DEPARTED FROM
Turin, Italy
ARRIVED IN
New York, New York
YEAR
2006
AGE
25
NOW LIVES IN
Seattle, Washington
TRANSCRIPT
My name is Michela Tartaglia and I am 35 years old and coming from Turin, Piedmont region in Italy.
So, I came, my plan was to come here just for one year, a sabbatical year and then go back to Italy and then do my Ph.D.
But you know I fell in love, I got married, I had my first child.
The sabbatical year was planned to improve my English.
In order to improve my English I thought: where am I going? I’m going to the United States of America.
And what’s the easiest form for me the things that are easy to be sponsored and something I can do just for one year? I’m going to be an au pair.
So, it was November 2006 a terrible windstorm and so it was very rainy very windy and the city lost the power for five days, I, I , couldn’t I was in a place without power and without heat so yes I remember very well that it was hard.
At the beginning I was shocked by many things like one was the ability of some Americans all the time to eat in the car like to eat in the car is for, is for an Italian that is no the worst place to eat, especially when you’re driving in the car.
Even in your own country when you move from one city to another one you are exposed to a different environment, different culture I mean think about personal moves even from east coast to west coast so yeah definitely changes in a good way because you open your mind you see things with a wider perspective.
So in my case I am an Italian in my heart and in my being so I will be forever be an Italian.
