Piece 1

“All aboard!” those were the words I’ve heard in the last two weeks. Those two words, very harmless, or so I thought.

As I got on this boat on that dark foggy morning, I couldn’t begin to describe how I felt. I felt a sense of adventure, but I also felt lonely, have no friends on this boat or knowing about the place I was going to, America.

My home for the past fourteen days has been the steerage deck. There is only one way of describing it, smelly. As the boat travels, I look at the ocean, in hope of seeing land. For some people it was hard to absorb the fact that we were in the middle of nowhere, but it was even harder for me, being fourteen.

Today, the captain came down to our deck, which is a rare event. He said, “Prepare for arrival. We will dock in less than 4 hours.”

We all ran to pack whatever we had brought, which wasn’t really that much. I had brought three things. One thing I brought was a black and white picture of my family, so when I get lonely I could think of the reason why I’m making this agonizing voyage. I had brought a prayer book, so I can worship my religion, even if there were no temples nearby. The third thing I brought was my necklace, with the Star of David on it. The necklace was the only think that reminded me about my grandpa and grandma. They had made it for me before I was born, and passed on when I was two years old.

We all waited nervously on the main deck to get our first glimpse of the “New World”. I reread the note my mother had given me, the instructions on what I should do when I reached America

“Dear Richard,

We will miss you greatly when you’re in America. When you arrive in America, there will be a man waiting for you there. He will take care of you throughout your stay in America. The man’s name is Benjamin. Please listen to every word he says, and write to us as soon as you arrive.

Suddenly the horizon changed. Slowly, we began to see land. My first view of New York Harbor was a big green girl. I had heard many stories about Lady Liberty. I felt proud as the boat floated by it.

The next view was a place called Ellis Island. The building on it looked like a palace. When the boat docked, I had mixed-emotions. I missed my old home very much, but I couldn’t wait to go to my new home.

When we arrived, they took us to a big room. After waiting 4 hours, I was asked some questions. Luckily, I had been taught English, so I was allowed to continue on my journey to America.

After my test police officers took me to a doctor. He told me he was checking to see if I had any serious diseases, such as Pink Eye, or Hepatitis. I was fortunate, for I didn’t have those sicknesses.

At last, my processing had been done. I now was awaiting my guardian, Benjamin. A person had a sign with my name on it. I approached him, and questioned if he was Benjamin. He said that he had been waiting there for hours for me, and he was about to go home. On the way home, I often stopped to look at the stunning New York City Skyline. The buildings were higher than anything I had ever seen. Three weeks ago I couldn’t even imagine a building over ten floors, and these were more than one hundred.

We arrived in Benjamin’s apartment. It was clean and neat. There was carpet on the floor, and two leather chairs. He showed me to my room. It was very big, over one thousand squared meters. My bed was nice and firm, and I had two pillows. I unpacked my three things, and ate something Benjamin offered.

After I was done eating, Benjamin told me to call him Ben, and that we were going to go out to get clothes for me. We went to the clothing store, and Ben purchased 4 shirts, and 4 pairs of pants for me. I was very appreciative that he did this for me. That night I wrote a letter to my mother, describing the boat ride, Ellis Island, the beautiful skyline, and Ben’s house.