My grandfather was born in Sicily in 1944. Him and his family worked on a farm, for the
farm owners where they made some of the profit from the crops to earn money. In
1952 my grandpa’s father came to America with his daughter, their oldest child.
They came to America to earn money and make a better life for themselves and
the rest of their family, leaving behind the rest of their family. They moved
into a one-room apartment, and got jobs in a factory. Three years later they
earned enough money and sent it to their family back in Italy. My grandpa, age
11, and 3 of his brothers and his mother paid for the cheapest ship they could
afford to get them to America and be able to reconnect to their family. The trip took them two weeks on a ship that
was tightly packed with people and sickness and disease spread quickly. My
grandpa got very sick, as well as his 5-year old brother and were forced to
wait until they arrived for any sort of medical treatment. When they arrived
and recovered from the trip they went through Ellis Island with everyone else
who had just arrived. Together they
moved into an apartment on Elizabeth Street and all the children were sent to
work in factories. Until age 16, my grandfather mainly worked in a factory
making stuffed toys and then when he was old enough my grandpa started working
in a candy store that his father owned.
There he met my grandma and lived the rest of his life here in New York.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Walk
Walk
Me and Paige worked together to create and scavenger hunt throughout union square park. At first when we walked through the park we noticed that many things reminded us of our home towns. We started talking about our lives and we realized how similar we were. We made clues, little poems that lead the rest of the class through Union Square. We used three types of clues, poems, photos of our homes and objects that helped direct the class. I hope the scavenger hunt helped the class get a sense of what our lives are like outside of Parsons and i hope it sparked some memories of our own.
Me and Paige worked together to create and scavenger hunt throughout union square park. At first when we walked through the park we noticed that many things reminded us of our home towns. We started talking about our lives and we realized how similar we were. We made clues, little poems that lead the rest of the class through Union Square. We used three types of clues, poems, photos of our homes and objects that helped direct the class. I hope the scavenger hunt helped the class get a sense of what our lives are like outside of Parsons and i hope it sparked some memories of our own.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
2nd Ave. and 4th St.
During the exploration of my block, i noticed that the streets were quiet, empty, and didn't feel like i was standing in one of the busiest cities in the world. The apartments were short and all made up of warm red and brown bricks with large black metal balconies on the outsides. Small groups of people quietly roamed around. Tons of bikes were chained up to the trees that blocked almost all the sun. Young children rode their bikes up and down the streets, mothers talked about their nannies and future vacations. A man walking his dog, explained to me his life growing up on that street, How he loved it and learned to be aware of his surroundings. Just from observing, and talking to the people who know and live there i learned a lot about the area.
During the exploration of my block, i noticed that the streets were quiet, empty, and didn't feel like i was standing in one of the busiest cities in the world. The apartments were short and all made up of warm red and brown bricks with large black metal balconies on the outsides. Small groups of people quietly roamed around. Tons of bikes were chained up to the trees that blocked almost all the sun. Young children rode their bikes up and down the streets, mothers talked about their nannies and future vacations. A man walking his dog, explained to me his life growing up on that street, How he loved it and learned to be aware of his surroundings. Just from observing, and talking to the people who know and live there i learned a lot about the area.
Subway Stories
While i wasn't there with the class when the took notes and made stories about people on the subway, I did the assignment on one of my own experiences on the subway.
I was leaving Penn Station, headed to 14th Street on a downtown 1 train, when a group of 3 men and one woman get on. My headphones were in so I couldn't hear anything they said to one another. They were all wearing matching navy button downs and navy top hats. They had Red and white stripe bow ties on and matching red and white ribbons around the base of their hats. The doors close and l heard a nose over my headphones, I take them out on my ears and hear the 4 people start sings in harmonies. The start singing old 50’s music and dancing. It wasnt a crowded subway and almost everyone was seated excpet for 4 or 5 people standing by the dorrs, like myself. As they start dancing a man jumps out of his seat pulls a top hat with ribbon out from behind his back and starts to join them. 3 other men joined in after him and a flash mob broke out in my subway car. distracted by the singing and the subway coming to a halting stop, i lost my balance and stumbled backwards. The main singer turn towards me and begins to sing about how i should be holding on to the silver pole in front of me. I laugh and watch as the rest of the singers join in on his made up song. The song ended and I nodded at him and exited the train as the doors open. They werent asking for money, they just loved to sing and they got the whole car singing with them.
Immigrant Stories
- Francesco DiPinto arrived on Ellis Island 1912
- Moved to the United States do to Poverty
- Small bag and the clothes on his back
- Married Lucia Capurso
- Couldn't speak English
- Found work in a factory through a friend
- Lucia was a house wife up until WWII
- The worked in a factory with her 2 daughters
- They moved into a 3 story apartment in an italian neighborhood
- The grocery stores, bakeries, butcher shops, churches and Mafia, kept the community united
- Learned english through newspapers
- Maintained Italian cooking
- Ate more meat
- Richer foods were available here
- Eventually purchased their own home to raise their family in the same italian neighborhood
Reminds me of stories my grandfather used to tell me about himself moving to the united states, almost the same story to the one with Francesco and his wife, and many other stories out on the internet.
- Francesco DiPinto arrived on Ellis Island 1912
- Moved to the United States do to Poverty
- Small bag and the clothes on his back
- Married Lucia Capurso
- Couldn't speak English
- Found work in a factory through a friend
- Lucia was a house wife up until WWII
- The worked in a factory with her 2 daughters
- They moved into a 3 story apartment in an italian neighborhood
- The grocery stores, bakeries, butcher shops, churches and Mafia, kept the community united
- Learned english through newspapers
- Maintained Italian cooking
- Ate more meat
- Richer foods were available here
- Eventually purchased their own home to raise their family in the same italian neighborhood
Reminds me of stories my grandfather used to tell me about himself moving to the united states, almost the same story to the one with Francesco and his wife, and many other stories out on the internet.
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