Nixa students Lucia Howe (11) and Olga Cernei’s (11) summer vacation plans didn’t consist solely of exploration and sightseeing, but also a deep understanding of their cultural and familial roots.
Last summer, Cernei had the opportunity to visit Moldova, a small European country between Romania and Ukraine. This trip carried special meaning for Cernei; her parents and older brothers were all raised in the country. Cernei, however, was born in the U.S. and had only experienced Moldova through her family’s stories.
“We got the opportunity to stay there for a month with our friends and family,” Cernei said. “What was so significant about it was that I got to see where my mom grew up and where my dad grew up.”
Cernei also had the chance to practice her Russian speaking capabilities, as, although she could not speak Moldovian, most Slavic countries have a high population of Russian speakers as well.
“We would go out to the town and I’d have to buy things,” Cernei said. “I wasn’t always with people who spoke native Moldovan. I’m fluent in Russian, but I was terrified.”
Part of Cernei’s fear was related to the instability of the region she was in. Specifically, she had concerns about hatred towards Americans.
“We were very cautious about [speaking English],” Cernei said.
Despite the occasional scare, Cernei was grateful for the opportunity she had to connect with her roots on a deeper level.
Howe had visited her family in Syracuse, Sicily, for the first time during the summer after her second grade year. She stayed with family, specifically her Nono’s (Italian for grandpa) brothers and their corresponding families. Unlike Cernei, Howe did find language to be a barrier at times, but was still able to communicate in English with many.
“[My family] mostly speaks Italian, although some of them do speak English as well,” Howe said. “I could still communicate with a great majority of them. My mom does speak Italian though and so does my nono, so they spoke for us in restaurants.”
Even though she went at a young age, Howe said she thought the experience opened her eyes. She was able to discover who her family was, what they did, and why they did what they did.
“Going when I was little was a good learning experience,” Howe said. “To learn where and how my grandpa grew up, I think that’s a privilege that I got that a lot of people don’t get.”
Howe learned a lot about immigrants through her nono, who was an immigrant into the US himself. She got a more complete understanding of the life he left behind, and the sacrifices he made for his family.
“Understanding my family and where we came from, and the struggles my nono dealt with while in Sicily really helped me see why immigrants come to the U.S. for better opportunities,” Howe said. “It changed my perspective.”
