Crossing the Atlantic

Everyone was up on deck to see the Statue of Liberty. America, at last!

Riding on a big boat across the Atlantic Ocean may sound like fun, but it wasn't. The two-week trip was miserable! Our room was in steerage, way down in the bottom of the boat. It was lined with bunks, one on top of the other. It was uncomfortable and crowded. I went up on deck all the time, just to have room to move around.

We hit many bad storms at sea. It rained hard, and I was wet and shivering. By the time we sailed into New York Harbor past the Statue of Liberty, I had a very bad cold. Still, I was up on deck, in my good white suit, cheering along with everyone else at the awesome sight of the statue.

Back then, immigrants had to pass a medical examination to be allowed to enter the country. Many people were sent back to where they came from. I was eight years old and I was ill. I didn't know what was going to happen to me in America.