Oral History Subject

     Imagine she is only nine and traveling by boat for weeks to reach her destination - The Land of the Free.  Once arriving in this new country, her first experience is a stop at Ellis Island, where she is marked with an REJ label and detained.  She is then separated from her Aunt and Uncle, who have been cleared.  She is made to sleep in a crowded room with many other women with only a single bulb hanging from the ceiling for light.  Once the morning comes, she is released to her Uncle and Aunt, who waited outside all night in the cold to take her to her new home.  This is Adina Cascheras introduction to the United States of America.

     Adina was born Adina Gianfelice on January 19, 1927 in Palata, Italy; a southern province of Campobasso (Lynch, 2010, July).  She grew up in a tight-knit family in which religion and family were the main focus.  Her parents, like most Italian families, raised her with very specific and old-fashioned ideas about acceptable behavior for young girls and boys (Barone, 2006, P. 19).  She was always surrounded by family, extended family, and friends; laughing, playing and attending church, which prompts Adina’s memory of people in Italy as much more kind, warm, affectionate and holding a high degree of respect for their elders; unlike in the United States, where people hold back unless they know you well.    She continued by saying that in the United States people do not acknowledge you with a hello. They stare right ahead.  However, in Italy, where everyone was considered the same--Italians, they would greet you with enthusiasm;   especially in church.

      Everything revolved around the church.  Even big parades center on the church, where as the children dress in white representing angels, and church members carry platforms holding the marble statues of saints.  In addition, bedspreads are hung out for three days for the Feast of St. Anthony celebrated on June 13^th. This is the day in which Italians celebrate Saint Anthony of Padua, who died on June 13, 1231 (http://www.st-anthony-medal.com/saint-anthony-padua-feast-day.htm).   During this time little boys dress like monks and carry the bedspreads thru the streets.  Townspeople throw money into the stretched out bedspreads, and all the money goes directly to the church.

     Because everything revolves around the church Christmas is a big celebration, but not like the Christmases known in the United States.  Italian Christmas solely revolves around the nativity of Jesus.  There are no presents as material items were not important.  It is a two week event in which all the aunts, uncles and cousins begin by gathering for Christmas Eve, and the mother of the house makes Scripella and put it in a dish towel and everyone shares it.  This fried dough is topped with either sugar or salt.  Every family brings the same Scripella, but it is tradition to share each families offering.  January 6th marked the Epiphany in which the three kings arrive to see Jesus and bring presents.  This is here the children would find a stocking filled by La Befana “the image of the Hallowe'en witch riding on her broom stick, bringing blessings and frightening all, but filling children's stockings with sweets” (Dawn, 1995), some coal--(because no one is perfect), oranges and nuts.

     Adina explained that besides being very religious, Italians are very superstitious.  When people would develop headaches, it meant someone put the evil eye, Malucchio, on him/her.  In order to rid themselves of this evil, they would make the sign of the cross and drop water into olive oil.  If the water stayed in a drop, it meant one didn’t have the evil eye on him/her, but if it splattered, it meant the evil eye was upon them, but this ritual had broken the spell.  To protect themselves from the evil eye, Italians wear a horn shaped necklace called the Coragio.  As much as Adina loved talking about the church and superstitions, she was most proud of her accomplishments in school.

     In school, Adina was at the top of her class.  She enjoyed school.  She was a part of a culture whose language is pronounced exactly as it is written and it was easy for her.  She never once went below an A.  She is driven and determined to be the best.  Adina stated that most Italians at the time were farmers, not restaurant owners as many in the United States believe, and she had goals to reach beyond the norm and become something more than a farmer’s wife.  She had many friends and loved her teachers.  However, soon her life of a close-knit family, friends, and love of school would all change with the visit of her Uncle and Aunt, who had immigrated to the United States years before.

     Adina anticipated the arrival of her Aunt and Uncle with excitement.  She is excited to hear about the country in which the streets are lined with gold.  Where everyone is rich and has opportunities unavailable to Italians under the reign of Mussolini.  However, her excitement is short lived when after arriving her Aunt and Uncle suggested that Adina would fare better living in the United States; and since they wanted to adopt a baby, it is the belief that a family adoption would be more suitable.  The discussion was on and off for the entire visit until finally with an approval by her father and a silent disapproval from her mother, Adina was told that she would be leaving to live with her relatives in the United States.

     After her detainment at Ellis Island, Adina’s Uncle and Aunt waited all night for her to meet the acceptable immigration regulations which,

although supposedly "scientific" and "objective" (and warped by racial, ethnic and class prejudice), actually gave commissioners such as William Williams and Robert Watchorn considerable latitude, for despite political pressures it was they who decided whether the wayfarers parked on America's doorstep were "likely to become a public charge," guilty of "moral turpitude, or fit into other undesirable categories (Spoehr, 2009, p. 5);

or, as in Adina’s case, to be met by an American citizen, which by this time her Aunt and Uncle had become.  Thus, once the morning arrived her family is able to take her to her new home.

     As Adina and her Aunt and Uncle set-off for their journey, she is shocked and confused that the streets she was told are lined with gold… are dirt.  Furthermore, her first meal served to her in the United States is on paper plates instead of the china she was used to using in Italy.  Adina thought for sure she was in the wrong place.  After all she heard Adina was experiencing a severe culture shock.  In addition, she spoke no English and is frightened and scared because she doesn’t understand the verbal and nonverbal communication she is encountering.  She thought people’s gestures meant they didn’t like her, or there was something wrong with her.  No one greeted her with a hug, and some people just stared at her adding to her anxiety.

     Three days after arriving to her new home, Adina is sent to public school. She remembers little about the first few weeks at school with the exception of one vivid memory that haunts her to this day.  On the playground, the children pushed her into the middle of a circle and surrounded her.   Throwing pebbles at her to make her jump, they called her such names as Mussolini, whop, trickster, gangster and dummy, names often used in American made movies about Italians (Cavallero, 2004, p. 2).  She didn’t understand what they meant by calling her Mussolini and whop as she was not accustom to stereotyping in Italy, although she did understand the word dummy.  She began to think all Americans were mean and hateful, which left a lasting sour impression but is put at ease by one young boy named Justin, who ran for help from the principle.  Justin became Adina’s first friend in school.

     Adina went home that day from school and began to study the English language.  Because there were no tutors in school, as they have today, she knew it was up to her to learn the language, which she did. She listened to every customer who came into the store.  If they asked for sugar, salt, cheese, or whatever, she would spell it, write it down, and repeat the word until she knew it by heart.  She explains in Italy A pronounced aw, and e pronounced A makes learning English more confusing and difficult, but she did this while working long hours at her Uncle’s store.  Adina managed to learn the language, which was quite difficult because of words with silent letters, and not pronounced as written, and also managed to be one of the top students in her class.  She states she never got below an A that school year, or any school year after.  Adina stated what she was taught in Italy:  To always work hard whether it is for family, the church, a job, or school.

    After graduating from high school, Adina met and married an Italian-American man named Michael Caschera.  At the age of 21, pregnant and full of hope for the future, Adina became an American citizen.  At this time, Adina and her family moved to Duboistown in which they are greeted with disapproval by neighbors who believed the Mafia had moved into their neighborhood.  They are called names by their neighbors, which was Adina’s second noticeable experience with hate speech from the American culture.  Adina stated it was bad enough that they were Italian, but on top of that, they were catholic, which didn’t fit into the mostly Protestant environment.  After overcoming these stereotypes of Italian-Americans, the Cascheras settled in to life raising their growing family.

     Soon after giving birth to her fourth child, Adina’s husband left her.  She was 34.  This was another shock for her as Italian divorce rate at the time was very low compared to the divorce rate in the United States (Jandt, 2010, p. 259).  Left alone with only $.50 to her name, Adina began to make and sell pizzas on Fridays, and during the rest of the week she cleaned houses, and ironed laundry.  Eventually, she began to babysit other’s children and opened a daycare she operated until she retired at the age of 74.  She raised all of her children by herself, as she never remarried.  Adina makes a point of explaining she also never dated again.  What she accomplished, she did on her own without any help.

     Adina became the first woman licensed to run a daycare in Williamsport.  Although not her first choice of an occupation, it served her well for over 40 years.  After retiring from her business, she concentrated solely on her children and grandchildren.  She attends all of her son’s and her daughter’s musical and dramatic performances.  She attends all her grandchildren’s sporting events.  She is busier than she has ever been.

     This past year Adina faced the biggest heartbreak of her life.  She lost her oldest son Anthony; however, with her unwavering faith she is able to continue on, and to be thankful for the time she had with him. She knows he is in a better place.

     At the age of 83, this petite, 4 foot 9 inch, upper middle-class woman is so proud of her children, which is evident in how she relates to my best friend, her daughter Annette.   It is apparent that her life revolves around her original values of church and family learned long ago and many thousands of miles away from her current residence. It is due to her strong faith and family values that she was able to overcome not becoming a writer.  It was an Italian woman’s place to be in the home (Barone, 2006, p. 19), therefore, that is how she lived her life, in the home, raising her family to become musicians, actors, and businessmen; and later, helping to raise other’s children.  Her children did not grow up to be shoe makers, hat designers, pizza makers or farmers as those in her native Italy had become.   They were free to be who they desired to be….unlike Adina whose future was carved in stone at the tender age of nine.  This woman, who identifies herself as an Italian-American, mom, and grandmother, is proud of her country of origin, but even more proud to be an American.  This is Adina Caschera’s life in the “best country in the world” (Personal Communication, 2010) — The United States.

     References

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