Ellis+Island+IJ


 * Gaetano Fiorentino

About You Ancestor** Last Place of Residence- Sorrento,Italy Why this person left- lack of jobs in Italy, came for work Thoughts and emotions- excited to start over in america Who were they meeting in America- my aunts uncles and cousins who already immigrated to america How did they get money for their ticket- my father worked at a grocery store, and has been saving up money for a few years How old are you- 17 years old What did you hope to do in America- hope to get a good paying job or start my own grocery store and start a family 5 items would you bring and why- 1. I would bring a picture of my village in Sorrento Italy so I can show me grandchildren and great grandchildren what a beautiful place italy is 2. I would bring a picture of my relatives because unfortunately they could not immigrate over to America with me, and I always want to remember them 3. I would bring the locket that my mother always used to wear so I can pass it down the generations of my family 4.I would bring my baby blanket that my mother wove for me so I will always remember my childhood 5.lastly, I would bring my dressy clothes so I will have something nice to wear because we probably will struggle in america for money.

Name of ship- The Konigin Luise What were you feeling the morning of departure?Why?- i was anxious and excited because i was ready to start over in america What did the boat look like- the boat was huge. it was about 60 feet wide and there were about 2,400 passengers and i remember being fascinated in the 2 huge funnels and masts because i had never seen anything like this before Where did you sleep and eat?- our family was not extremly rich, or extremly poor. we traveled in the 2nd class section because that was all we could afford. of course the sleeping quarters were not as good as the 1st class or as bad as the 3rd class, but it was comfortable. the food was served in a huge dining hall where every 2nd class immigrant ate What was the weather like?- the weather was starting to get colder because i arrived in america in november. the sky was a beautiful shade of blue and the cold sea breeze felt very nice against my warm skin Feeling when you saw land and the statue of liberty- i felt like i finally could start my life where me and my family had opportunities we could not even dream of in italy
 * Journey Across the Atlantic**

Thoughts and emotions during the entire Ellis Island Process- I thought that the process was very long but I was excited because I finally was in America and my dreams could come true. i was very confused because i spoke very little english and all of the inspectors were interrogating me in english. also, there were many people around us that spoke languages that I had never heard before. It was really confusing and chaotic. What did you see,hear, and smell in the Immigration Building- in the immigration building I heard a million people talking at once. It was really crazy and hard to focus. I heard so many languages I had never heard before. I saw people who looked so much different from the people in Italy. they people were dressed differently and acted differently then what i am used to. What did you think of the medical inspections- i had never been examined like that before, so it was a strange experience for me. they checked practically every part of my body. i was worried because i saw so many sick people, i was afraid i was going to catch something. the legal examinations- i could barely understand what they were trying to ask me because i spoke very little english and was relying on my parents to translate for me because they knew a little english because of their jobs your thoughts and emotions when you entered America- i felt extremly prepared and ready to start working and earning some money. i was looking forward to all the opportunities i could get in this new country
 * Arrival on Ellis Island**

Ciao. My name is Gaetano Fiorentino and I come from Sorrento, Italy. I was 17 years old when my family decided to immigrate. My father was saving up for years. We decided to immigrate because there are many job opportunities and we would be able to make more money. In America I hope to start my own grocery store, and then start a family. Most people I know are really excited to come to America. I already have relatives there and they really love America. There are five items that I can not go to America without. One of those items is a picture of my village. When I have children I want them to see how beautiful Italy is. I will also bring a picture of my relatives that had to stay behind in Italy. I am worried that one day I will forget what they looked like, but I will never forget if I bring their pictures. Next, I am going to bring a locket of my mothers so I can pass it down to my children. I also will take the baby blanket to remember my childhood. Lastly, I will bring a nice outfit so I will look nice when I get to America. I was so excited when my father got us tickets on The Konigin Luise. When I finally saw the ship it was exactly what I had imagined. The boat was about 60 feet wide. There were about 2,400 people on the ship. There were two huge funnels and masts coming out of the deck of the boat. We traveled in the 2nd class section. The sleeping quarters were not as good as the 1st class, but not as bad as the 3rd class. The food was served in a huge dining hall. Finally, we arrived at Ellis Island. I was ready to start my life in America, but we still had to go through all the inspections. The entire process was very long. It was very confusing because I could barely speak any English. It all very confusing a chaotic. First, we went to get our medical inspections. I had never been examined like that before, so it was strange. I was worried because I saw so many sick people, and I was afraid I was going to catch something. Next, we had our legal inspections. I could barely understand what they were trying to ask me because I spoke very little English After the long process, finally we were granted entrance to America. I felt extremely prepared and ready to start working and earning some money. I was looking forward to all the opportunities I could get in this new country.