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Elsa watches as her home disappears in the distance.

Elsa’s parents are concerned about Germany’s political direction. They decide to send sixteen- year- old Elsa to America, to live with cousins, until things in Germany calm down.

A few days into the journey, Elsa is struck with a fever and chills. Although she is on a ship packed with people, she is sick and alone. If only her mother were here to soothe her terribly aching head.

Fourteen-year-old Erna is traveling to America with her mother. She takes note of the young girl, probably around her age, who is huddled on the deck. The young girl appears feverish and quite ill.

“Are you traveling by yourself?” asks Erna. The feverish girl weakly nods.

“Are you sick?” The girl nods again.

“Come with me,” says Erna, extending her hand. “My mother will know how to help.”

Erna’s mother knew exactly what to do, and soon, Elsa was on the mend.

Elsa and Erna spend the rest of their journey together, joking, laughing, and exploring the ship.

Stature of Liberty

Fog hangs in the sky like a curtain, standing by to rise and reveal the show that is New York City.

We’re waiting for the ferry on the quieter, Jersey City, side. Jersey City’s waterfront area is a pleasant surprise. We vow to stay in Jersey City, New Jersey, again the next time we visit New York City.

Our first stop is the Railroad Terminal.

Here we use our CityPass book to purchase our tickets for the day. It’s very important that you don’t rip out the CityPass tickets yourself. The books must be handed over to the ticket booth staff. Also note that if you want to go inside of the Statue of Liberty, you must book tickets months in advance.

We have a quick look around the old terminal, before joining the enormous queue for the Statue of Liberty ferry.

As our boat passes the Statue of Liberty, I wonder what Elsa and Erna felt as the statue came into view. As adolescent young ladies, I imagine they were excited, hopeful, but also a little fearful about having to settle into life in a foreign country.

The Stature of Liberty’s visitors’ center offers complementary audio tours via a wand that you punch numbers into at designated locations.

There are people everywhere. It’s one of the most crowded places we’ve ever visited.

Feeling satisfied that we learned all there is to learn about the statue, we queue up for the ferry to Ellis Island.

Ellis Island

Visiting Ellis Island is a punch in the gut.

I feel that according to our school textbooks, arrival as an immigrant to Ellis Island, was  filled with joy and cheer.

We learn through personal accounts via the audio tour, that stepping off the ship plunged one into mass chaos.

Arrivals are herded like cattle.

Workers constantly yelling at them. Confusion being expressed in a barrage of different languages.

First, doctors poke and prod, looking for signs of disease. If you pass, you are herded to have your intelligence and mental health tested.

There’s an interrogation regarding your intentions for being in the country. Some of the workers are kind, but others revel in bullying and terrifying the new arrivals.

Elsa and Erna are separated during the havoc. My heart aches for sixteen-year-old Elsa. I ponder if she thought she was arriving to a promise land, where everyone would be so kind and welcoming. Instead she’s berated in a language not her own. Doing her best to prove that she’s healthy, intelligent, and worthy of being here. All while being completely on her own.

Being a woman, once Elsa gets past the arrival process, she is detained until an adult, male, relative, comes to retrieve her.

I never knew how lonely, frightening, and humiliating the arrival process for immigrants could be.

The audio tour of Ellis Island is a sobering experience.

Conclusion

Elsa is engaged. Her fiance met a new friend at work who is also engaged. The boys think it would be fun to go on a double date. When Elsa shows up to meet the other couple, she is astonished. The friend’s fiance is non other than Erna, the girl who befriended a sick Elsa on the ship from Germany several years ago.

After reconnecting on their double date, Elsa and Erna remain best friends, until Elsa’s death.

Elsa was my Grandmother. I adored her. I remember her being elegant, clever, and having a strong aversion to nonsense. I thought about Grandmom Elsa the entire time I toured Ellis Island. Though I know a lot of the facts from hearing the story as a child, I regret that as an adult, I can no longer ask Grandmom Elsa about what she felt during that time. No matter what, I will always cherish the story of Elsa and Erna’s inspiring friendship.

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