immigrant



On this page I will be sharing the story of an immigrant on her search for the American Dream. This immigrant just so happens to be my grandmother on my dad's side. She sat down with me and told me her story.

"One day my father came home and told us all some very interesting news. News we never would have expected. He sat our family down, Me, my mom and my two brothers and he told us something I will never forget. He announced very proudly that we were going to be moving to America. I couldn't believe it. Being only nine, America seemed like such a long, far away place from my home in the Netherlands. We all stared at him in disbelief. Why, we asked, do we have to move? His answer shocked us even more than the news itself. Well, I got bet at work by some of my friends. They bet me that I wouldn't go and move to America, but we'll show them. The Wynsma Family doesn't stand down from a bet. So we moved to America because my father didn't want to lose a bet. We packed up our belongings, which wasn't much because you cant keep much on a house boat. We purchased tickets and set sail on a large boat to America. I couldn't believe we were actually going. Me and my whole family was sea sick the entire way, but when we finally landed on the shore of New York, we were all so happy to start this new journey. We moved into a cramped apartment and times were rough. The rats were pretty bad too. After finding a better living condition we moved to Michigan. That is the story of how we Wynsmas' ended up in America. I am really glad we did too. All of my dreams came true after moving here and I don't blame my father for his stupid bet anymore. I am actually grateful he isn't a cowardly man." ~Alice Benit~ My Grandma