Descriptive Essay: Moving To America

When he was flying over the clouds, all he would think about was how amazing our world is, there is no way there cannot be a G-d who created it . A few weeks after my teacher told us this story I went on an air plane to Florida. I was sitting by the window, looking out at the clouds; at this moment, all I could think about was the story that Rabbi Goldmintz told us in class. It amazed me how I have been on air planes before and looked outside at the clouds in amazement, but never thought about who made the clouds. All I could think about was “מָה-רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ ה.”

During the first drop off an the island Cole quickly wanted them to leave with no goodbyes Edwin and Garvey climbed aboard the boat, as they waved towards Cole as he waved back he extended his middle finger as the skiff drove off. On the second trip Garvey and Edwin spent a few days on the island to help Cole get prepared for the months ahead, on the last day everybody was in a happy, jolly mood, they laughed and joked around. This time the skiff left Cole only felt the fear of being alone. Coles development throughout the novel has not only impacted his perspective of himself and personality but also how others act and feel about being around

As I walked out of the airport, unfamiliar faces surrounded me. I was beginning my first week in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere -Haiti. We rode in an open air box truck to where we would be staying, bouncing out of our seat with every bump along the way. I saw people washing dishes, bathing and going to the bathroom all within the same water source- while on ride to the compound. Throughout the week, children laughed and took many pictures with me.

At this moment, all barriers that separated us between first and third class were broken as every passenger scrambled to the deck of Carmania to catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty. I managed to get past the crowds of passengers and pressed up against the side of the ship, as we entered the New York Harbor. The past 6 weeks had felt like 6 long months, but the constant feeling of nausea and the bruises from being slammed against the doors of my small cabin/room whenever the ship hit a hard wave was worth it for this moment and this view. Three months earlier, a letter had arrived at our quaint home in Dalkey, Ireland saying that my Aunt Nora had died in childbirth. My uncle Rowan, who owned a millinery shop, was left to his own devices to raise their four children in Boston, Massachusetts.

As I ponder over my life, each memory seems identical to the other, and I find myself drifting through a reality of similar events that generate the same memories and emotions. Looking back further into my childhood includes memories of my homeland. I remember entering a new world at the age of five, where all of my later memories would be formed. This was when my family moved to the United States from Peru, my native country in the South. The complete change in culture and values truly impacted me when I first moved to Florida, and I reflect over the significant effect it has had on my character during the last thirteen years of my life.

This was my first cruise and I had many fears, but

Who am I kidding? I'm never going back to school! All was going good, until I remembered I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. I only vaguely remembered the video they showed at boarding school about boats, in addition to my family for boat rides every month when my father visited my mom and I. I just kept driving to my best ability, but wait- where exactly was I going?

I have always enjoyed exploring the world, but the adventure that always sticks out the most was my cruise to the tropical paradise of Bermuda. I have cruised to the Bahamas, as well as spent countless weeks of my lifetime in the Outer Banks. The cruise to Bermuda was only my second time out of the country, leaving from Baltimore, Maryland one Friday afternoon and arriving on the shores of the tropical island on Sunday afternoon. Waking up on a Saturday in the beginning of August and being able to look out the window and seeing water for as far as you can see is a one time thing and an experience like no other. The days spent traveling the open seas, gives you the chance to live life while leaving all of your baggage back on shore.

I flew across the rocky blue Arabian Sea on flight AI1010 to America. With a new home and husband awaiting me, a new world ahead stuck on this huge metal plane, I feel so distant from everything I once knew. After spending the last six weeks with my husband’s brother and his wife in their home; cooking, cleaning and serving tea and sweets to guests, my nights leading up to this day have been spent tossing and turning at the thought of my parents being so distant and my new life so near. My last day in India was spent packing, making sure nothing was left behind and at dinner with my husband’s family and my mother and father.

Just about a year ago, my seventh grade class took a trip to Pigeon Key, FL to spend two days at a Marine Science Center. My school encouraged every student to go on the trip and after hours and hours of driving, we were greeted by many enthusiastic staff members excited to take us on the boat to Pigeon Key. When the boat arrived at the dock, I was immediately overwhelmed by the gorgeous scenery. Water wrapped around the island like a blanket, leaving only a small space for the buildings. At the time, there were a small amount of buildings on the island, housing a museum, multiple sleeping quarters, a small kitchen and outdoor dining room, a classroom, and other tiny structures.

Thirty-seven year old Salvador Alvarenga, a fisherman living and working in Mexico, loved his 25-foot long canoe shaped boat. On November 18, 2012, he planned to be with it in the deep, tranquilizing waters of the Pacific Ocean. He had nothing holding him back, his daughter lived in El Salvador with her mother. Ezequiel Córdoba, Alvarenga’s 22-year old crewman, and Alvarenga loaded the boat with thousands of pounds of equipment that would soon be filled with a variety of seafood. He had known there was a storm coming, but he refused to pass up possible catch no matter the danger.

Boarding a French clipper ship, the Bretz family was about ready to undertake a huge and stormy adventure. (Emmert 419) Eventually, over the span of 75 days, the family arrived in New York City (Weber and Sonderman 2). The family’s stay in the Big Apple did not last very long, as they decided moved to Pittsburgh. The Bretz’s next excursion consisted of riding on a flatboat down the Ohio River until they finally reached the town of Troy, Indiana.

Today, I leave for the new world. My men have brought me news of a vast city made of gold and full of riches. With conquistadors and a few Jesuit priests to convert any new people that we may find the church, I am nervous. I must gather my men and, Pedro, angry with me. The governor has told me to not go, but I need this.

I never realized the world was so much bigger than the United States. As far as I was concerned, other countries existed only through news media, books, and movies. In December 2011, my parents talked to my sister and I about moving; we were shocked and full of questions of what to expect. Thirty days was the all the time we had to get our lake home, farm, and passports ready before our departure to China. My family and I were moving to 7,500 miles away and had no idea when we would return to the United States.

Attentively, I listened as my grandma began to poor out her life long story to me. At the end of World War II, she had come as an immigrant from Germany with her family when she was only a little younger than I . Then she got her citizenship and raised her family here in America. This story I had known all too well, but until now I had always hesitated to bring up the topic in fear of the asking too much. To my brother and I, she was our Oma.