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First Travels
Rifka is on her way to Poland from Ukraine on a freight train. She is traveling with her mother, father,and her brothers, Nathan and Saul. Once they arrive in Poland the family creates a plan to hide in boxcars and find their way to America. They hid in serparate boxcars just in case if one of them were to be caught the others would be able to escape, hopefully. Rifka is usde to distract the guards since she the only one of her family who does not look Jewish. -
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Rifka's Travels
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Almost Half Way There
Rifka and her family finally reach the border of Poland with out any trouble. Once they reach the station they are ordered to take off their clothes to be examined by the doctor.Once examined they were sprayed with something that had an odd odor and it made Rifka's head hurt. -
Imprisoned By One's Body
Rifka and her family stay at her father's cousin's house because Rifka is not feeling so good. When a student for mecicent comes to check on her he tells the family that she has Typhus and will most likely die. Rifka eventually gave the sickness to most of her family except one of her brothers, and her family gets take away to a hospital. When Rifka sleeps she has nightmares of her family being hurt and when she woke up she had clawed her chest until she bled. -
Better Than Before, But Not The Best
Rifka becomes less ill and that allows her and her brother to be able to move out of that little shed into a run down inn. Her brother finds a job and they are able to stay there for a whlie. When Rifka feels a little better she is able to find the hospital in where her mother is being kept. She often gets in trouble staring at her mother, but one day one doctor allowed her to even sit in the room with her mother. -
Somewhat of Sunshine
Rifka and her family are one of the only survivors of the sickness that was going around and now they are finally able to be on their way to America. The family finds jobs to help pay for the ticket. As they are on a train to leave Poland, Rifka takes a walk around the train and sees a young girl with a baby and the young woman changes Rifka's mind on the once boring country. When Rifka's mother tells her she isn't allowed to get off at the next stop Rifka begins to think about old memories. -
Too Good Too Be True...
Rifka and her family are so close to getting their ticket to America, but first they ahve to go through an examination by a doctor. When it is Rifka's turn the doctor tells her and her family that she will not be able to travel to America because she has a skin disease of her head, Rifka believes she caught it from the woman on the train. When her family leaves the building Rifka buys an orange and the man that sold it to her called her a theif. -
It Can Always Get Worse
Rifka's family meets an advisor for situations like her and the woman told her family to leave her and go to America. The woman tells her family that Rifka can stay with families in Belguim. Her family is left with a hard decision because they don't want to leave their daughter behind. but they want to leave to America. -
Final Goodbyes
Rifka's family goes to America and her parents find a job making clothes. Rifka has to move to Belgium, and while she is there she gets treatment for her bald hair. The parents send money to give the nurse because she helps Rifka. While she alone she thinks about how her famly is gone and she feels alone. -
Not As Bad As We Thought It Was
Rifka finally decides to walk around the town. She begins to enjoy it but she gets frightened by a man and she runs, when she stops running she realizes she is lost. A milkman rides past and Rifka asks for help, the milkman takes her home. -
A Brighter Light
Rifka starts to like the town as she begins to open her eyes and execpt the things in town. She begins to make friends, Gizellle, Marie and Gaston, in town and they help her get over the fact that she misses her family. When Rifka began shopping in town she saw this beautiful hat she wanted, to try and cover up her baldness, and went inside to get measurements. The clerk ;ady was very nice to Rifka. -
America Here We Come!
Rifka's wringworm finally healed and she is now able to go to America to be with her family. Sh eexplains how she bought a ticket on a little ship to not have to face class systems on the ship. She also talks about how her memories in Russia just seem like a dream, but reading her old letter reminds her that they're not. -
Almost Found Hope
As Rifka looks at her room she writes about how she loves her little room and how she loves the ship in general. When on the ship she meets a nice young man named Pieter. He works on the ship and is very nice to Rifka. He is her first kiss. She isn't sure what she is more exicted about going to America or having a person she cares about. -
Then My World Comes Crashing Down
Just as Rifka believes finally things are going right the worst thing she can think of happens. A large storm begins to take the apart, Pieter tries to bring Rifka to saftey, but he ends up being the one needing safety. He is thrown over board and lost at sea, Rifka is broken when she hears the news. She no longer feels as strong as she once did. -
Meeting As If For The First Time
Rifka finally reaches her destination, America, but after what happened she is not sure how to feel. She explains how she feels about seeing her parents again. As she pulls up to see Lady Liberty she says America isn't just an escape, it is a place to start over and that is what she intends to do. -
Just When You Think It Can't Get Any Worse
Rifka enters America and they decide to detain her because her ringworm isn't fully cured. They also aren't sure if they will allow her in the country because of her baldness. They see her baldness as a social responsiblity and the government might not want to support her her entire life. -
Once Again A Prisoner
Once again Rifka feels like a prisoner. She is held with all the others who have disease, but she is trying to make the best of it. While in their she meets a little boy who looks at Rifka as if she is his mother. Rifka is slowly breaking because all she wants now is to see her family. -
Something Like Home
Rifka is finally allowed to see someone of her family, sadly it isn't a person she is much happy to see. It is her older brother Saul. He explains to her that their parents couldn't take off work. Rifka also shows her brother that her English is getting much better. -
Mommy
Rifka finally sees her mother and she has never been happier, especially in her problem. Rifka tells her mom about hows she been while in Belgium. Rifka's mother talk to her about how it has been in America. Rifka also shows her mother about the boy who looks at Rifka as a mother. -
Not In Kansas Anymore
As Rifka was walking around with the small boy he got lost and began playing with toilet paper. Rifka yells at the boy because in Russia using paper when not necessary is a crime. The nurse explains that in America it isn't. -
Life So Precious
Rifka wakes up like any other morning and the baby she has been looking after ever since she came to America, is dead. To make things worse Rifka's ringworm might be coming back, all that effort and pain she suffered she cannot go back. -
In The End Everything Is Good
Rifka Proves that her and the little boy she was caring for should stay in America. Rifka finally has everything she has ever dreamed of. As she waits for her older brother to get them her family expalins that there are many things in America that they never would've had before. Rifka now knows all she has been through is finally worth it.
