Marianna Culella
Homeland?
Roccamena, Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Year Immigrated to United States?
1960
Age when immigrated?
20
Why did you leave your country?
More opportunities to work and make money. There weren't any work opportunities for women in Italy. All of the jobs were work on the farm. My father and brother were also already in America and so we wanted to meet them there.
What had you heard about the United States? What expectations did you have?
I had always heard that there were more opportunities in the United States to live a better life and to work. In Italy, work on the farm was not very reliable. If it was raining, the wheat would not grow and we would not make enough money to buy clothes to pay the farm helpers. In America, we knew we could have more stability in income.
Did you leave your family behind?
Yes. We left behind my brother and sister in Italy. We worked so hard to save up money and send them money to come to New York. It took us one year to save up money to send. We were so happy when they came.
Where in the United States did you arrive?
New York
What was the journey like?
I came by boat. The name of the boat was Saturnia. It took 13 days to make it to America. There were 25,000 people on the ship. I was so sick the entire time. We slept in a small cabin in bunk beds, it was very tight. As soon as I step foot on land in New York, I was ok. I found my father and brother there waiting to pick us up and everything was ok.
What was your first job in the United States?
I worked in the factories. I learned to sew and press clothes. At first it was very hard, but little by little, I learned. My job is where I started to learn English.
Did you attend school in the United States? What was it like?
No. I only attended elementary school in Italy.
As time has passed, how does your experience in the United States compare to what you expected?
America has provided me with the opportunity to work, make money and raise my family. The first time I was able to buy myself shoes and a nice skirt was in America.
How do you maintain your culture and customs of your home country? Is it difficult to do so?
I still do things the same way as I did in Italy. I still make pasta, cannoli. I teach my family the ways of my country. I cook simple, always.
What was the best thing about your immigrant experience? What has been the most difficult or challenging? Are there any times you felt welcomed or unwelcomed as an immigrant?
At times it was so hard because people couldn't understand me. I often thought they were making fun of me. I never gave up though. I didn't care what people thought, I always kept practicing English.