HallvardSH

Dear Mother

Thank you for the lovely letter I received yesterday. I’m sorry to hear about all the troubles that you’ve encountered, but I’m sure you’ll make it through. I do hope that you’ll keep sending me letters. It brightens up my day and gives me the courage to carry on. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, but with my wages, I couldn’t set aside any money for paper and postage stamps. It’s been three months since I left from Stavanger. We were only allowed to bring one chest each. In this packing case, we had to pack all of our most important belongings. I didn’t know what to bring, because I had absolutely no idea of what I could encounter as I stepped of the gangway and entered America. I brought all my winter clothes, because people were saying that it would be winter when we arrived. Also, I brought all the things that matter to me. The pocket watch I inherited from my father and the clasp knife I got for my confirmation. When I got on board, I was assigned a small area which was my home for two months. Next to me, there was a couple with two children. The conditions aboard were terrible. It was overcrouded, very little food and deseaces spread extremely fast. I was lucky and made it all the way, without catching anything else than cold. But unfortuneatly for the young couple, their youngest passed away. He was not the only one, I lost the count after one month, but I think more than 15 corpses were dumped over the side. I had misjudged the amount of food I had to bring, so I went the last four days without a single bite to eat. After almost two months on the Atlantic, the captain announced that we would arrive New York in a few days. There was a huge relief amongst the emigrants on board. I myself got very exctited and started to imagine how this land of opportunities was like. Two days later, we could see the American coast. As we got closer we could see the enormous city. Black smoke laid heavy over the rooftops. There was one thing in particular my eyes gazed upon, there was a huge statue watching over all the ships which sailed past. Later on I was told that it was the statue of liberty, a statue which watches over all immigrants. When I stepped off the ship, it didn’t seem like the land of opportunities as I had been told. We were told to stay in line, nobody knew what for. After four hours and hours of waiting, I got to a till. A man handed me a piece of paper and told me to follow him. We entered a little room with a table and two chairs. He told me to sit down and read from the paper he handed me before. I had some difficulties with the pronunciation, but I managed. Then he told me to write down what he dictated. I had a little more trouble with this, there were quite a few spelling mistakes, but luckily he let me pass. Now the big city was in front of me. I had no where to go and I was starving. I needed to get a place to stay and something to eat, but I had no money. I heard someone speaking Norwegian, and I asked them how I could get some money to buy food and perhaps a room for the night. They told me that I could pawn some of my belongings at a shop just down the street. It was with a sad heart I gave him my late fathers watch, although I did not want to, it was necessary. This gave me enough money to rent a room for an entire week and I still had enough to eat every day. The days went by asking for a job. At last, on the eighth day, I got lucky. I was exploring the west side of the city, when I saw a hatter placing a sign where it said “Apprentice wanted.” I was the first to apply, and I got the job immediately. So since then I’ve mostly been working. My boss has this daughter that is very beatuifull, we talk quite a lot when she’s in the shop, and who knows, maybe someday I can ask Mr.Harold for his daughter’s hand.

I couldn’t afford any more paper, you see, I just bought a new jacket, so I’m afraid I have to say goodbye now. I hope everything is okay back home. Please, don’t hesitate to write! Nils