Even though I have family spread out throughout the world all my family members can be traced back to Italy. Starting with both my dad's and my mom's parents who were born in Italy. My dad’s parents were born in a small town called Bojano which is located in southern Italy, about two hours south of rome. My mom’s parents were also born in a small town called Trento, but in northern Italy and is very close to the Austrian border. I’m quite familiar with the reasons my grandparents moved from Italy to Canada as my Grandfather on my dad’s side is very fond of where he came from and really enjoys talking to me about his life. From the stories he has told me, research I have done on the country in the past, and living there for four months I’ve come to learn my life would be drastically different if my grandparents never moved.
My grandparents moved to Italy when they were 18 because they knew Canada offered opportunity. My grandparents, along with my great grandfather, were very poor when they moved to Canada in 1957 and didn’t know a word of english when they arrived here, but my grandfather quickly found a job doing upholstery, a lot different than the farm work back home. The boat docked on the east coast of Canada and my grandparents quickly ended up in Vaughan, ON where they have remained all their life.
“The boat ride from Italy was about two weeks long, and I was very nervous about leaving my family to move to a new country for a chance at a better life. I didn’t know what to expect when we got there and not speaking any english or knowing anyone made its interesting. I’m happy with my choice to move as it has given our family a better life, not just for me and your grandmother, but for everyone in our family. I always go back to Italy because to me that is my real home so I don’t miss it as much as I first did when we moved here (Colalillo).
This is a picture of the boat my grandfather took from Italy. My grandfather has a picture of the boat after he docked, but unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to get the exact picture from my grandparents. This is the same boat just not my grandfather's framed photo
(Pier 21 Queen Federica 1957)
I asked my grandfather about what he thinks his life would have been like if he had chosen not to come to Canada, and he was quite opinionated on how it would been extremely different of what it is now. My grandfather left Italy for the opportunity Canada had to offer, so he thought his life would have continued as normal if he remained in Italy. He does love the country he originated from and visits back frequently.
After conducting my own research on what Italy would be like if I was living there now I wasn’t surprised to find they have quite a different lifestyle then we do in Canada. Some facts I came to learn was Italy outranks the OECD average when it comes to health, balanced lifestyle, and people being social (oecdbetterlifeindex). To no surprise Italy is a poorer country with jobs being hard to come by with only 57% of people aged 15-64 have a paying job, so just like my grandparents finding a job in Italy would still be a challenge if I was to live there today. Italy may be a country that struggles to provide work, but the people living in the country are quite happy. If I was to move Italy I would follow the lifestyle they address as La Bella Figura, which translates to the beautiful figure. This lifestyle is all about living a happy life while doing everything you would do being anywhere in the world. It’s this lifestyle all Italians are happy to live and one I think I could easily adjust to if I lived in the country.
Now if I was living in Italy I know I would be very happy with the life they live. It would be fun to live a much more relaxed lifestyle then I do here and getting more enjoyment out of the little things that are done on a daily basis. Work would be a little tough and I wouldn’t have access to all the things I have in Canada, but I’m happy my family moved here because I still visit Italy and enjoy what it has to offer all while still living in Canada.
Work Citations:
-https://www.pier21.ca/ship-images-q
Colalillo, Antonio. Interview. 25 Dec. 2016.
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