Reflections
My name is Vianca Dagnino and I am the niece and cousin to Gino, Patricia, Arianna and Giancarlo Dagnino.
Our family has always been super close. It was my grandfather's vision that his four sons and their children would stay close in touch and make family one of their core values. Despite two out of the four brothers (including my father) moving to the United States, family still remained an essential part of who the Dagninos are. We would spend holidays together and take vacations whenever we could. These were the childhood memories I had growing up that would never fail to put a smile on my face.
Ever since this pandemic started to affect our lives and the time we spend together, we found ourselves still connecting with each other through platforms such as Zoom. We would find whatever excuse to go online and have conversations with each other and talk about each of our lives for hours and hours. In fact, I wanted to interview one of the Dagnino brothers who lived in Peru after a Zoom call we had with the family. This brother, Gino, and his family would tell us about what quarantine was like for them and it truly opened my eyes.
It's easy to just focus on what life is like within the United States. Right now, it feels as though each country is sort of just focusing on itself and trying to help its citizens and neglecting to think about what other countries are facing too. It's almost like a disconnect and a divide between everyone right now. My uncle Gino and his family reminds us to stay connected and to bridge the distance through their oral history.
The Dagninos remain stronger and closer than ever before. We are continuing to share each one of our stories and connecting with one another. No matter the distance and the many miles between us, we will still be there to support one another and get through the toughest of times.