tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27514770064271719092024-02-06T22:40:14.534-05:00La Mia FamigliaTracing My Roots Back to CalabriaJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-15779197190236117142012-11-27T19:30:00.000-05:002012-11-27T19:30:00.884-05:00thoughts on grief. 6 years later.<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-41255963693667674402011-05-25T07:01:00.001-04:002011-05-25T07:03:23.699-04:00Fish Soup-An Oral History Project at Mount Holyoke CollegeThis past weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in an oral history project at my alma mater, Mount Holyoke College. The project has been in existence since 2009 and it very similar to Story Corps, another oral history project that has been recording the stories of Americans since 2003. Story Corps recordings can be heard every week on National Public Radio. I went to NewJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-57895322470926713482010-04-25T16:16:00.004-04:002010-04-25T17:08:40.773-04:00I'm Ancestor ApprovedIt 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 Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-55417152537348622442010-04-25T13:36:00.000-04:002010-04-25T13:37:25.287-04:00Jennifer's Video Update (in Italiano!) - April 25, 2010Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-61426476150803026002010-03-14T12:49:00.002-04:002010-03-14T12:58:35.839-04:00March 14thIn case some of you were still wondering why I am so drawn to Spanish-speaking cultures, I have an answer for you: I was conceived in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I have no Spanish or Latin American blood, as far as I am aware of, but many people who know me say, “You seem more “latina” than North American. For what it’s worth, I like to use the story of my parents’ trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico inJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-77536325475727203072010-02-11T20:37:00.006-05:002010-02-11T21:02:07.748-05:00Genealogy, the Hot New Topic on TelevisionIn the past 2 days, I have learned about two new television programs that deal with ancestry and genealogy. One program, Faces of America, is a PBS series that features Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Gates interviews 12 renowned Americans who ancestral stories are researched and shared on the series. I saw the first episode last night and I can see I am going to be busy on Wednesday evenings for a Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-16335035217562686192010-01-18T22:28:00.009-05:002010-01-18T23:28:01.053-05:00My StoryCorps ExperienceKathy and I at the StoryCorps Story Booth in NYC.Some of you have asked me on Facebook about my experience at StoryCorps this weekend. I have a one word response: Wonderful!Now that I have done it myself, I am going to encourage you all to participate in this initiative because I feel even more strongly about StoryCorps now. Your story is just as important as the person next to you, so there is Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-3560563105946555132010-01-15T18:26:00.006-05:002010-01-18T23:18:58.508-05:00StoryCorps, Here I ComeTomorrow I will go to New York City to record my ancestral journey on StoryCorps. If you are not familiar with StoryCorps, you should definitely check out this wonderful initiative that has traveled across the country recording life stories of different individuals and families. You may decide you want to tell a story too!A friend and colleague of mine heard my story back in November and she was Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-85246967950549189292010-01-08T23:39:00.006-05:002010-01-09T07:01:18.091-05:00Breathing Life Back into My Work, and My Ancestors Photo Credit: Karen MeyeresKeeping this project alive all depends on my persistence. There are some days when this project has a life of its own and moves forward without my help (those moments are what I call “the treasures”), and then there are phases when I feel like if I don’t blow life back into my work, it will lose momentum and die. This feeling is particularly apparent when I feel less Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-21058893948783241062009-12-22T23:02:00.002-05:002009-12-22T23:07:28.829-05:00My Citizenship Appointment I finally made my appointment with the Italian Consulate of New York. I still have significant work to do: ammend documents, obtain Apostilles, and translate everything. But I have my appointment, finally.The first available appointment was on October 12, 2010. October 12th is also my mother's birthday. Sweet.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-73721865588881054152009-12-05T17:11:00.001-05:002009-12-05T17:12:11.295-05:00Remembering My Mother, Angela Orlando RaffertyJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-22676251902148438422009-12-02T23:24:00.006-05:002009-12-03T00:32:05.974-05:00Francesco Persano, My Grandfather's Travel CompanionFor the longest time, I have wanted to share this photo of "La Bretagne", the ship that my grandfather took when he came to this country for the first time in 1909. Today seems like the appropriate day because something amazing happened!Today I received an email from a man named Dave whose grandfather also came from Curinga. Dave happened to find this blog because he was visiting my other Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-79874784548284490812009-11-22T21:28:00.009-05:002009-11-22T23:25:21.935-05:00Saying Goodbye to Maria Orlando: 1924-2009Maria and Jennifer holding a picture of Maria's cousins, October 2009 21-11-2009Jennifer,Mi dispiace dirti che Maria Orlando e morta oggi presso l'ospedale di Lamezia Terme. I funerali si faranno lunedi alle 13,30.Claudio November 21, 2009Jennifer,I am sorry to tell you that Maria Orlando died today at the Lamezia Terme hospital. The funeral will be on Monday at 1:30pm.ClaudioI woke up this Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-80019497988730295702009-11-15T21:04:00.008-05:002009-11-15T21:38:55.290-05:00Lettera Aperta a JenniferJennifer at her grandfather's house in CuringaAbout a year before I arrived to Curinga, I sent an email to the webmaster for the Curinga Insieme website. I saw that they invited readers to send publications and letters, so I decided to take a chance and send my letter to be published on their website. The webmaster, Cesare Cesareo, was nice enough to publish my short note and we continued to Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-21382577295176113542009-11-12T21:38:00.008-05:002009-11-22T23:35:22.985-05:00Rosa OrlandoFilming by Rick AllredI keep thinking about my great aunt Rosa, Maria Orlando’s mother. Rosa was born in 1881, and she was the older sister of my grandfather, Carmelo.Before I even arrived to Curinga, I had been creating an image of her in my mind. The image was based on written documentation that provided a few scant details about her life. She was single, she was a spinster, and she died at theJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-84949950793430968412009-11-04T18:54:00.009-05:002009-11-04T22:48:06.188-05:00My Grandfather's House in CuringaIt has been two weeks since I returned to the United States after my two-week sojourn in Italy. My body has practically adjusted to the time change, the food and solitary dinners at home, but I hang on as best I can to some of the emotions and sensations that ran through my body during those two weeks in Curinga. I know that much of what I experienced in Italy was a better reflection of my true Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-1418010015813757872009-10-22T18:37:00.004-04:002009-10-22T21:07:26.336-04:00Finding My Blood in CuringaThe day I went to the rest home with Mr. Orlando and Eleonora, I had just about 15 minutes to absorb the news that I had a second cousin in Curinga before we came face to face in the visiting area of the "casa di riposo". Despite the fact that Eleonora told me in the car about my relationship to Maria Orlando, I still couldn't believe what I was hearing. I wanted to believe her, but part of me Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-3648164032117530062009-10-17T08:50:00.002-04:002009-10-17T08:58:43.268-04:00What Vital Records Don't Tell YouAfter all my research on the internet and in the town hall here in Curinga, there was still a missing piece in the puzzle. That piece is Maria Orlando. I never knew she existed. Her mother, Rosa, had been listed as a single woman on all her vital records, so I assumed she never had children.I expected that I would come to Curinga to hear stories and read vital records about my grandfather's Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-86340209672108778582009-10-16T09:40:00.003-04:002009-10-16T09:47:34.093-04:00Finding Grandpa's Neighborhood in CuringaToday I went to the town hall of Curinga to continue my research on my grandfather's lineage. I have now confirmed that he was born in Curinga and I have a copy of his birth certificate for mycitizenship application.The Orlando family and I are trying to figure out the connection that exists between our two families. If it exists at all.Eleonora and her father, Guiseppe, had done some research Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-53913133070895470542009-10-13T08:40:00.002-04:002009-10-13T08:47:03.937-04:00Curinga, Medicine for My SoulCuringa at sunset, with a view of the Eolie islands and Stromboli (Volcano) Tonight I wrote to a dear friend of mine who lives in Spain. I tried to describe this trip and what it is doing for my general wellbeing. I know that many people will ask me when I return, what did I see? Where did I go? When I tell them I went to Curinga and I spent 10 days in a town without seeing other cities or Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-58271300342827329182009-10-12T14:45:00.002-04:002009-10-12T14:56:23.300-04:00Jennifer's Arrival to ItalyI have arrived to Rome. All has gone pretty smoothly for me except for my check-in at Blu-Express. They got me good for having gone over their weight limit. The limit is 17 kilos for the checked luggage, and 5 kilos for the carry-on. It was a joke of sorts, watching the people before me rearrange their suitcase content moving it from one bag to another. I stood in the line wondering if I would Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-16655770468452515502009-10-05T17:43:00.004-04:002009-10-05T17:51:01.520-04:00The AccordionPhoto taken by iMarco89One of my goals for my trip to Italy is to hear live Calabrian tarantella. I have watch videos countless times on YouTube, but I would love to hear and see the musicians performing in person. I wouldn’t mind dancing a tarantella myself, to tell you the truth. I recently learned that my grandfather owned an accordion. I was touched to learn this fact as I have always tried Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-44388080917458755912009-09-09T15:25:00.004-04:002009-09-09T20:43:53.753-04:00News from NARA about My NonniResponse from the NARA office today:"The National Archives is the repository of naturalization records for the Federal District and Circuit Courts. The indexes for the Federal Courts in the Middle District of PA were searched for the years 1901-1990. We found the naturalization record for Antoinette Piccione Orlando, naturalized in 1948. According to her papers, her husband was deceased by that Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-11140369975501514402009-08-27T20:50:00.004-04:002009-08-27T20:56:12.122-04:00This is Curinga, the Town of My NonnoThis is Curinga, the town where my grandfather was born. God willing, soon my feet will walk through these streets. Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751477006427171909.post-7266429595865141282009-08-25T20:07:00.008-04:002009-08-25T20:52:24.007-04:00Making Hotel Reservations Brings More Surprises...So, I am moving ahead now with making reservations in the towns where I will be staying while I am in Italy in October. I have selected my hotel in Rome, my hotel in Lamezia Terme, and my hotel in Curinga.I called the Hotel Golden in Curinga just the other day to make my reservations. I successfully made myself clear in Italian, and I proceeded to ask the receptionist if he could email me a Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05165419338996433621noreply@blogger.com1