’s College in downtown Brooklyn majoring in education with the hopes of becoming a foreign language teacher. Without making the move to The United States, I highly doubt that I would ever have the opportunity to attend a college, because in my hometown, the education field is not what they say - booming. I feel as if my immigration experience succeeds the average experience, because this wonderful country has offered my family opportunity and freedom. My father now proudly owns a delicious Italian restaurant located in Staten Island after many years of working in a small pizzeria with the hopes of one day owning his own. Also, I am on my way to becoming an Italian teacher, which allows me to keep my Italian culture close to my heart, but at the same time fulfill my American dream. I visit my family back home in Italy about once a year, hoping that they will soon join us Americans in The United States, and I look forward to someday raising my own children right here in America.
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