SiljeA

6th July 1868, Minnesota

Dear Mum and Dad.

My husband, William, and I had an interesting trip to America. We took a seal craft, “Hebe of Stavanger”. It took over a month to get here. There was a big storm, which lasted several days. I was in the hold, puking, like everybody else. I saved a lot of the food I brought. When we got to America, we were advised to meet at Ellis Island and we wrote our names at a list of citizens of the USA. We had to take a medical check, because they didn’t want any unhealthy settlers in the country.

We took a train to Minnesota. We had to rent a horse and a wagon the last piece. It wasn’t very nice. It was a very bumpy road. But the country is very beautiful. I was very impressed. There’s not so many mountains here as it is in Norway, and I find that very good, but I have to admit that I miss Norway a lot sometimes.

We settled down in a place called Waconia. We got our own farm, William build a house, while I made the food, and other duties. We haunt together, and systematic. We haunt bunnies and harts mostly. We also fished a lot. That is our main food. We’re thinking of getting a cow. Then the challenge would be to get enough land, so we can feed the cow next winter. So we have to build her a house. We’re thinking about giving her the log house, and build another household for ourselves. I’ve heard that it’s at least as hard winters here as it is in Norway, and we need a lot of firewood. We have to save a lot of food for the winters; we can’t get any food then. We cut a lot of timber, and we made money out of it. So we earned money. This is our first winter together, and I think we don’t have as much as we need. But it’s going to work out, it has to. William has taken very good care of me. He has been a terrific husband. I just hope he bears with me. We brought different tools with us from Norway, and that has been very useful, for instance axe and saw.

We’ve met a lot of nice people, and I wouldn’t change a thing. We have a very good life. All of the Americans are very nice people. They seem to like immigrants. They’re so receptive, which I find very surprising. I know that they would appreciate immigrants; it is “the promised Land”. I thought it might get difficult to get to know people, but now… It’s the easiest thing on earth.

We also met some Indians. They were actually very nice. That came as a surprise, because they were driven away from their land because of the immigrants. When immigrants come, they cultivate the land, so the haunt-circumstances get worse. Some of them could bear us. However, they are now leaving us. It is a tradition that they travel after a quite short period, and now they’re leaving in a couple months. You know, we finally have got some friends, and suddenly, out of no-where, they’re leaving us. It’s not fair.

I miss you guys, all of my friends, everybody. I wish you were here. I hope everything is alright with you guys.

Dear Monica

Hello. How are you? I was very excited about the military, because you fight for your country, well, in this case we help another country, and when we’re done we can finally go home to our family and feel proud of our self.

When we’d got here, I wasn’t scared at all, and me and my friend Joey, did everything together. So at my first day out in the fields, I wouldn’t handle it that good if it wasn’t for him. Cooperation is the most important thing here, and we worked really well together.

We are in a sort of jungle, and they have houses below the ground. So you don’t know when they’re popping up right behind you, and they can shoot you in no time. So the odds aren’t looking that good for us and the South Vietnam, but I’m not giving up. Joey has motivated me the whole time, but unfortunately, two days ago, he bled to death. He was shut in the stomach, and there was nothing for me to do, just to be there for him, and watch him die. We took him to the doctor, but it was too late. It killed me inside. I felt so useless. That was when I realized that this is very dangerous. Until it happened, it didn’t seem real. Now I’m scared and alone. He was my only friend here. I felt I had no idea what to do anymore.

But I guess the thing I should do, is to fight for my country, do what it takes, to honour Joey. He wished for us to win the war, no matter what. If he starts to do something, he always finishing it. Now he’s dead because of that wish. He sacrificed his life to this war. His family must’ve been very proud. I know I would have. If it hadn’t been for him, I would’ve wanted to come home the second day at the most.

Well, tomorrow I’m going out there. I’m very scared. I just hope I’ll be able to see you guys again. It kills me to not be sure. Well, now I’m sitting in the tent, it’s 5 in the morning. I’m tired, but I needed to write to you. I just hope you miss me as much as I miss you. I can’t tell you I’m coming home, because I don’t know. I’m just hoping for the best. So, if I don’t make this through, please tell the kids I love them, and that I’ll always be with them. And you must take great care of yourself. I miss you a lot. My life without you, like it is now, is no life at all. You are my life. You are the reason I want to live. I love you and I miss you. I’m hoping to see you soon.

Your Chandler