Path to Success

As already mentioned, when Mimmo came to America for the second time he came to work for his brother. When he came back for good in 1993 he resumed his work at the same business, Serpentino's. He has worked there ever sense, and now has part ownership in the company. Thanks to this work he has been able to buy his own house and start a family of his own. 

His Feelings about being an American Immigrant

Mimmo is very glad that he ended up moving to America, he said that, “I have a lot of satisfaction from my work and everything else. I’m very happy that I met Janet, and that I have two very smart kids. I bought the first house. I work hard for it, but it pays off and I don’t know if that would’ve happened in Italy. The return in Italy is not the same as it is here. And I can give my kids a better future than if I had raised them back in Italy.” While he is happy in America he still has the same struggles many immigrants face, he also said that, “I think every immigrant is split in two, you are here but you are always thinking about back there. You are always thinking about the place you grew up, and I didn’t leave when I was 2 years old, I left when I was just about an adult." 

What He Misses about Italy

Although Mimmo loves America he is willing to admit that there are things he misses about Italy, he misses his friends. “Everyday we talk about either soccer or food. I still have more friends in Italy than here. I know a lot of people here, but friends. You have just a few friends in your life and I can say those people in Italy are my true friends.” Additionally, “I miss Italy’s social life, I wish to go out there and get in a cafe and talk to people, and walk with people. There was more of an outside life there you all know each other. Even if you don’t know each other they are all very friendly, and you become friends right away. So you always find a person to talk to and have a coffee with it always happens like (snap). It’s not the same here. In Italy us young people we are very touchy we hug a lot we walk around, man to man one hand on the shoulder. Here it is totally different that aspect it was a shock to me. Still now today it is almost like a shock to be careful when I talk to a person cause the person might think, who are you to talk to me, you know it’s just that kind of mentality, that is what I miss a lot.”

Traditions 

“Easter, the day after Easter it’s a holiday. Everybody goes and eats outside, and you see thousands of people under the olive trees or at the beach, and you go and offer your wine or food and they do the same thing. This is a tradition that I try to maintain, so more than once we go to Newport with my kids or other places to try and keep the tradition. We are the only one, but it’s okay I wanna keep the tradition.”

“On Christmas Eve we have a list of 7, 8, 9 different types of fish, I like to have 12 different types of fish, because that’s how you do it in Italy.”