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Arriving in America
My name is Antonio Rossi. I have decided to move to America because the authorities in Italy were after me. I came from Modena, Italy. I loved that place. Nice weather, always nice people, but I had been accused of beating a man in an ally late at night. I hadn't done it but the authorities didn't care so they came after me. I thought America was the best choice. -
Getting Off the boat to Ellis Island
It was cold dry weather in New York. Loading into New York was very difficult considering there was so many immigrants along with me. Finally we all got to the inside of Ellis Island. It was very confusing. There were people talking in different languages telling me what to do. -
Waking Up to Leave Ellis Island
Waking up earlier than normal was rough. The sound of loud rain on the roof was obnoxious. I got up and went to the prosessing area to leave Ellis Island. I and many other immigrants went to the dock of the ferry. -
Loading On to the Ferry
I was waiting very long to get on the ferry. It was cold, wet and loud. People where yelling "whats the hold up" and "I want my freedom" it was so loud I told one of them to shut it. They got very made a threw me a punch in the face. Finally, we loaded on to the ferry to go to New York -
Arrivinig in New York
Seeing it for the first time was awesome. Not just Ellis Island I mean America. I could tell it would be a better place to find jobs than Italy, but the weather and everything else was much worse. I was completley on my own, I had no money, no place to stay so I just started walking. It was very crowded and hard to get around. I just kept walking. -
Sleeping for the Night
As I was walking alone in the cold rainy dark night, i found an ally with a few thrown out blankets. I decided to stay there for the night. -
Finding a Job and Paying Rent
I woke up the next morning, and started walking again. I finally found a job. Working at a bar as a bartender. Quite a boring job but it payed well. Two dollars a week. I met alot of people, and had a bit of fun during the night. The day was boring. Another good thing, I could drink the inventory for free. I found a cheap hotel which I payed one dollar a week to stay and that is how my life in America started off.