Kirsten The American Girl Doll

In 1854, Kirsten Larson who represents an American girl, moved with her family from Sweden to America.  They had to fit all of their belongings into two trunks. Can you imagine doing that?  The journey from Sweden to the United States was more than two months on a small boat.  Kirsten and her family stayed in the cheapest part of the ship in a cramped and uncomfortable place.  There were no windows for light or fresh air, no bathrooms and they slept on a small wooden bench covered with straw. There were no refrigerators so as time went on, their food was rotten or moldy.

Often storms made for a rough trip and everyone was sick.

Before the Larsen’s  left Sweden, they knew the details of the trip and that it would be tough.  Still considering all the troubles, they believed life would be better in America.

The Larson’s landed in New York where Kirsten was nearly lost in the hustle and bustle of the big city. She realized that life in America where everything was new would be very different from her small village in Sweden.  Kirsten learned the difficulty of not speaking English.

Their journey continued from New York toward Minnesota. Kirsten and her family would live on a farm next door to her uncle’s farm when they arrived in Minnesota. Her uncle had often written that the land in American was rich, the grass thick and there was a lot of grass to feed a cow. Throughout the difficult trip, Kirsten’s dad insisted life would be better in America.  Losing her friend, and the difficulties they were enduring made Kirsten wonder if Papa was correct.

During her lonely times, Kirsten thought of her grandmother’s words; when you are lonely, look at the sun.  We all see the same sun.

When the Larson’s finally reached their new home in Minnesota, next to her uncle, aunt and cousins, Kirsten was happy in her new home in America.

In Kirsten’s words, “Home is a place where you’re happy, a place where you belong”.