Immigration Letter

Dear Family,

It’s been a long time since we’ve spoken. I hope everyone is healthy and happy. I figured I should tell you how my trip from Ireland to America went since you will be joining me soon. I want you to be more prepared for the hardships than I was. I boarded the boat thinking it wouldn’t be that bad. I was wrong. I stayed in the steerage for months. The steerage is the below deck part of the boat where the steering mechanisms are. It was disgusting, dark and cramped. Although we were under such conditions, I still managed to make a few friends. The sad part is I watched many of them get sick and eventually die. This one boy in particular fell seriously ill practically over night. He seemed to be in excruciating pain. I was lucky I didn’t come down with the same sickness. When we finally arrived at Ellis Island I was just thankful for solid ground. I took in a breath of fresh air and thought, “I am going to have such a nice life here in America.” I was quickly brought back to reality when I was issued a literacy test. Luckily, I was always a good student. After that I thought I would be free to go but I still had to answer questions like “What are your political views?” You would think that wouldn’t matter that much but I watched some of the people I just got off the boat with, after months, get right back on to travel back to Ireland and back to starvation. I stayed in a holding cell for days just waiting for my entry to be accepted or rejected. It was very emotional. I saw the hopefulness in people’s eyes turn to desperation. After seeing everyone else leave, I finally got my acceptance. My first day as an American was a busy one. I had to find a place to live. Turns out people from Ireland tend to live near each other. It’s almost like I never left home. A nice family had allowed me to stay in their apartment until I saved enough money to rent my own. These apartment buildings are not ideal but they will do. After searching for days