Introduction to the blog

Me, Gloria Kabulo 

 June 15, 2014

            Dear Diary

            Today, I finished my research project on Portuguese Hill.  I can’t help but think that although I wrote journal entries for my project, I can never truly capture the essence of the neighborhood that is Portuguese Hill. The purpose of this project is to show how life was on the Hill, and to show how it has changed over the years and answer a bigger question of whether or not America is a true melting pot. The characters in each of the journal entries are completely fictional, and they are based on the experiences of several people, who used to live on Portuguese Hill.  After reading narratives of how life was on Portuguese Hill, I can’t help but envy the way life was for the people on the Hill during the 1950’s or so. I don’t see the same “open house” concept during Christmas, nor the children sledding down Mt. Vernon Street during the winter, or the summer. I can see the neighborhood kids biking up and down the street during the summer time, or spending a day in the Green Street playground. The Hill is now filled with all types of nationalities, who still get along, because we are at a time and a place with little true ethnic tensions. Yes, the Portuguese were somewhat in their own world on Portuguese Hill, but they still were part of Gloucester because they had ties to the fishing industry. That is beauty of living in America. The ability for cultures to form their own communities and still be connected to the larger American community. The Portuguese were still a part of the community in Gloucester, by simply interacting with the community through working on Gorton’s Pew or going to school with other strong cultures in Gloucester such as the Italians. Even with the many changes that have occurred over the years, there still some things that haven’t changed. My Portuguese friend, Sabrina still goes to Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, and is a member of DES Portuguese Club. She also takes part in the Crowning Ceremony each year, as part of the procession that makes it’s way through the streets on a Sunday. The Portuguese community in Gloucester still maintains the same togetherness even as Portuguese people have moved out of Gloucester for various reasons. The Hill to me is a good neighborhood, although far from perfect in it’s cracked roads, and houses and apartments with paint peeling off, or the screaming matches between neighbors every once in a while on Saturday nights. Yet, you can stumble onto a lovely yard with a small vegetable garden, or enjoy a peaceful afternoon in the Green Street playground surrounded by tall dark green trees. If you are facing the right side of certain houses on Friend Street, you can still see the view of the boats sitting lazily in the ocean, just as they would in the Azores.