Important Place In My Life

The most beloved and important place in my life is my ciocia’s apartment. My ciocia is my late grandpa’s sister (my mom’s aunt). Since my mother just calls her “Ciocia” (Aunt), I have always called her that too. She lives in a compact apartment with a combined living and dining room, a small, old-fashioned kitchen, a narrow hall filled with beautiful paintings, and a cozy bedroom with a snug, comfy bed at the side and wooden rocking chair in the center. When I walk through the pale, white door and see her delightful and kind smile, I immediately feel a sense of security and warmth. My ciocia’s apartament is a place filled with love and happiness because of the family gathering that always occurs there, the special time my aunt and I spend together, and the relaxing moments we enjoy there.

Every summer, I

Whenever I come over, my first instinct is to grab the game, Lotto, from the closet and spread it out all over the dinner table. The off-white and light red game board has frayed edges on the side while the wooden pegs have blue numbers, which have faded over the years, painted on the top and bottom. When a winner is declared, we move to the bedroom, where I go to sit on the rocking chair while my grandma adjusts herself on the bed across from me. We throw a worn out, orange rubber ball back to one another, announcing a different type of Polish candy every time we catch it. But, what we love to do most is drink tea with sugar by on the couch while updating each other about our lives from the previous year. The gentle tone of her voice sounds like an ASMR video by Ting Tingles while her compassionate eyes are as blue as the clear sky, but soft as silk. Listening to me must be a drag, but she makes it seem as if I have the most interesting stories in the world. Our bond between each other becomes stronger because of the traditional activities we do