Chapter 7

In Chapter Seven, Josie is entranced by her Grandmother's stories of flirting with boys and the way she got married. Her parents arranged a marriage for her to Nonno Franceso, who was 15 years her senior. One day Franceso decided that would move to Australia, and as his wife Katia had no choice but to go with him. Upon arrival in Sydney Nonna Katia experienced a sharp cultural shock, because life and culture in Australia was very different from life and culture in Sicily. She and Nonno Francesco eventually settled in a one-room shack in the outback, which is a far cry from the two-story suburban house she has now. Back then, the Italian immigrants lived mostly in their own communities with very little interactions with Australians, which is kind of how they live now. As she lies back in bed, Josie considers the similarities and differences between society back then and now.