Voices+-+Dear+Isabella

=Dear Isabella Parker, = = =  Are the wages you earn getting higher? I certainly hope so. I hope that the Puritans are finally being accepted for their religion as well. Over here it is very different from diseases spreading in England, the unsanitary places, no health care and hardly any education. I was also determined to get in America, and I can’t believe I’m here. I am enjoying it here, and it truly is an improvement from England and the horrid conditions in the fields and land. I cannot wait to see the look on your face when you finally arrive in America. When do you plan on immigrating? I suggest you start working extra hours and saving up your wages, because you will need a whole lot of pounds. I took about 24 pounds ($50) on my exhilarating trip, for the reason that it costs 15 pounds ($30) for the trip there, and the trip to the port by train is approximately 2 or 3 pounds ($5-6). For my experience, it took about 2 and one half years to save up after I had decided to immigrate to America. I hope you will come soon.

I will start from the very beginning from when I last saw your face, tears streaming down when I had gotten on the train. It took 3 days to get to the port in Liverpool and I must say it was quite tiring, but that was just the beginning of my adventure. The train was very dark, and had a horrible odor. I could here people chatting away both excited and nervous, but I was quite sure I would make it in, for I had nothing to hide. When we finally got to the port, I was hoping we would be staying in the shipping company’s dormitory, but we went straight to work. The company first began with the quarantine, and checking and making sure everything was right. Then, they did the de-lousing. Oh, the memories keep bouncing back in my head of officers digging at your scalp and washing and washing and using special items to get rid of the lice. Let me tell you, it was not very pleasant. Finally, 4 days later at the port, we boarded The Golden Hind. It looked so big from the outside, but once we got in the steerage section, we were crowded and stuffed inside, with hardly any room to lie down.

I thought the train was dreadful, but that was nothing compared to the ghastly experience on The Golden Hind. Everyone aboard the steerage section were so close together. I could hear crying from babies, children and even adults. But the smell was worse than the piercing loud noises. I can’t even begin to explain the smell. Horrible scents were throughout the ship and everything was rotting. When I looked around me, people were so close they were touching, and people were trying to keep warm, and trying their very best to ignore everything around them. The food (if you can call it food) was dreadful too. The only food to eat was stale bread and old dirty water. Even before you put it to your mouth, you could tell from the beginning this would not be your favorite meal. I missed mother’s vegetables and father’s beef. Sometimes every once in a while we ate something else, but rarely. The hard suitcase I used as a pillow was so hard and uncomfortable I had a bump at the back of my head. I had brought nothing but my clothes and my bible, which father had given me before he died in the Colchester Earthquake in 1884. I had no blanket with me, so all I had to cover up my shivering body for the next 2 weeks was the clothing mother had made for me. I managed to make a friend to keep company for the 2 frightful weeks. Her name was Charlotte Taverner. We always kept each other company, told stories to pass the time, and shared our belongings and food. Finally after 2 long weeks passed by, we reached America.

I heard people yelling and screaming and at first I couldn’t tell if it was for something good, or bad. When I stepped out of the darkness for the first time in weeks, it felt so good to be in the fresh air of America. The city and buildings looked so different and massive compared to the small little cottages and shacks I’m used to. I was admiring the beautiful buildings when something caught my eye. There, standing tall and proud, big and beautiful was the Statue of Liberty itself. I was there, with the statue I heard people talking about for all my life. With the torch in her right hand, and the constitution in her left, she really was a statue of liberty.

I got off the ship finally after waiting for a couple hours to get to the Ellis Island. Immediately after we stepped onto Ellis Island, it was much disorganized. Officers were yelling and people were yelling in languages I could not understand. I was very muddled and confused and didn’t know what to do or where to go. I finally was told by an English officer to wait in line. I got asked many questions, but I was puzzled for the reason that they were the exact questions I were asked by the shipping company before we got aboard The Golden Hind. There were so many questions to be asked, so many foreign languages to be listened to, so many lines to stand in, and so long to wait. The questions weren’t so bad for me since I am fluent and have no problem speaking English, but as I watched the other immigrants look at the officers with there puzzled faces, I felt very bad. I also felt very lucky that I had a language spoken in America. As I saw the looks on other foreigners, I saw looks of confusion, confidence, frightening looks, puzzled faces, and many others. The lines and questions weren’t so bad, but the health inspection was just dreadful. First, the men and women were put into separate rooms, and were inspected. We had to remove our clothing and get pins put in our eyes to check for diseases like conjunctivitis. My friend, Charlotte Tavener, had conjunctivitis so to her dismay she was immediately deported back to England. I will never forget my bond between us and how she helped me along the way. Luckily I had no problems concerning help so for me everything was clear. I sadly departed Charlotte, and that was the last I ever saw of her. I don’t know what happened to her, and will never see her again. Next, we went to the cafeteria, and that was my first taste of American food. It was quite a difference to mother’s food, but it was very satisfying. Now, I am now settled here in Massachusetts Bay with my husband William, and we are living a warm and healthy life. I am working as an English teacher at the local school where both adults and children who immigrated can learn English to customize themselves to America. Will is working in the Waldensian community church. We are enjoying ourselves, and living a much better life than in England. We can’t wait until you come and live with us. Immigrating here has been the best choice of our lives, and I hope you get admitted into America, truly the land of hope and tears.