“Where I grew up it was ‘law of the father.’ We lived in a...

“Where I grew up it was ‘law of the father.’  We lived in a small town outside of Naples. Nothing was open or democratic.   Everyone was uptight in their thinking.  And nobody ever left the town.  They didn’t care about anything outside of their own neighborhood.  All they cared about was about having kids.  I had ten brothers and sisters.  None of us went to school.  I wanted so badly to get out.  I didn’t want to be a worker like my father.  If I had the education, I’d have been a scientific explorer.  I saw pictures in magazines of lakes and prairies and mountains in Canada.  That’s where I wanted to be.  In the wide world where all the things are.  So I left when I was thirteen.  I had nothing.  I didn’t even have a ticket for the train.  My mother cried and pleaded with me to stay, but I had to build a life on the planet, not just in one place.  It hasn’t been easy.  I’ve worked in hotels and restaurants my entire life.  I’ve washed hair at salons.  I’ve cleaned up operating rooms.  Many times my shifts wouldn’t end until 4 AM.  So I didn’t see a third of the things I wanted to see.  But I did make it to Scotland, and Switzerland, and England, and France.  And I made it to Canada.  I did what I could.  I left my town.  But most importantly, I didn’t live the life of my father.”
(Paris, France)