In 1990, my American-born father was transferred to Turin, Italy, for his job. While there, he met my mother, a full-blooded Italian woman who had grown up in Milan. They soon fell in love and four years later were married. In 1996, the light of their lives was born: me.

Growing up was definitely an interesting experience. Here are a few things that I experienced throughout my childhood and still even today

Packed Lunch

If you had opened my lunch box in my preschool and elementary school years, the last thing you would have found would be items such as Lunchables, or those microwavable Chef Boyardee cup things. Instead of Spaghetti O’s, I actually would have stuff like leftover lasagna or pasta with pesto from the night before. I used to think I was missing out on something, but now that I look back on it, it was pretty cool.

Secret Public Conversations

A fun (and sometimes not so fun) part about having a mother that taught me Italian is that we are able to talk about whatever we wanted in public, without anyone knowing what we are saying. This could be great because we were able to have private conversations without people butting in or judging what we were talking about. But this was also a prime opportunity for me to be able to be reprimanded in public. If I was getting yelled at, people could tell but at least they didn’t know what it was about.

Holidays are the bomb

Every time there is an important event, getting together with the family is a must. After my mom moved to the U.S. with my dad, my aunt, uncle, and nonna (grandmother in Italian) followed her example. We all live close together, so when we decide to get together for a holiday or birthday, everyone came, and it was a big event. I’m talking loud and long conversations about anything and everything that would last until 2 am. Sometimes the conversations turned into arguments that could go on without end.

Along with great company, the food was incredible. On Thanksgiving did we not only have the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie etc. We also had lasagna, eggplant Parmigianino, focaccia and much more.

Disbelief

No one every believed me when I told them I was Italian because I am blonde with blue eyes. They didn't get it until I started speaking in Italian with my mom around them.

Summers in Italy

When my dad met my mother and visited her small hometown he loved it. So he never had a problem visiting as much as possible. So while you were going to the local pool or at camp doing arts and crafts, I spent my summers going to the beach along the Adriatic coast, exploring historical cities and learning about my culture.

It's interesting to think that when I was a kid I might have felt like I was missing out on some “normal” things a typical American kid would experience but now that I am older and have matured, I can genuinely value the experiences that I have had because of my heritage.