Climbing the Mountain page 5 Reminiscences of Margaret Wuerflein Klammer (1891-1985) Written in 1976, her 85th year Go to Beginning Go to Ending Return to Home page

directions, but felt pretty big that the man trusted me, but I had strict instructions not to dawdle on the way. I always seem to dawdle on the way up my mountain but so much comes back to me again. In the middle of May 1905, Mother and I left from Ansback, together with a Mrs. Wittmann who had been visiting a sister. So by train we started for Bremen, where we stayed in a hotel for three days, waiting to be transported to Bremen Port where we got on board the ship "Barbarossa," and set sail for the great land of promise. Our stay in Bremen was interesting for me as the ship company arranged to have tours of the city for us. One day we saw the museum and I remember the life-size buffalo which they told us lived in America. From early child- hood I was troubled with migraine headaches and I had to spend one day in bed at the hotel, so I missed another tour. I re- member two young missionaries who were heading for Brazil be- friending us. Finally the ship left on a Sunday morning and I still remember the band playing the song on deck: "Sonntag ists auf allen strassen, Und vom thurm die glocke shallt." We headed out into the North Sea, the channel was calm and it seemed a good omen. Since second class cabins were filled, we got to travel first class, and so ate in the first class dining room. It was a good dinner, and I had my first taste of ice cream...it was a green color and tasted marvelous. As we left the Channel and entered the North Sea the water got rough and by mid-afternoon my nice dinner, ice cream and all, went overboard, and so did just about everyone else's! What a shame! But when one is not used to the sea, one gets a very upset stomach. You feel terrible and you think you won't ever live through it, but you do after you get used to it. It took us eleven days to cross the Atlantic, and if it had not been for a big storm, we could have enjoyed it. We met many people, young and old. One old lady kept telling us over and over again, "Ich bin Israelitish." A young girl that became friendly and I laughed at her as she was so funny. My mother was sick most of the time, and kept me in constant fear with her saying she would never live through it, and I think the only reason she did was because she was afraid they would throw her in the ocean, if she died at sea! Once in a while I would leave her with her 'jammering' and go around the ship. One day when I was real dejected...after all...what was I going to do if she died!, I sat at the top of the stairs crying when one of the stewards came by, and seeing me, he sat down beside me and inquired about my trouble. He seemed like an elderly man but he laughed and kissed me and said not to worry, nobody died of sea sickness, and so I was really comforted. To my knowledge that was the first kiss I received and it took me a long time to figure it out. After eleven days we got to New York but had to stay on board. I remember one of the young missionaries being disappointed that we had to spend Ascension Day on shipboard. We parted with them there, wishing each other good luck.