Podcast: My Italian Heritage

Tony: Nah, I just- I love Italy, you know. My family is from Gombitelli, a small village near Lucca, and, uh, I’m just proud to say that I’m a- I’m Italian American.

Tony: Uh, my grandfather, like I said, he- he was the hardest working man I ever knew. He was a farmer. He worked so hard. We had acres, and I grew up with him.

Tony: So, i- i- just being here and- and it’s- it’s interesting when you land, there’s a- a smell in the air when you’re in Italy, there- there is- there’s just like a feeling you get.

Tony: You know, from the first time I came here … i- it’s- it’s a beautiful thing. Eh- eh- eh- I don’t know how to explain it, but I guess when you come back to your homeland … I wasn’t born here, but I felt like I was born here, so it’s- it’s always special to come to Italy.

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Vocabulary:

Italian American – a person who lives in the United States but whose family originally came from Italy, “As an Italian American, he grew up speaking both English and Italian at home.”

hardest working man – a person who puts a massive amount of effort, time, and dedication into their job or duties, “My dad is the hardest working man I know because he wakes up at 4:00 AM every single day to go to his job.”

acres – large units of land used to measure fields, farms, or big properties, “The farmer owns fifty acres of land where he grows corn and wheat.”

from the first time – starting right at the very beginning of an experience; ever since the initial moment, “From the first time I saw the ocean, I knew I wanted to live near the beach.”

homeland – the country where a person was born, or the country where their family historically came from, “After living abroad for twenty years, she finally returned to her homeland to visit her old friends.”