Sociology and Me - Article Example

CHILDHOOD I was born on the 11th of November, 1968 in the house of my uncle, Andrew Golson, a medical doctor in North End, Boston. I am the eldest of three children. My mother is an American while my father is a second generation Italian immigrant. We spoke English and Italian at home. My younger siblings are Andrew and Joan. We all grew up in this area. The North End Boston is a middle-class neighborhood which is dominated by Italian immigrant families who comprise the working class of America. My first dim recollection is that of my mom's pasta dish which she would serve at dinner. This dish reminds me of love, comfort and a feeling of belonging - a feeling of really being home. I attended elementary school at the Michelangelo school in Boston. The school resembles our closely-knit neighborhood. We knew everybody who studied in that school. Most of my relatives also sent their children there. The school presented a very safe and stable environment for growing up. The North End is my personal point of reference. It is where I grew up and where I started enduring friendships. I grew up in a very close family. My parents would always give us a hug, a kiss, a word of kindness or encouragement. Then everyday, we would take a great home-cooked meal which made all the difference in the world. As a young child, I was exposed to Italian classical music performed by Pavarotti and recently Andrea Bocelli. My father would mimic arias by these world famous performers and we would end up in a hilarious situation at home. During week-ends, my parents would take us to partake of great meals in family-run neighborhood restaurants like the Blue Front, Giro's, or Felicia's, or at Grandma's house. I always savor the best ingredients in these 'home-cooked' dishes." Like my younger siblings, I also learned how to cook well. Noise became music to my ears. I grew up with a lot of noise - smoke, beeping horns, a lot of traffic and more noise. We would play near Cross and Hanover streets. We would spend the whole day playing until we can play no more since we were very tired already. My family lived beside two houses which hosted two agreeable and well-to-do Italian immigrant families. My childhood and youth were spent in my parent's house which is a sturdy and well-built house. It has three bedrooms, a huge kitchen and two study rooms, one each for my father and mother. We would study in my father's study room. The house has a small garden filled with flowers in the summer time, which we children helped to tend. I grew up like other healthy and normal kids, my only illness being an attack of chicken pox and German measles. My immunity to disease was evidently greater than that of either of my siblings. I remained perfectly healthy in spite of the uncertain preventive measures which were prevalent then. My mother would always care for us patiently whenever we got sick. Hence, my siblings felt comforted whenever they got sick. My first training in reading and writing came from my mother, who was a very well-educated woman. My mother is a graduate of Boston University where she took up education. She works in a high school near our home. My father studied engineering at Boston University. However, he decided to take over my grandfather's business after graduation. Thus, he never got the chance to work somewhere else. I am indebted to my parents for my intellectual life. They instilled in me the love for reading and study. They also helped me to think about things in a critical manner. They presented an open environment at home where we can exchange ideas and opinions about anything. They also shared with me the Catholic religion. I became close to our parish priest as I was growing up. My mother had great pedagogical ability which seemed to run in our family. We excelled in grade school and high school. During week-ends, my mother would work as a tutor to some important and distinguished families in Boston and her academic abilities were widely recognized and appreciated. I remember my first lessons with my mother only vaguely. I was five years old, and she was quick-tempered. During our lessons, she sometimes would become indignant at my inattention and absent-mindedness. Whenever her angry tones reached my father in his study, he would appear and threaten to whip me if I did not behave. My parents were really very kind, and my mother was so sincere, sweet, and forthright that she won the love and respect of all who knew her. ADOLESCENCE I spent the best years of my life in North End. This is where I learned my writing craft, honed my skills as a public speaker, formed my academic ideas, engaged my political ideals in social outreach projects and achieved my enduring personal identity. North End and its environs were the scenes and sources of my exposure to Italian cooking. Majority of the businesses have Italian names, the smells of pastry and pasta fill the air, and one can hear Italian spoken on the stoops. There is a big community center around the block where the children would play. There are many neighborhood markets where one can buy the finest ingredients to whip up a dish. One whole block serves as the site of countless stickball games where parents and children enjoy Sunday afternoons. I also fell in love with the North End girls. I dated with two beautiful girls Marguerite and Angie. However, I dated Angie more seriously simply because she showed more interest in me. She would smile at me all the time. Her family lived just one block from my place. She would prepare spaghetti whenever I would visit her home. I would meet her parents everyday since I would visit her everyday. They seemed to like me because I have Italian blood in my veins. I felt accepted and loved by persons outside my family. When I reached high school, I went to Boston Latin School located at the Fenway neighborhood. My uncles also studied at this school; hence my parents thought that I could get the best education from this institution. I got an intensive classical education from this school. I also interacted well with the late Juanita Ponte, my Spanish teacher who had a great affection for me. Ms. Ponte had a great love for teaching. She has high academic standards. I learned Spanish well from her. She also gave me professional advice for my future. I believe that the Boston Latin School imparts a classical humanistic education to young people so they can think historically and critically for the purpose of reflective understanding. The main lessons I learned there are: knowing how to restrain one's impulse to self-interest, to live and treat others with dignity, and to participate responsibly in my community's civic life. (BLS Website). My other favorite teacher is Inez Middleton who taught us Latin. I remember her joyous spirit. She brought life to the Bard and she helped me love reading. She would spend time to give each one of her students a personal advice to all our problems. Everyday as I walk to school, I would see my Uncle Donnie working near the Caffe Vittoria. Then farther down the road, I would see my Uncle Jay near the Green Cross Pharmacy. I would always see my relatives around the street. I would play pinball with my classmates after school. My relatives would ask me a series of questions: 'Hey, how did your school go today'" "How are you doing'' 'What's in the bag'' 'You staying out of trouble'' The general atmosphere was one of family warmth and affection. ADULTHOOD After I finished high school at BLS, I decided to take up journalism in college. My mother wanted me to take up political science, however, I wanted to be a writer instead. My father wants me to be a businessman. So I just assured him that I will take up MBA after college. I studied hard and I made it to Boston University. My college life was filled with a lot of socials. My freshman year was spent on fraternity and sorority parties during week-ends. I also got to meet many international students. I also started to take on an interest in sports so I signed up for the Terriers Summer Program to try my hand in college football. Coach Allen of the Terriers was impressed by my persistence and hard work. I became one of the good college quarterbacks. I was able to score two winning touchdowns during the Yankee Conference. I met many good friends and I also met many interesting girls. After two years of playing for the Terriers, I decided to quit in order to start focusing on my studies. Even though Boston University is a large school, it is actually made up of 17 smaller academic communities divided into various schools and colleges. In my journalism classes, we were only less than thirty students. Due to this small class size, my classmates and I became very close and we established enduring friendships. During the two summers, I would do journalism internships at The Boston Globe. I wanted to make a career in Business and Economics Writing and Political Writing. Business and Economics writing entailed covering the financial markets and financial scene. Political writing means covering the local, national and international legislative agenda. We would also enter entries for student competitions for the Mark of Excellence Awards. Susan Walker and Robert Zelnick became my closest professors. They would share their experience and insights with me. Due to my hectic college schedule, I would just meet Angie in her home once a month. She still shows great affection for me. However, she stopped studying to help out her parents in their small restaurant at North End. We then made an agreement to marry as soon as I finish college. During my senior year, I got accepted to do a one year journalism study in Florence. I decided to ask Angie to accompany me to Florence for six months. Her parents agreed so we packed up our bags and we left. In Italy, we both got the chance to meet our relatives who are from Bologna. Angie and I really enjoyed our time together. I also enjoyed my time with the University of Florence. I met many Italian journalists and I spent a lot of time interacting with international journalists. Read More