March 26, 1902

I arrived at the place that I will be living just a few hours ago. It is located on what the people here call the “Lower East Side”. My official address is 79 Rivington St, New York, NY. It is very small and seems unsafe, but it will do. The other people that I met from other areas of Ireland speak of potentially moving to somewhere called Ohio eventually. 

 

-Dierdre

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March 28, 1902

I make about $1.50 a day as a caretaker for 2 children, I also clean and make dinner. The family allows me to eat and take home whatever is leftover from each night's dinners. This allows me to save a lot of money on food. I am required to wear a long dress with an apron while I am at work. I actually enjoy my job a fair amount because I love children and the conditions are great in comparison to those of newsies. The only problem is that I am struggling to survive with the wage I am being paid. 

 

-Dierdre

 

April 13, 1902

Today I met loads of new people and we played cards and shared stories of where we were from. I began to feel less homesick and lonely and actually really enjoyed my self for the first time since I have been in America. I continue to save my money to send to my sister back home so that she too can come to America to live a better life. I miss her so much and can’t wait to see her soon.

 

-Dierdre

 

April 30, 1902

I have been in America for just over a month now, it has been pretty good so far. My favorite part about America is what I see in people’s eyes here, it brings me so much joy to see a glimmer of hope even when the living and working conditions are less than ideal. The biggest disappointment I have experienced so far has been the prejudice against my friends who also immigrated from Ireland. We are perceived to be useless drunks and it was hard for my friends to find jobs at first because of this. I just had to learn to ignore those people and focus on creating a better life for my self and my family back home.

 

-Dierdre