Ellis Island, 1982 (2)

In that time, I examined the hall we were waiting in closely. The benches we were sitting on were made out of hard oahwood as I estimated and were quite uncomfortable to sit on. Every single set of benches was then also divided by bars that made me feel like a bird in a cage. But what gave me hope and reminded me of why I was here and what I was doing this all for, was a gigantic flag of America that was hung up above the registry room’s entry. Its presence felt comforting and reassuring in a way I didn’t know I needed to feel before. Once mother then presented our papers to the inspectors and gave them all the information they needed, like our names and country of origin, to verify and register our presence here, we were allowed to move on. I was very grateful that everything went smoothly because, from the table next to ours, I learned how difficult it could be for people who didn’t speak any English. Yes, there was an interpreter assigned to every table and they did their best to translate and facilitate the communication, but the distressed looks on their faces revealed to me, that they were of little help. In the midst of many other immigrants, we then walked along a lengthy corridor until we reached another hall, this one being much less spacious than the last one. The previous hall had even been called the “Great Hall” by some, a fitting name now that I’m thinking about it. Upon entering, doctors holding funny little metal instruments greeted us. They examined us one for one, I was the first of my family. I could still catch a glimpse of an old man before me being examined and how the doctors whispered something to one another. Subsequently, of of the assistants pulled a piece of chalk out of his pocket and marked the man with an “L” and a “P” on his left shoulder before sending him through one of two doors that led out of the current hall. I was still watching him, hobbling away when the doctor turned to me and started talking. He must have assumed I was deaf or something because I didn’t respond directly, but I was actually just really deep in thought, wondering why or what for they marked the old man before me. The assistant already reached into his pockets anew to pull out the chalke when I finally answered the doctor. He asked something casual, I don’t even remember it anymore, just to check that I was able to hear and speak. Then I was to look up and down whilst he examined my eyes with a magnifying glass and took a quick look at my ears and scalp. In under two minutes, I was done, not marked, and sent in the opposite direction than the man before me. Pad was next in line and I wanted to wait for him, which proved to be quite difficult because so many people were moving past me and pushed me further and further away. the inspection went well for him as well as Sally, so only mother and Comac were left to wait for. By the time they stepped forward, however, me and my siblings had already been pushed so far out the hall, that I could only perceive how the doctor was shown some type of paper, perhaps a list, I’m still not quite sure and how he in response his helper with the chalk to mark my mother! I haven’t seen her or Comac since then… Right now I’m sitting in, yes you guessed it, yet another hall. After following the flow of unmarked people before, we passed through a corridor where we were examined again, this time a bit more precisely.