I said goodbye to the green hills of Scotland and set my sights on a new horizon. Back home, finding a job felt like chasing the wind, but everyone whispered that America was a place where dreams finally grew tall. I 

set sail to the great America.

Life on the ship was harder than I ever imagined. The air stayed bitter cold, and the corners were always tucked in shadows. My stomach growled constantly because there was never enough to eat, and I had to guard my tiny crusts of bread from the brave mice that scurried across the floor.

...

I stepped off the ship onto the crowded dock as giant buildings loomed over me. People from everywhere pushed past with heavy bags, making the pier feel loud and busy. Looking at the massive city, I felt a mix of bright excitement and quiet nerves. This was the first day of my new life

I soon passed through  in New York Harbor, where officials carefully checked immigrants before allowing us into America. They looked at our papers, asked questions, and made sure we were healthy enough to enter the country. The process was long and a little frightening, but I hoped it meant I was one step closer to starting a new life in America.

After leaving Ellis Island, I applied for a job at a factory in the city. The work was long and tiring, and many immigrant workers were paid very little for the hours they worked. It did not seem fair to me or the others, but we kept working because we needed the money to survive and build a new life in America.

Since I’ve been working here for many years, I have practiced a lot and gotten much better at my job. Because I am a hard worker, I now earn a little more money than I did on my very first day. I have also met many new friends who moved here from different countries all around the world. It is really fun to work together and learn about their lives while we complete our tasks