I personally enjoyed doing this assignment. It wasn't your typical run on essay where there's scattered and/or overwhelming research. I feel that taking photographs, capturing raw images of people/places/things, made for a more fun experience. The topic I focused on had to do with migrants and meaningful connections they had from their homelands. These connections were objects and traditions brought over to Canada from back home. I really enjoy learning about different cultures and traditions and hearing stories about the past. The people I interviewed were very cooperative and happy to share their thoughts with me. The stories were interesting and made me think that although something may seem small and insignificant, it truly can have a lot more depth and meaning than thought. For example, the bell my father has from Italy. It belonged to one of his father's cows (Romanella). He holds so many childhood memories of this bell, remembering the various times and sounds.
As physical objects can be meaningful, traditions can be too. Every November, my nonna (grandmother) holds a tradition which she learned from her mother and so forth. November is "mese dei morti" (meaning, month of the dead) where you remember the loved ones who have passed. She lights a candle encased in a glass jar and places it beside the photographs of her deceased family. There are also saints and the Madonna (Mother Mary) too. The candle is lit for the entire month and is never blown out. (You would just light it again if it burns out).
These are a couple of the individuals which I had the opportunity in hearing their fascinating stories. It was a great experience, as I learned things I never knew. I am happy with the feedback and would love to hear more stories about the meaningful connections people hold in their lives.
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