Beyond These Skies...Part 3....European at Heart

I could never have completely understood the step I was about to take as I boarded that plane, destined for an unknown land. Born and raised in Victoria, Australia, I learnt a carefree kind of lifestyle, allowed to roam the streets freely on my bicycle and play with friends in the streets. I made friends easily and achieved much in my schooling and sporting activities. But I longed for Italy and the continent of Europe. Born to an English father and a Sicilian Mother, I was brought up within a family where Europe was home to every single ancestors before me. Their stories of immigration intertwined within my families’ history. I grew up being Australian but feeling deeply European within my heart. My siblings and I, faced with the knowledge of being the first generation of Australians within our family, lived in a world where our European families roots where as important to us as was celebrating Australia day. We only had to look as far as our parents to understand that another world outside of Australia existed. A world which we had become a part of due to our parents and grandparents traditions which they carried in their hearts and brought with them on their voyages to a new land.