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Immigration
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Immigrating to America
I'm Alice Moretti. A parasite destroyed grapevines in Italy. Because of this, there was a lack of food and my family began starving after a few weeks. When I thought things couldn't get worse, mysterious diseases began spreading in Italy, and my brother became ill. It wasn't severe and we could still make it to America. We packed up clothes and pulled together some money, and headed to the famous Ellis Island, but my brother was held back in medical corrinty. I was in a new country, alone. -
Finding a Home
I was in a new country by myself and absolutely terrified. The money I brought was enough to get me a room in a tenement, which is an overcrowded apartment. There was no running water. This not only made getting a glass of water more difficult, but also made washing clothes nearly impossible. My brother was supposed to be with me throughout this journey, but without him there was a lack of company and I soon became lonely, being surrounded by strangers in a new place. -
Finding Work and a New Home
A fire burned down the tenement I was living in for nearly nine years. I had nowhere to live! Being left with very little money, I knew I couldn't afford to live in another tenement, so I went searching for a job. I finally managed to get a job at a sweatshop, which was a crowded factory. I got a low pay, just like every other worker. However, it was enough for me to pay for a room in a small motel-type of place. -
Facing Discrimination
Two years later, and I was still working at the sweatshop. It wasn't easy. Being a woman immigrant caused me to have a lower pay. I didn't think it was fair at all but there was nothing I could do about it. Getting a lower pay meant having to work more hours so that I could continue paying for my temporary shelter. It tired me out. My short-tempered boss soon fired me for not doing my job well enough, which meant I would soon lose my room in the motel because I couldn't afford it. -
Moving West
I only had a few more weeks left where I could stay at the motel. The owners were fairly nice about it, letting me stay and all. But I knew I had to leave. I knew where I wanted to go--a place with land and oppurtunity. -
Living in the West
I settled on a farmland in the Washington Territory. There were little to no problems, except settling in Washington made the Native Americans upset with me because I was taking the land that had been their's for years and years. It wasn't a major issue because I wasn't killing their animals or spreading diseases. I needed a new job because this was a new life. I started farming. I started farming sweet onions which was popular at the time and befriended a few other farmers I met. -
Going Back to Italy
I recieved a letter from back home in Italy. It was from my neighbors, the ones that were close to me. They wrote about how things were better then they were when I left, and how the economy was good and how everyone was healthy again. All this made me want to move back. At the time, tensions were rising between immigrants and the Natives, which made me want to leave even more. It wasn't harvest season, and the farming business slowed down. Without hesitation, I decided to move back to Italy.
