Italian Heritage Month

My journey to America

By Gerardo J. Filippone

Posted

This article was written by Gerardo J. Filippone and contributed by The Per Sempre Lodge 2344, Order Son of Italy Lynbrook.


In January of 1972, my family and I experienced our first plane ride from Rome to JFK Airport in New York. I was about to turn eight years old in two months.
My father and mother thought that it was better for us to move to America and have better opportunities. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the first time I ever had Coca Cola, and I was amazed by soda!
When we landed at Kennedy Airport, we proceeded to immigration and received our green cards. Back then you needed to be sponsored to come to America, so my aunt and uncle were our sponsors. When we arrived they were waiting for us, and we went wit them to their house in Queens.
I remember that when we arrived, I was in culture shock — I’d never seen houses so close together. Where we came from, outside of Naples, was very different than Queens.
I was enrolled in school and did not speak any English, so I was being taught the language by a tutor. I studied hard to learn the language. My mother would sit with me to help me with my homework, and we learned English together.
My father found work, and worked two jobs so we could get our own place someday. My mother worked as a seamstress in a clothing factory. I continued to study and learn English.
In my career I have worked for some great corporations such as Eastman Kodak, Ricoh Corporation and today I work for a major bank in the information technology field.
I am very proud of my Italian heritage: for example, I was the only kid in the first grade that would bring a meatball hero for lunch! Sunday dinner consisted of pasta with sauce and a variety of meats (meatballs, sausage, veal, and beef). Our family was always together for all the holidays, and when we all got together, you’d think there was a fight going on — but we were just talking! Wine was always on the table. We made and continue to make tomato sauce every year, and I made homemade wine every year.
In April of 2008 I had one of my most memorable moments in my life when I became a citizen of the United States of America. I have not returned back to Italy since I left, but do speak to family members in Italy on the phone and they visit occasionally. To this day, I miss Italy and will eventually go back one day.
But America is my country now. God bless everyone and the God bless the U.S.A.

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