Immigrant Experience
Katherine Patton
HIS/125
February 23, 2014
Matt Brickley
Immigrant Experience
Monday - Times are tough here in Greece. We’ve talked about leaving, but where to go? We like the idea of going to America. There will be more opportunity there then there is here now. There are so few jobs and too many people. I think this could be a great opportunity for us, but I am so scared. It’s a long journey and I just don’t know what to expect.
Friday - It’s time to leave for America. My journey starts today. I am very excited, and yet still scared. I need to leave today because I need to be at port a day early to go thru the inspection process.
Sunday – It’s time to set ...view middle of the document...
Finally it’s our turn. I headed to the ferry boat that will take me to Ellis Island. Arrived at the ferry and received my landing card. They asked me to pin it to my lapel so that it is visible. They tell me that this process could take as little as 3 hours, as long as I get all my papers in order before I have to meet the inspectors.
The doctors must be very smart here. That was the fastest medical examination I have ever had in my life. That must have taken ten seconds. Thank goodness I am healthy and didn’t catch anything on the way over. If I had I would have been sent to quarantine. Now it’s off to the clerk’s office with my group from the manifest. They asked us if we had a job and money to live in America. Thankfully we saved what little money we did because it was just enough to meet the minimum of $25. Next we have to go exchange our money for American dollars.
We are ready to leave Ellis Island. There were three ways to leave. When you came to the stair case you could go left, right or straight. If you had gone to the left you would have boarded a ferry that would take you to New York City. Going straight meant you were being detained, and going right took you to the railways. I am going right since I am going to another city, all aboard!
Saturday- We have arrived in our new hometown. Chicago is huge and very busy. I do not know if I am going to be able to keep up with all this hustle...