Personal Narrative: My Trip To America

Words: 1826
Pages: 8

My wife, Maria, and my son Giuseppe Jr. were supposed to accompany me to America for a new life. Our grapes have been moldy and dying since 1899, and now, in 1910, the bad crop, along with high taxes, have left me bankrupt. I went to the mainland to sell my last grapes to the winery to pay off the passage. It was there that I discovered that Mt. Etna erupted on my home island. I pleaded with God to allow my family to survive, but when I returned to rubble and two singed bodies, I couldn't think of anything other than what the point was in going to America if I couldn't be with those whom I loved. Had I stayed in Sicily, I might've gone mad; America is a place where I can start my life again. Now that I'm on the boat to Ellis Island, I can only hope for miracles.

A miracle has already occurred on this ship. The overcrowded space made meeting Marco Ferrari, a fellow Sicilian, easier. Because I knew that Marco would understand, I described my emotional and financial situation, and he offered me a space in an arranged tenement, with ten other Italians when we get to New York with. Marco assured me that I'd be welcome, and that I'd have to pay twenty-seven cents per week for rent. Now that I am reflecting on this moment, I am grateful that I have a housing plan in America. I can't wait for my
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I've never seen so many people at once. Had I not followed Marco, who knows some English, I surely would have gotten lost. Finally, we met with one of the men from our apartment, Stefano, outside of the immigration station. After two hours in a strange land where people spoke strangely and were always in rush, we arrived at the apartment. I thought I'd have my taste of American luxury that my village always talked about. However, the apartment wasn't as glamorous as I thought it'd be; it lacked windows, and a pungent smell burned my nose. I don't have any space for privacy and I already have a bad