Growing
up in Italy was truly one of the most beautiful moments of my life.
As the saying goes, “foundations matter.” Perhaps I can’t
describe my childhood because I don’t have vivid memories of it, but
here are the few moments I do remember.
We were children (my brother and I) living in prison with my
mother, and then Carla came to our rescue. She welcomed us into her
home with all her heart. And then she took such great care of us that
we were able to have a wonderful childhood and spend time with other
children.
I remember how we went to
the beach and learned to swim, played in the sand and built
sandboxes. And during the summer, we went to the top of the mountain
with the other children; it was a truly wonderful experience.
I remember how we went ice skating during
the winter, and we were surrounded by other children, which made it
all the more fun. The most beautiful and memorable moment I’ll never
forget was when Carla took my brother and me to a place—I don’t
know exactly where—but there were lots of pigeons and birds that
could feed right out of our hands. It was a truly sweet moment. It
gave me a very childish feeling.
There were so many fun and memorable
activities from my childhood; I remember nothing but the beautiful
things that happened while I was in Italy as a child.
Quando sono stata portata in Nigeria, tutto sembrava così diverso. Il cibo, la lingua, tutto! Quindi eravamo solo io, Samuel e mia madre che riuscivamo a comunicare. Più tardi abbiamo cominciato ad integrarci ma la fase iniziale è stata molto dura perché non ci nutrivamo più. Non avevamo familiarità con il cibo nigeriano.
Siamo passati da una bella vita a una vita difficile, anche perché nostra madre ci ha lasciato e abbiamo dovuto imparare tutto a nostre spese. Una delle sorelle di mio padre, che ora è morta, si è presa cura di noi. Anche mio padre ha fatto la sua parte, ha fatto del suo meglio, ma non è bastato.
