VALHALLA

March 31, 2010

Valhalla
\val-‘ha-le\ n 1: the great hall in Norse mythology where the souls of heroes slain in battle are received 2: a place of honor, glory, or happiness : heaven*

When I was eight years old I was assigned a special project in school. We were given the option of either reporting on the history of The Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island. I figured the majority of my classmates would pick The Statue of Liberty; not because she was more interesting but because it was February and she was the first stop on the freezing cold ferry ride across the Hudson – I decided to sacrifice and went with Ellis Island.
It was a bitter cold day, yet I was shivering with excitement. My mom had agreed to take me (after all I was only eight) and I was looking forward to spending the day with her. We boarded the ferry and made our way to the famed halls of Ellis Island. Despite my nausea (I was never good with boat rides), I tried to enjoy the seemingly endless trip across the river.
As we made our way off the boat and into the Great Hall, I was immediately back to normal and ready to tackle the different parts of the museum being featured in my project. After getting all the crucial information, my mom and I made our way outside and came across the wall. At first, I was confused until my mother explained that it held the names of all the people who had immigrated to this country and who had made their way through the daunting halls of Ellis Island. We walked down a bit further and my mother stopped. She was staring at her grandparents’ names on the wall. I thought it was cool (after all I was only eight) yet let my mom remember in silence.
I have not been back to Ellis Island since yet I do know that I have a deeper reverence and appreciation for the men, women and children who graced the halls with their presence, culture, history. They may have been frightened and confused at the unknown circumstances they found themselves in when they came to this country, yet many years later, their presence, culture and history rest on a valhalla for all to see.

*letter “e” is upside down creating sound of “uh”