March 1st, 2019

AD= Alicia Davies

MB= Mina Bucci

TB= Tony Bucci

.

.

AD: Okay so Nonna when did you come to Canada? What year?

TB: 1946 hahaha…

MB: No 1966.

AD: 1966? So how old were you when you came?

MB: 20.

AD: 20, okay.

MB: mhm.

AD: And did you come by yourself?

MB: Yes.

AD: Yes? And how did you get here.

MB: With a plane.

AD: With a plane okay and where did the plane drop you off? 

MB: In Toronto.

AD: Okay and why did you decide to come here?

MB: Why? I don’t know… just because my sister was here and I wanted to come...

AD: And be with her?

MB: Yeah.

AD: And was she the only one that was here?

MB: Yeah and then my uncle, my aunt.

AD: They came after or?

MB: No no they were here already.

AD: Okay so where in Italy did you immigrate from? 

MB: San Nicola Baronia.

AD: Okay and how close is that to Naples?

MB: How close? Hm one hour?

AD: Okay pretty close. And what did you bring with you, what did you pack?

MB: Oh, all my stuff, I even bring my sewing machine because I don’t know if I would really stay but I bring the machine anyway. 

AD: Okay.

MB: Yeah.

AD: So you were sewing in Italy before?

MB: Oh yeah.

AD: And did your mom teach you?

MB: No no I went to school. 

AD: Okay that’s cool did you bring anything else that was special with you? Like jewelry or anything?

MB: Uh yeah, oh yeah I bring some jewelry, I bring a bottle of Strega, yeah I bring lots of cute stuff.

AD: Oh wow, do you have a lot of that jewelry still?

MB: Yeah.

AD: What kind? Like a special necklace or...?

MB: Special necklace, how you call it? The colliera? The one that’s thicker and it goes around, then rings, bracciale, watch, yeah earrings.. ya.

AD: So a few things, so you came to Toronto and where was your sister living?

MB: She was living in St. Claire.

TB: You know where Nonno Domenico used to live, no you probably don’t know…

AD: No, haha. 

TB: Yeah next door.

AD: Okay so you went to go live with your sister next door.

MB: Ya.

AD: Okay and it was just you two in the house?

MB: And the husband.

AD: Oh and her husband okay. And were there lots of other Italians around you? Like in that area?

MB: Oh yeah, yeah.

AD: Was it easy? Transitioning from Italy to Canada?

MB: Like uh?

AD: Like did you miss your family a lot?

MB: Oh yeah for miss yeah, yes yes I miss so much.

AD: Did you want to go back?

MB: Uh in the first time I didn’t like at all to stay here but, and then it was okay.

TB: *Whispers* She met me… ha ha.

AD: Hahaha she met you of course. Was it cold when you came or was it the summer?

MB: Yea it was really cold, yeah it was um October 13 when I came here.

AD: Oh okay.

MB: There was snow…

AD: Oh wow so you had to buy like a warm jacket?

MB: No the jacket I have, the boots I had to buy but the rest I was okay.

AD: Do you still miss Italy? 

MB: Yeah because still my family there but its okay now its here my house, my home its all.

AD: And I know you used to go back every so often but you don’t want to do that anymore?

MB: Uh right now not really because before I had my mom and my father, then my father… gone and my mother 5 years ago she died so I just went one time after my mom died.

AD: Right, okay I remember.

MB: And before when my mom was sick for 10-15 years I went every year and then I stop and just 2-3 years ago I went.

AD: And before that when you first came, when you were still a young girl were you communicating with your family?

MB: Oh yeah, yeah.

AD: And how were you communicating with them on the phone or with letters?

MB: With letters really because with the phone we no use before after they put long distance to call but before yeah was expensive so once in a while but more we writing with the letters.

AD: Do you have any of those letters still, did you keep any of them?

MB: Oh I keep some my father and my sister write for me… some.

AD: How long would it take for you to hear back, for them to respond?

MB: A week maybe... 2 weeks? it depends until it reaches there and then for it to come back. Yeah for sure 2 weeks I think.

AD: Was learning English hard?

MB: Yes, I never went to school really but little by little with watching the tv and with friends and the people I work it was not too bad.

AD: At work at the dress shop? Like where was your first job?

MB: Um Downtown and uh what do you call it…. I forgot.

AD: Like by the water?

MB: Nooo. Well it was a factory, I forgot.

AD: That’s okay. With the other women? Were they Italian as well?

MB: Oh yeah but its all mixed in, like all places very mixed but lots of Italians.

AD: So did you make friends there?

MB: Yeah I went to work because my friend was there too so she take me, she worked there and I liked really yeah.

AD: So then did you go to school to become a seamstress?

MB: I went to school after I have all my kids, a little bit at the library but that’s it I stopped and I never went anymore but I’m doing okay.

AD: Yeah, yeah to learn English?

MB: Yeah English I went to learn English a little bit.

AD: And I know you do your crossword puzzles.

MB: Yeah, yeah.

AD: I remember. So when did you retire?

MB: 60

AD: Did you have a party hahah?

MB: A party, yeah I have a little party haha but I work until I was 65 though, the pension I start to have when I was 60 but then it was not too much because before I work at home so. It was a mistake to take that time but its okay because its done.

AD: Yeah that’s too bad but its alright. And did you retire because you were just tired of working or was there another reason?

MB: Oh because I don’t wanna work too much anymore I wanna only two days a week but the owner he wanted to give me I didn’t like, so I stopped.

AD: Oh yeah.

MB: Yeah he wants me to do 2-3 hours in the night and the Sunday work and I said no at this age no no no way.

AD: Yeah those are the times when you wanna relax.

MB: Yeah Nonno come home form work and me I have to go away to work no no no… he’s on the way to come home and me I’m on the way to work no I said no and that’s why I stop.

AD: So do you still sew?

MB: A little bit yeah.

AD: And you work on your machines?

MB: Yes.

AD: So what are your favourite things to make?

MB: Oh actually everything, I love to do everything.

AD: Wow so did you have to become a seamstress or did you want to?

MB: No no I wanted to yeah.

AD: Because you liked to make clothing or?

MB: Yeah.

AD: So you made your own clothes?

MB: Yes, I made clothes I even make wedding dress lots of wedding dress and in Italy we usually go with the-bring the machine at home at people home and then I stay 2-3 days, a week going every morning and night come home and then…

AD: To their house?

MB: To their house yeah, yeah because you know in Italy the husband and the son they going to France to go to work so I usually sewing everything for the man.

AD: Really? That surprises me.

MB: Yeah everything, like the lady you’re sewing everything like when they married or something - see that’s for the man when they leave to go to France see.

AD: So what kinds of things did you make for the men?

MB: Oh my, well, Camicia lots of camicia and underwear.

AD: Haha, really?

MB: Yeah, lots of underwear hahah.

AD: So then why did you decide to become a Canadian citizen? Like when did you decide that you wanted to stay here permanently?

MB: Oh it was when I came, uh before 60 years old yeah it was when I was here.

AD: You decided that you liked it.

MB: Yeah and then that’s why I still have the Italian citizenship for Italy yeah.

AD: Okay, so do you have any regrets about moving here?

MB: No because now I have everything here, all my family all my granddaughter my grandson I love it hehe.

AD: So do you think your life got better when you moved to Canada?

MB: In a way yeah I think so because going in Italy seems changed but not so much. Better here.

AD: Is there anything specifically that you miss about Italy like a place that you used to go or..?

MB: No, I miss my family that’s all, a place I never really used to go is all.

AD: So this is about Nonno, so when and how did you meet Nonno?

MB: Oh after maybe one week I was came in Canada he actually live next door to my sister where I was there yeah and then we met.

AD: You just met because you lived beside each other?

MB: Yeah beside each other and then he came… you know I bring the - not the suitcase, the big chest with all my clothes and my machine – sewing machine. So when the stuff arrive, so it was my uncle he went to truck and pick it up but at home it was just me and my sister not even my brother in law came home yet so it just so we can bring the stuff inside. So Tony came from work and my Zio Mike he saw him he said “come here! Help me bring this stuff inside” hahahah so that s where uh it happened… really we met and then we had the bottle of stregga was in the thing and we open and then he drink and then after he say “you are my streggato because you give me this stregga and so I fall in love with you”.

AD: Awwwww

MB: Because the stregga it’s the stregga (witch) yeah and that’s it and then my mother in law, my father in law he told him you see “next door na signorina e arrivata, la sorella di Clara. She’s beautiful you gotta see it” so they told him the time I came from work and he was on top of the veranda and look for me when I came home.

AD: He was waiting for you?

MB: He was waiting for me and then another night he came right after where the bus stop, I was supposed to walk a little longer before I come home he came right there and he start to talk to me yeah and that’s it.. yeah.

AD: Did you think that he was cute?

MB: Yeah heheh

AD: So you liked him too?

MB: Yeah.

AD: So when did he bring you a flower? I remember you told me.

MB: Oh yeah because it was winter time then so it was snow and I think it was snow a little bit but not too much to clean the car like but he went to clean the car and he look and I was in the window  and so he was doing like this and he was watching me and my father in law he look him and he was laughing he said “he clean the snow but he look over there because she look” and then in the morning I get up and I saw the carnation on the window hehehe…  he bring me a carnation almost every once in a while in the morning I would find a flower.

AD: He would leave a flower on the window, like on the window sill?

MB: Yeah.

AD: Aw and you knew it was from him?

MB: Oh yeah for sure.

AD: Who else would it be from? (laughing). So what did you like about Nonno? Was he funny?

MB: Oh no everything, he was really nice and cute and very very hm… what do I wanna say very very sensitive? What do I wanna say aspetta he was very calm, very gentle that’s the most I really like.

AD: So, was it difficult to understand each other because you were from different parts of Italy?

MB: No, no it was okay they just a little bit but no it was all the same yeah.

AD: So the dialect didn’t mess up anything?

MB: The dialect no no no we can understand good and then he never really talks Sicilian no no because he mix it up but no mostly it was okay.

AD: Regular Italian. Because I know that sometimes when I tell people where you guys are both from they’re like “oh that’s interesting” because Sicilian is so different.

MB: Yeah.

AD: Well okay that’s cool. So how did he propose to you?

MB: How did he propose to me..? hm

AD: Did you guys just agree or?

MB: Yeah yeah, its it and then it was Easter and he bring me the egg. A beautiful egg chocolate and then on my birthday he came and he bring me the present and he ask for me in front of my sister and my brother in law that he wanna marry me and then that’s it, then we decide the day we decide what to do, what to prepare yeah.

AD: So how soon after that did you decide that you were gonna get married? Like a year or so?

MB: Ohh no no before a year I was married one year and one day I was married yeah I came the 66 and then at 67 the 14 we were married one year and one day.

AD: And did you tell your parents first?

MB: Oh yeah yeah I talk to my parents and they even - my father sent me money.

AD: Oh, okay.

MB: Yeah he sent me a thousand lire yeah just for that day and my mother in law she give me the shower, the wedding shower yeah it was beautiful, a lotta people.

AD: Did anybody else from Italy come to see you? 

MB: No, not that time no.

AD: They couldn’t?

MB: Yeah, not that time.

AD: Were your parents worried about you at all?

MB: Sure because they think I was by myself you know but yeah, they were okay.

AD: That’s good.

MB: And then my Nonna came here after a year when first baby was supposed to be born yeah, she came in September she came and she stay one year.

AD: And then she went back to Italy?

MB: And then she went back to Italy yeah.

AD: So she stayed with you when she was here.

MB: Yeah she helped me with Zia when she was a little girl and then she left.

AD: So then you had Zia like a year after you were married?

MB: Yeah married the 14^th and she 2 weeks before my anniversary October 3 and then the 14 was my anniversary before a year yeah.

AD: Do you have any other stories that you can tell me?

MB: Yeah lots of stories but now out of the blue.

AD: Haha its hard to think of one.

MB: So we live with my mother in law and father and law and then after Zia I was expecting already your mum and then we bought a house in Malton and then we supposed to go before your mom born but my mother in law said wait because this weather it was winter time she said wait and then you go so I wait until your mom came and then we went to live in the new house.

AD: Did you pick it, or did Nonno go out and find it?

MB: No we pick, I went too yeah and we pick that house because even Zio Joe, Nonno's brother he went to live there so the next door house was for sale that’s why we went to see, we like it we bought it.

AD: So then you were neighbours?

MB: Yeah we were neighbours yeah yeah but after a couple years he sold the house and they move but we lived there for 32 years.

AD: And do you still honour your Italian traditions, like I know we make sauce all the time, what else?

MB: Yeah I keep my traditions.

AD: So what else do you make still?

MB: Still the sauce, still the jar with the sotto aceto stuff vinegar stuff like pepperoni, melenzani zucchini, green tomato with vinegar too.

AD: Oh yeah, and the carrots.

MB: Yeah pepper and hot peppers, beans, yeah lots of this stuff I still doing anyway.

AD: Were you making pasta for a long time and then you stopped or do you still make pasta sometimes?

MB: Oh yeah pasta I make all the time.

AD: Like from scratch?

MB: Oh from scratch not too much but I doing once in a while I doing yeah, specialmente gli gnocchi, cicatelli yeah I make that. Fettuccini… linguini yeah.

AD: And I know you like to make cookies…

MB: Yeah cookies, cake, cheese cake yeah lots of that stuff, pizza the pizza la carnavale you know la pizza da carnavale?

AD: No.

MB: With lots of cheese, salsicce, eggs, rice...

AD: I’ve never had that.

MB: No? oh because you were a little girl. 

AD: I guess.

MB: And then now I don’t usually make anymore cuz its too much heavy.

AD: Yeah it has a lot of stuff on it.

MB: Too heavy so that one I no make.

AD: And Nonno still makes wine but you don’t do that, that’s what Nonno does.

MB: Yeah Nonno does the wine yeah.

AD: What else, what else can I ask you? Did you have a big garden in Italy?

MB: Oh in Italy we non have garden. We have the um, like a little farm, no farm but we have the house there too and then my mom go to work there to do something, pick tomato, pick something..

AD: So did you have animals there?

MB: Oh no, no, no. oh the chickens my mom have, that’s all. Chicken yeah.

AD: So did you have a job in Italy, were you working in Italy or you didn’t have to?

MB: No no I have my job sewing, that’s what I do, that’s my job.

AD: Yeah so you were doing that.

MB: Yeah yeah Zia Clara and Zia Vincenza they usually go work outside, but the nice thing in Italy is we have the house and then we have lots lots and lots of land where we have olives, cherry, the gels. We have you know those things they’re long, they’re sweet, I don’t know how to call... gels we call, like the blackberry they were white. Those ones, they were big big one, when we have to pick it up- we put the sheet all over and lots of people hold and the guy bang on top and they fall. Yeah. Yeah.

AD: Would they fall onto something?

MB: The sheets, the sheets.

AD: Oh the sheet would be on the ground.

MB: Yeah yeah – we pick it up like this – 5/6 people hold yeah hold little bit like this, no throw.

AD: Would you make anything with the berries, or would you just eat them?

MB: No, we just eat them – sometimes the jam we make, but more eating yeah yeah we make the salsa in Italy, you know before before, we usually make the salsa, and then we put on the wood thing and then let it dry – that’s really the how you call la salsa secca Tony? La conserva, come si chiama la dry salsa?

TB: Oh, um tomato paste.

MB: Yeah we usually do that – we make tomato paste e with zucchini, we make like pane, zucchini, what do you call it? We clean, and then we clean the inside and then we cut rolling, like you know when you doing the orange peeling all around with the knife and make long way like this, and then we put in the stick and let it dry and then the winter time we cook it.

AD: Oh…

TB: We have some here, no?

MB: No, misa che le ho usate. Non ci stanno piu, yeah.

AD: So how would you cook it, you’d fry it or?

MB: Oh then they come yellow like when they’re dry, then we cut it; the ice we want and put it in the water, warm water and they come all yellow the water. Then you change 2, 3 times that water and then we squeeze little bit, then we put for fry, put like garlic, hot pepper olive oil and we let it fry and the taste its unbelievable, yeah.

AD: What else would you save and make in the winter time?

MB: I don’t know what I can say – I no remember really, those things we were doing and then we usually do the tomato like the pelati, hm?

TB: dry peppers.

MB: Oh the dry peppers yeah yeah we put the peppers in the thread, three layers, one, two, three, then we put on the layer and then we let dry, the long one, the sweet one, the hot one proprio le quaq il ette quelie cosi and then the round one Nonna put the oil, salt, olio e roast, yeah those one, that’s the special thing in Italy.

AD: Did you make bread at all?

MB: Oh, yeah we make bread, lots of bread. I even did that, I make bread when mamma was out in campagna, make on farm and yeah made even bread.

AD: So did you do that in Canada a lot too?

MB: No, here just for fun sometime you know like you do the pizza, but no the bread, no just one time I do the bread, little thing, but no.

AD: So you just buy everything?

MB: Yeah because you know its no use to do it anyway, yeah and then I was working all the time anyway.

AD: Was it expensive here? Verses Italy?

MB: No, no.

AD: It was okay?

MB: No, no before, because it’s like now, before you get less money at work, less and less, but you spend less, it was cheaper to buy, but now we have lots money. They pay good, and you pay good the stuff too, the food. But it was easy with 20$ you can live 2 weeks.

AD: Right, yeah I know it’s different now.

MB: Even more, yeah because when I work, I usually get 25, 26, 30 dollars because it was piece work, but they pay dollars, they pay us nothing an hour, yeah that’s why, you know.

AD: So, it was okay?

MB: Yeah it was okay, it was okay.

AD: How big was the first house that you lived in with your sister? Was it big?

MB: It was a nice bungalow.

AD: So you had your own room?

 MB: I have 3 bedroom, dining room and front room, big kitchen, kitchen and dinette and then all the basement and the big length all around the house, yeah, you never see? You must remember Malton? You were a little girl though.

AD: Yeah not really.

MB: yeah you no remember… you were 2 years old.

AD: No, hahaha. But how about in Italy? How many people lived with you in your house, all your brother and sisters?

MB: Oh yeah we were 5, my mamma, my papa 7 and then my Nonna was living upstairs and then the other Nonna but they live by self, they were close. My father mother live upstairs, just have a little kitchen, she have a little room and that’s it. She live there and we were 2 floors, we live on the first floor and then we go upstairs to sleep and then my Nonna she was beside us yeah.

AD: So it was a very small village or was it like a little town?

MB: No, it was a very small little town, 1 thousand and 500 at that time but now no even more than 500, its less and less. Yeah because people there’s no more work there. People they go, all the young kids they go. Yeah yeah its really small now, it’s the same thing but no people, no too much people.

AD: So would people go to Naples to find work, would that be the biggest, closest city?

MB: Yeah Naples, Salerno, Milano, Genoa, no they go, they travel yeah.

AD: Oh so they travel quite far depending... did you have to go far to get on the plane? Where was it?

MB: Oh Napoli. I went to Napoli and then the start there and then to Roma, and then Roma take another plane and came straight here.

AD: Did you have a celebration when you were saying goodbye to everyone? Or was it just like “bye see ya?” haha.

MB: Oh no, just when the first time I came here?

AD: Yeah.

MB: Oh no be that time we no use to – everybody cry that’s for sure, yeah everybody cry, yeah it was terrible I know yeah. But that’s it, no big festa nothing, just big cry!

AD: Haha oh! Did you get gifts?

MB: Oh yeah yeah, yeah everybody bring me something.

AD: Did you have a special rosary? Do you have a special old one?

MB: Oh yeah I don’t know if I have the old one, but I always usually have one. Yeah now I have lots because go to place and you buy and somebody gave to me, lots yeah. In Italy I went all over for the visit Sunday, everything yeah.

AD: And when you got married did people send you gifts?

MB: Yeah, oh yeah we send the invitation to everybody and everybody send gift. Some the gift and some money. But mostly the gift, yeah yeah send lots gold, I had lots gold, and a tray, espresso machine, coffee machine, yeah that’s yeah that kind of stuff.

AD: Wow.

MB: All the strict family though no.

AD: Did they have Strega here at the liquor store?

MB: Yeah we buy here now.

AD: Here now, but before too, was it here?

MB: Oh before, before no, no.

AD: For a long time, you didn’t have it?

MB: No, no, no haha…

AD: Did anybody send you bottles of Strega? How would you get it?

MB: Oh when my brother came, Vitantonio yeah he bring me one. Yeah it must be strict family because that time it was just 220 kilo you supposed to bring, its all 20 kilo no more than that so nobody can really bring you. Just my brother bring me a little yeah.

AD: So it was special, very special.

MB: Yeah that bottle its special for lot of people. Yeah special bottle yeah!

AD: Ha ha.

MB: Yeah, mhm what else?

AD: So, your family in Italy, are they still living in the house you grew up in?

MB: Ya, no the one I grew up it’s, it’s almost, well the first floor it’s now flat. It’s nothing there, it’s closed up and then they build same thing and they fix it up, but ya, Antonio live there now. And where we have the, um it’s like garage they did now, ya Antonio di Zio Vito live there and then Antonio di Zia Vinzenza live on top where Nonna Vincenza was living. She used to live there you know, my father mother, it’s same thing but when I go, after my father built another house in front of that one just next. All the house was here, papa built another one because the length we have it was in the village, was there where we live, ya it was, and then my father had sold the little land because the government want for build more house, ya.  And my father had sell for almost nothing- they give just little money. Ya I know because they like you say, “spropriate”.  If he no wanna sell, they take anyway.

AD: Ah, ok.

MB: So, lost all that beautiful land.

AD: So you didn’t have a choice?

MB: Ya, we didn’t have a choice, well we had choice, he can build what he need to build. We want 1 house, 2, 3 house, and they build 3 house – 1 for my aunt (my father sister), they went together like, they both together house, our house with Zia, and then for Zia Vincenza, build another house, and then that’s it. And then with the little farm, we have a little bit more, ya, where Raffaela and Antonio built restaurant. It was house we have there, and they make a restaurant.

AD: Do they still have the restaurant?

MB: They still have but they rent now...

AD: Is it by the water at all? Or is it in the hills?

MB: No, no. It’s in the hills and it is water there, it goes in the pond like a little pond ya.

AD: Not the ocean or anything?

MB: No, no, not the ocean and you have to go a Napoli, Margerita di Savoia over there it’s beautiful. We went when we went 2 years ago, it was beautiful.

AD: And I remember you saying that you would make underwear for the men. What would you make for the women? Would you make underwear for them as well?

MB: Oh ya, we make specially when the girl supposed to be married, the mother prepare all the corredo (we call), all lots clothes she need, lots of lensuola, lots of pigiama, camicia da note, sheets, cover, everything we usually made. Um, dress, shirt, top we make, underwear, we make bra, ya.

AD: Wow, how would you make a bra?

MB: Ha, it was easy, just material bra, no like now with little sponge and everything, you know imbottito, ya but you going like size like, you think she need B, I have already the idea. Maybe we prepare the big size when she get pregnant, she wait the kids, see and so we make big size and then we make undershirt too, canuttiera. And then we make pigiama like camicia da notte, no pigiama. For the men pigiama, and then we make housecoat too, ya ya. And then sheets, we no buy sheets, it’s we buy just the material and we make the size, we make and put some lace, then make the merletto, l’unginetto and then we put on top. The pillow case we make too, ya lots things and then we make skirt, we make blouse, we make dress, we make wedding dress, ya lots.

AD: How many wedding dresses do you think you made?

MB: Oh no too much because that time it was easy to buy – they buy that time the dress, but maybe 4, 5 we made in Italy because then I no work too much because I came here. Oh and then when I had all the kids, because I couldn’t work and go to work, I bought the sewing machine, the big machine, the factory one.

AD: Is that the one you have now?

MB: Ya that’s the one I have downstairs, so I usually work with the guy where I work a Spadina in the factory. He send me the stuff, he bring me all the stuff already cut and prepare, and I work at home because they like me. He came all that way and he bring me everything – from Spadina, Paradise the factory si chiama, see now I remember. Ya, Spadina Paradise, ya and then that’s why I work all night and day with 3 kids and then Zio Vitantonio was living with me before he get married, and then his friend was living with me, so I have we were 3 kids, 7 people. I had work and clean and make food for everybody and still work and I work lots of night, I work a lotta night for finish my sewing.

AD: And were you working at home still?

MB: At home, ya.

AD: And they were still paying you because you were still working for them?

MB: Ya, ya. Whatever I sewing, they pay me, oh ya.

AD: Was the material expensive, like in Italy?

MB: No it was fine.

AD: Were there a lot of colours to choose from?

MB: Ya, ya, but now I talk about here, where I was with my kids and 2 guys live with me. And Italy too, I remember one time, even here one night I remember I work from the day until 8am in the morning because somebody supposed to get married and I didn’t finish the suit, the dress, so I all night and then here too was wedding. I had to finish the dress I not finish yet, so all the day long and all night I work, ya.

AD: Did you make a veil or anything like that, or did you make just the wedding dress?

MB: Oh ya, ya, even veil, oh ya.

AD: How about gloves, did you ever have to make gloves?

MB: No gloves, no they buy. Ya, no gloves.

AD: Did you ever have to put beads on the dresses?

MB: Beads, no, that time no, that time all night when I came here or Italy, that time they no use that, no. After here, ya I doing lots, especially when I went to work in the store, ya at the Bride store, ya. That’s I put lots that stuff. I usually sell dress too, I was sales lady, but in my spare time, when nobody there, I put the beads, ya.

AD: That’s very cool Nonna.

MB: Ya. Lot of work for Nonna, eh? Ya.

AD: Yes, a lot of work, I can imagine. So, what else? Most of your schooling you did in Italy right?

MB: Ya, ya I did.

AD: Was the school close? Was it a short walk?

MB: Ya, ya, it was close, like 5 min walk, ya.

AD: How many people were in the class?

MB: Oh, who remember? Maybe 20? Ya, there were lot of class though, lots ya – prima, seconda, terza. Was 5 class, 5 class in the building, ya the townhouse it was the school, it was no big school, it was townhouse. And then after a while, when I did all my school, they make the big school like here, big school like here, ya, ya.

AD: Like our high schools, you mean?

MB: For high school, ya. I did until la quinta, 5 year.

AD: Wow. How old was Nonno when you met him?

MB: He’s 3 years before me.

AD: So, 23?

MB: Ya 23, ya, ya.

AD: And you were 20, right?

MB: Ya.

AD: And was he living alone?

MB: He was with mother and father, with whole family, all together because it was big house Nonno Domenico house, ya.

AD: How long after your wedding did you go on your honeymoon? That same year when you got married?

MB: The same year, the day after. October 15 we leave.

AD: How long did you stay?

MB: 2 weeks, no 3 weeks. 1 week at Mexico City and 2 weeks a Acapulco. I know, ya.

AD: And you went back there recently right? When did you go back to Acapulco?

MB: 4 times I think I went back.

AD: Did you go to the same area?

MB: Ya, the hotel was the next one...

(looking at pictures)

AD: So that’s the dress from the picture?

MB: Ya, I made this. I saw in the store a Spadina down there, look…look.

AD: Wow.

MB: All this, see I start too because I wanna fix it up, hmmm. I wanna make bigger but see I just ruined it.

AD: Oh, aw. Wow this is so pretty, the back. So you made that in the factory?

MB: Ya. The material I went and buy. I saw the style in the store and then…

AD: And then you made it?

MB: And then I made, ya.

AD: So, can you tell me another story?

MB: Ha ha, well I live mostly my baby thing with my Nonna because when I born, my mamma come sick, very very sick, and she can’t take care of me. My Nonna took me over with here with Nonno and I live with her um for until 9 years old.

AD: Wow.

MB: Ya, and then because mamma had the 3 other kids to take care of, so I stay with my Nonna. Ya, and I call all time my Nonna “Manonna, Manonna” because I call mamma and Nonna. “Manonna” ya.

AD: That's so cute.

MB: Ya and that's it.