Part Two: Investigate Your Past

   I was born in Towson, Maryland on July 2, 1996. I am the only one in my family who was born in America. Both of my sisters and parents were born in Naples, Italy. I’m 100% Italian. Most of my family lives in Naples, Italy. I only have two aunts in America. My aunt and her family live in North Carolina, we are very close. My other aunt and her family live in Pennsylvania but we don’t see each other often. I was baptized in Italy and spent three years there while my sister, Pia, was born. Then my family flew back to the states when I was about four or five. Italian was the first language I learned and then English. School was really hard for me because I couldn’t speak English clearly and had an accent. Now we visit my family in Italy every summer. My family came to the states for job opportunities. Most Italians own pizzerias, like the stereo-type of the fat man with a mustache holding a pizza. My family owns three restaurants. My grandparents, great grandparents, and so on didn’t own any restaurants. Instead, they would grow food on their farm and raise animals. Sometimes they would find wild bunnies on their farm and would catch them, kill them, and eat them. My grandparents still do that. I have memories of watching them run around trying to catch a bunny. When we visit them in the summer that’s what they cook for us, bunnies in tomatoes sauce, my favorite. Italians have good taste in food. We have the best pizza, lots of raw seafood, and raw pig’s mouth which is actually really good. Many Italians immigrated to America. Every year there is a reunion in New York for Italians, Italians come from all over America and some people fly from Italy to come. Italians are very friendly and welcoming people. I am very proud of my ancestry.