Family Interview Paper

The details on how my family arrived in America have been passed down by various members of my family. The accuracy and detail of these memories have diminished with every retelling. Some of my family arrived in America so long ago that all that remains of their experiences are rumors and stretched truths. As a story gets retold over and over it loses much of its accuracy. While much of my family history relies on this kind of storytelling, there are some in my family who were alive and experienced the challenges faced by immigrants. Though born in the United States, my maternal grandfather, Sebastian Passantino, was very familiar with the hardships of being an immigrant.

As I embarked on this assignment I was unsure how to begin and what stories to tell. I did not know if I should commence with how my family came to America, my family tree, or a fascinating story about how my grandparents met. In order to complete this assignment I convened with my grandfather, Earl W. Stafford Sr., who knows a lot about our family history, to learn as much as I could.

While my grandfather, Frank Smith, and my great-grandmother, Jeannette Smith, were alive they resided in my home. I never met my grandmother, Georgie Smith, as she passed away when my mother was seven.

Are there any rules or specific roles you have set with your family to help incorporate a more functional routine?

The word migration can have a very different meaning to each individual. In the dictionary it is defined as the movement of people from one country or locality to another. I now see the word with such a deeper meaning no only is it the group of people moving, but in fact how they moved and the struggles they had to go through. Before I sat down with both of my parent and asked them about my “roots” I had no idea how difficult migration from Mexico to the US was for both of my parents families. I never took the time to listen to little details on how exactly they ended up in this country. After I took the time to listen to my elder relatives and parents talk about how they use to

“The Italian Americans” is a documentary that explains the immigration of Italians to America in the 1800 and 1900s. Italian Americans have a deep devotion to their families and family life. It is theorized that the family structure originates from the idea that you can only trust the family. People from southern Italy were not treated as equals by the government, and many southern Italian families were impoverished and struggling to survive. Consequently, the largest group of Italian immigrants in America came from southern Italy. Italian men worked on the plantations and in the heart of the industrial factories (Maggio, 2015).

For this assignment, I interviewed my wonderful mother Joan. I asked her for her opinion on the topics of marriage, sibling relationships, and grandparent relationships. She provided insightful answers that revealed a great deal about her values.

While on the phone with my grandmother, Patricia Brenna Cononie, I was filled in on the many details of my family’s immigration to the United States. Luckily for me, my grandma had an extremely detailed journal written by her mother, Verna Bizzarri Brenna, of my family’s history and journey to the states. The entries in the journal started by talking about the life of my

The predicament I am in right now is a blessing, considering the trials I have dealt with in the past. Growing up in inner-city Jacksonville propelled me into the man I am becoming today. Some of the circumstances that many inner-city adolescent youth deal with growing up, such as single-parent households, and inadequate financial stability; automatically dubbed me as a product of my environment. Paving a way for my family is what motivated me the most, and like many teenagers, I felt the task could be strictly achieved by athletics. I had a strong aspiration of playing professional sports, and had varying degrees of success in basketball, and football. Honestly, I was never considered the greatest by my peers, but it was hard to debate my work ethic. Seeing my mother work rigorously day in and day out inspired me. She encouraged me and imparted her knowledge on life’s challenges towards me.

Both my mother and my step-father are from a small town in Tetzhu located in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. They met in Dallas through family members from my mother’s side of the family, and had an instant connection. Although my mother already had my brother and I, he still took us in like his own children apart from the fact that he was only 19 years old at that time, and my mother was already about to be 30! Despite their age differences, there are very happy married to this day, and we now are a family of five. My youngest sister is now 8 years old, my brother is 17, and I am 21. We are all a very close family and I truly value what both of my parents have done for my siblings and I. I’m very grateful for having both of

After moving a countless amount of times, my home does not have a roof and windows. My home has become my biggest motivator- my father. I am one of the few, lucky people to be born into and privileged with such a small, but loving family. Not only has my father provided me with a life I can thrive in, the story of his life in China is what gives me the confidence to pursue a career in the medical field. At his high school, he studied every day for more than nine hours and became the top student, despite the fact that his future in education seemed bleak because of the Cultural Revolution. Getting a higher education was his dream, yet illegal. After succeeding in high school, he was forced by the government to attend a labor camp, where he

According to the dictionary, encouraging means, “to give hope, courage, and confidence to someone.” This describes my dad perfectly. My dad is the greatest person I’ve ever met! He is a funny and silly guy with a big fauxhawk on top of his head. So, I think you would notice him pretty easily. A couple ways my dad is encouraging are that he reminds me to use my creativity, he is a great teacher, and he cheers me on.

Family history is very important to an individual. By knowing where you come from, you can have a better perspective of your life. Having a clear understanding of your family background allows you to better appreciate the things that you would normally take for granted. The house, the car, and the average clothing may look better when one sees the sacrifices their family has made. They will see that their family has worked very hard just so their family can experience the better things in life. A persons roots and origin is one of the most important things to explore. It alone can bring you closer to self-discovery.

My parents left each other when I was very young, all i remember was not seeing my father for a long time and my mother crying almost every night for a couple of months. I couldn't figure out what was going on considering I was still very young but I remember how upset I when my father was nowhere to be found and I was told he was away on vacation. It had been about 6 months and he was still “away”. No one understood how much my father meant to me. Someone who meant so much just being taken away. It was so hard to go to school and walk around town with my mom and see kids all around holding their dads hand.

No one can’t meet a family like mine’s. My family is well diversified. Every family member plays an important role in all my family’s lives. In my family, there are four people: my father, my mother, my little brother and me. My father is one who brings money home and is also responsible for organizing and planning family trips. My mother is the one who is in charge for making meals and makes sure everyone eats at the appropriate times. My little brother is the pet of the family. He actually doesn’t have any responsibilities, for he’s the pet. I am the rock of support in my family. I always go beyond my parents’ expectations. I also support my younger cousins and little brother, by being a role model that they can look up to. Another