It was so nice to receive an award from Amore e Sapore di Famiglia. It took me a while to accept my award and fulfill my obligations, but here I am. In order to accept this award, I/you must do the following:
- List ten things you have learned about any of your ancestors that has surprised, humbled, or enlightened you”
- Pass the award along to ten other bloggers who you feel are doing their ancestors proud.
Bleeding Espresso
My Bella Vita
Geneabloggers
Calabrisella Mia
13 Hours in a Car with Mom
Olive Tree Genealogy Blog
Nonna's House
Ancestors at Rest
Greta's Genealogy Blog
Family History Is the Lie Commonly Agreed Upon
My List
- I was surprised to learn that my grandmother, Antoinette Picione, was detained at Ellis Island when she arrived to New York in August of 1921.
- I didn’t think that I had any living relatives in Curinga, Calabria, and to my surprise, I discovered my second cousin during my trip to Italy in October 2009. Maria died only one month after I returned to the United States. Maria Orlando, RIP: 1924-2009.
- I was surprised to see that my great-grandparents (Bruno and Maria) had many of their children in their late 30s and early 40s. I thought that was a trend of this generation, but it happened to in the 1870s too!
- I was surprised to see that my great aunt, Rosa Orlando, had two children between 1915-1924 and she never got married. Maria Orlando was her only surviving daughter.
- I was humbled to see that my grandfather, Carmelo Orlando, lived in a one-room house made of stone on Garibaldi St. in Curinga, Italy.
- I was enlightened to learn that my grandfather, Carmelo, played the accordion.
- I was surprised to learn that my uncle Bruno made a trip to Curinga in the 1950s and met my cousin Maria, and no one in the family ever knew about this secret!
- I was enlightened by the intense feeling of wholeness I experienced after making that trip to Italy in October 2009. It was as if a piece of my soul had been recuperated during that journey.
- I am enlightened by the love I feel for my deceased grandfather, Carmelo. This love is so strong that it proves to me that no matter if a person is living or dead, love never dies. In my case, having never met my grandfather, this intense love is even more poignant because I have no picture, no memories, just the artifacts, documents, and the memories of my trip I took to Curinga in order to honor his life.
- I was humbled by the beautiful treatment I received from the remaining Orlando family who still resides in the town of Curinga. Even though we were not able to figure out how my grandfather was related to their ancestors, we had a very beautiful experience together, researching our family trees and putting together more pieces of this amazing genealogical puzzle.
