Pietro Luciano Bordin

Five of us, who were making the voyage, set out by foot and bicycle from Trevignano to the Signoressa train station, which was to take us to Genova where the ship was to depart. About 20 friends and family accompanied us. We decided to stop at the local town pub to raise a glass and say a final farewell and good cheer because none of us knew when, if ever, we would see each other again.

The voyage on the ship was nothing like I'd ever imagined or expected. It was exciting despite the pain of having just left my family and friends behind. What an adventure! There was always a lot to eat which was wonderful after having grown up with so little and always being hungry. We would eat, go to see a movie and dance every night. All the things I loved to do! Luckily I was not sea sick like many others around me. It was a great trip that lasted eight days.

When we arrived at Pier 21 we were given $20 as part of the fee we paid to cross the Atlantic Ocean. I knew to buy food for the 2-day train ride from Halifax to Niagara Falls, Ontario (where my brother and sister lived). I bought a package of cookies and a loaf of bread. Little did I know that the bread was soft and doughy here in Canada. When I got on the train and tasted it, I did not recognize the texture or the flavour and thought it had gone bad, so rather than eat it I used it as a pillow! It was a difficult ride. I sat on a wooden bench for 2 days and did not understand the language that was being spoken by the people around me. My view was out of a small, black coal smoke coated window where I saw much deserted land covered in snow and was heading for an unfamiliar destination.

Forty-three years have passed and I've been blessed with much. I have a wonderful wife (Maria Soligo Bordin) to whom I have been married since 1967, a son (Michael), his wife (Heather Waters), a granddaughter (Emily), a daughter (Susy) and her husband (Brian Elniski). My life here in Canada has been filled with family and friends. As I built a new life for myself here in Niagara Falls, Canada I have been fortunate enough to have traveled "home" to Italy on many occasions and have raised a glass in celebration with my friends and family there.