Page 5 - Italian-American Herald - October 2022

TRAVEL
highlights for this write-up: Their arrival
in Perugia and “living in the middle of a medieval city;” their arrival in Sicily “in the land of my ancestors;” and combing through large ledger books to trace the lives of earlier generations of her family.
“If I could have a fourth [favorite memory],
it would be learning the language and being able to have rudimentary conversations in Italian,” she said. “We were never fluent but what we did know helped us to make friends and talk to locals. Speaking Italian was one of the great memories for me - speaking the language of my ancestors!” IAH
“Two Years in Italy” by Rosemary Connelly is available at www.amazon.com,
and from her studio at www.livecheapmakeart.com
ATTENTION ITALIAN-AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS & INDIVIDUALS
The White House needs to hear from us. Please email President Biden today!
Step 1: Open this link — www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Step 2: Click Message Type and select “Contact the President”
Step 3: Fill in your name, phone, email address and street address
Step 4: Copy the letter (on the right) and paste it into the “What would you like to say?” field.
Then, click SEND!
ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
OCTOBER2022 | ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM 5
FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER IF YOU’RE RUNNING AWAY TO ITALY
• Set a deadline for yourself – a goal of exactly when you want to go. Be realistic. It took us a year to pull
all the paperwork together, all the while making plans to sell our house, deciding where we wanted to live in Italy, finding a place to live, etc., moving things forward. Make lists!
• Do your homework. Find out what is required to live in Italy – visa requirements, etc. Reach out to ex-patriots online, who are a wealth of information and happy to answer your questions. It can be daunting, there is a lot of paperwork to be gathered.
• Learn the language! I can't stress this enough. Even though many people speak English, your experience will be so much richer – and more fun – if you can converse with Italians in their own language. I took classes at the community college prior to leaving, then together we studied in Perugia for a month of intensive
language lessons. Before going to Sicily we hired a private tutor who came to our house once a week.
• Say yes! One of the things we did that I am proudest of is that we said yes to opportunities – even though sometimes we weren't completely sure of what our Italian friends were proposing, or what the poster was advertising!
• Rent from locals. We had the best experiences
when the places we rented were privately owned. We developed friendships with our landlords and they showed us places we never would have found on our own. Plus we felt like there was someone who cared about us and that we could call if we needed help. And we did. Several times. We were invited on outings with friends and family and they really took us under their wings. I am still in contact with them.
– By Rosemary (Bivetto) Connelly
To President Joseph R. Biden:
PRESERVE OUR HISTORY, HONOR THE FEDERAL COLUMBUS DAY HOLIDAY
Last October, the Italian American community at large expressed its concerns over a pair of proclamations issued by you. The proclamations implied that Indigenous Peoples Day should be celebrated on Columbus Day, even though the entire month of November is duly recognized as Native American Heritage Month, and August 9th is recognized as the international celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day.
The first national Columbus Day proclamation, recognizing the 400th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the New World, was signed in 1892 by President Benjamin Harrison as a way of easing tensions between America and Italy after 11 innocent Italian immigrants were lynched in New Orleans. Thousands of people witnessed and cheered on the carnage; it was the largest lynch mob ever to assemble on U.S. soil.
By celebrating both holidays on the same day, you’ve promoted the culture of one group at the expense of another. This of course is not a demonstration of a unifying policy, but rather something less. Italian Americans request separate holidays on separate days, enabling us to properly observe and honor our proud heritage and history, as well as allowing Indigenous People to honor their heritage.
For the past year, the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations has requested a meeting with you to resolve this issue. I ask that you show our community the same respect that you’ve extended to so many groups in our country and meet with the COPOMIAO leadership to resolve this issue.
Learn more about COPOMIAO, and its Member Organizations, here: https://copomiao.org
Thank you for your time.
This message is brought to you by the COPOMIAO and its Member Organizations