My Coming to the United States of America
After four years of monastic education, I revolted against the secluded and sedentary life I was leading. My blood surged within my veins; I longed for adventure, and I decided…
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
“My Coming to the United States of America” from When I Was a Boy in Armenia, by Manoog Der Alexanian, 1926.
After four years of monastic education, I revolted against the secluded and sedentary life I was leading. My blood surged within my veins; I longed for adventure, and I decided to get out into the world.
One day, soon after my decision, I went to see the abbot of the monastery. While in his presence, I told him frankly that I did not care to stay in the monastery any longer, that I was going into the world to seek my fortune.
Upon these words, he looked at me in surprise and said, “My boy, we are getting old, and soon we must depart from this world. It is your duty to stay here and take our places in order to guard the old manuscripts and serve the church.
You are young and inexperienced; you do not know the world. How do you dare go out into it alone? You will be sorry if you leave. This much I have to say.”
His advice was well-meant and practical, but I had decided, and could not be deterred from my decision. Seeing this, he gave me his permission, and blessed me. Whereupon I kissed his hand, bowed, and left.
Hardly a week had passed, when in the clear dawn of a May morning I packed up my belongings and left the monastery on a caravan. I wept over the farewells. It was very hard for me to leave the monastery; I had grown so accustomed to it.
In one day by caravan, we reached Adana, my home town. Here I stayed with my relatives for a week, then left for Europe from Mersin. Being born in an inland country, and for the first time seeing the ocean, I was greatly amazed at its vastness. When I first entered a small boat which carried us to the steamer, I had a queer sensation; I thought the whole earth was shaking beneath my feet; the boat was paddled by six men, who wore garments of much color.
Our steamer first touched at Smyrna, the birthplace of Homer. Smyrna is built on a hill, very beautiful at night when all the houses are lighted. From Smyrna I went to Constantinople, where I changed my mind, and decided instead of going to Europe, I wanted to see Egypt first. So I took another boat to Egypt, which steamer landed at Alexandria. Fascinating Egypt, about which I had read so much! Picturesque Arabs with bare feet in scanty though colorful clothing!
During my stay in Alexandria, I met a young man from my home town, Adana. You can well imagine how delighted we both were to see each other in a foreign land. This young man, who was older than I, coaxed me into joining him; he was on his way to the United States.
Being adventurous, I agreed with him at once. Three days later, as I was reading a book in the garden of an Armenian church, my friend came to me in haste and told me to buy my ticket to New York. I closed my book and hastened to the ticket office, then ran to the steamer.
At the dock I waited and waited for this young man, but he did not appear. The steamer whistle blew its farewell. I was in an agony of perplexity and embarrassment. Should I take the boat alone or wait for my friend? Soon, however, I made up my mind and got on the steamer; as soon as I arrived, the gangplank was pulled up. I leaned against the steamer rail still hoping and waiting for my friend to appear. Suddenly I saw him running towards the steamer shaking his hands in the air. Seeing that the plank was already pulled up and the steamer ready to leave, he hastily wrote on a scrap of paper his cousin’s address—a rug-merchant in New York City—and firmly wrapped it round a piece of stone, then threw it to me into the boat. Unfortunately, the stone did not travel far enough and fell into the ocean, together with the address; and his second attempt found our steamer already moving off. He shouted in a loud voice that he would join me in New York City with the arrival of the next boat, and that he was very sorry for this unfortunate incident.
The steamer was now ploughing its way through the Mediterranean Sea, traveling farther and faster every minute, until soon my friend and the shore of Egypt had rolled away and disappeared from view. Now I began looking around to see if I could find any one I knew. In vain! Some people were sitting in steamer-chairs on deck, while others were walking and talking—they were all strangers to me. I walked to the forward deck of the ship and leaning on the farthermost end, I watched the huge, red, glorious sun of the Egyptian skies sink into the immensity of the sea. Such a beautiful sunset! I was completely absorbed, forgetting everything around me.
But soon I came to myself, and the thought came that I was going to a strange country where I did not know anybody. I decided to face all dangers and obstacles with as much coolness and common sense as I could muster. Engaged in these thoughts, I began to walk back on deck. As I was passing by people sitting in chairs, I saw a grayhaired woman lying in one of the steamer chairs with her eyes closed; she was murmuring, “Somebody, please, give me a glass of water.” I knew she was sea-sick. I picked up the glass next to her chair and brought her water. After she drained the tumbler she opened her eyes and said, “Thank you, God bless you, my boy. Who are you? Where are you going? Where are your parents?”
I told her my story, and after she heard it, she said, “Sit in this chair by my side, my boy; from now on you are my son. You will be under my protection; I will see that you arrive in America safely. See, I have enough money,” and she began pulling out some French bank-notes and Egyptian securities from the inside pocket of her jacket, and then jingled her belt so I could hear the English pounds sterling in gold. I sat by her side in the chair, and soon after became acquainted with other Armenians who were going to the United States, and who praised my courage and determination.
From Alexandria, Egypt, I arrived in Naples, Italy. From this beautiful city, I saw the gray smoke of Vesuvius, the famous volcanic mountain of Italy, and the lovely village skirting the side of the Adriatic shining under the bright sun of Italy. After a week’s stay in Italy, we started for the States.
On the way to America, our steamer passed through the Straits of Gibraltar, where I saw the fortifications and stately rocks of Gibraltar, majestically rising out of the ocean at the junction of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.
We were not three days from New York when I saw a slender stream of water rising against the sky in the middle of the ocean.
“What is this strange phenomenon?” I asked one of my friends.
“That is a whale, emptying water from his mouth by shooting it out through the upper opening of his head.”
“How strange,” I said to myself.
This was something new to me, and I was very anxious to see the whale. The man assured me that we would see one soon. This was true, for after a little while I saw this huge mammal approaching our ship. I was told that a big whale could turn a ship over.
Soon we were upon it, a huge, black sea monster with large, wide mouth and small eyes, gracefully rolling in the ocean now on his head, now on his sides, never launching his entire body in full sight. He came nearer and nearer. My friend dispersed my fears by telling me that we were protected by a sharp-edged strip of metal which ran along the keel of the boat. I began to observe the whale more carefully, intensely interested in all his motions. It was a strange sight; I can never forget it.
After the whale disappeared into the depths of the ocean, I went to the bow of the ship and looked down into the sea. I saw many swordfish that had been racing with our ship for hours; when they tire, they disappear. I was told that some of them would race with the ship until they became exhausted and died.
Two days later, early in the morning, just before daybreak, we arrived in New York. First, I saw the lights of New York shining brightly in the summer’s clear sky. I said to myself over and over, “We are in the New World discovered by Columbus in 1492! Will it be an entirely different land in all its aspects from the old world I have left behind?”
With the first lights of daybreak, I saw the outlines of the Statue of Liberty take form, becoming clearer and clearer as the night gave way to day, and then before us stood this goddess of America with a torch in her hands—a most impressive sight. My pulse began to beat faster, and my heart was filled with an inarticulate hope. I was in a new world; new and strange things was I going to see!
After breakfast, tugboats began to plough the New York harbor towards our steamer to carry our passengers to Ellis Island. When the boats neared our steamer, I saw a large, tall, and good-looking American standing on the deck, crying out in a loud voice, “All right! ” These were the first English words I heard when I arrived in America. I was familiar with them, hence did not feel myself quite so much a stranger.
My first impressions of America left me very excited. Soon I passed the required examination at Ellis Island and had landed in New York safely. The first thing that attracted my attention was the hurry and hustle of the people, the quick, nervous activity of the workers at the railroad station, the noise and turmoil of the multitude. All this took me by great surprise!
Being booked to Boston, we took our train to that city. But scarcely a month had passed before I began to long for the quiet and restful atmosphere of my native country, and I had about decided to buy a ticket and return to the old country when I met an Armenian doctor who, upon hearing my story, counselled me to stay. “My boy, you are vigorous, lively, and ambitious. This is the right place for you. You will regret leaving the United States. Stay here; you will soon get used to the place; besides, you can receive the best of education right here.”
He took me with him on a street-car to his home. While we were passing through Cambridge, he pointed out Harvard College and said:
“Do you see those red-brick buildings? They belong to Harvard University. Great men have come out of that institution.”
His remarks filled me with pride, and a desire to stay, and I determined to conquer in remaining.
I am glad to be here. I have become a citizen, determined to make my home in this land.
God save our country—the great, glorious United States of America!
Alexanian, Manoog Der. When I Was a Boy in Armenia. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co.
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