Melissa Kaban
mjk@strauss.udel.edu

I find it funny that my parents come from two very different backgrounds, but they lived 4 blocks away from each other for a large part of their life in Canarsie which is in Brooklyn, New York. My mother comes from an Italian family. My grandfather is from Sicily, and he still has family over there. My grandmother is from Naples. I love the Italian heritage because it is so hearty and fun. First of all, the Brooklyn accents make it even more interesting and to listen to my grandparents speak Italian at the dinner table every once in a while is a treat. From drinking wine at almost every dinner, pasta and homemade sauce every weekend, going to church on Sunday, to the fish dinners at Christmas Eve, the Italian traditions are everywhere. I am very proud of that part of my culture. My father's parents are both Jewish, so right there the religion is totally different. They are Russian Jews, but I don't know from what part of Russia, or, for that matter, anything else about that culture. I know that the last name was once Kabansky and that it was changed for business reasons. My father is still Jewish although he is not very religious right now. But because all of my cousins are Jewish, I have been lucky enough to attend many Bar and Bat Mitsvahs. I've also been to many Hannukah and Passover dinner, and the religious atmosphere is always interesting to be around. So I always got the best of both worlds. I am Catholic so I celebrate all the Catholic holidays, but I also get to be a part of another culture.

I am always very proud when I speak of my background, and I always find it interesting learning more and more about it. Thank you for reading about my culture, and I hope to find out more about you.