The New World

Circa August 1500

Bon Voyage towards the New World. My immediate family waved goodbye to my extended family, and then we boarded the ship, New Hope. Due to crowded conditions, we were limited in our belongings to bring with us. Besides our clothing and books, we were allowed some tools and cookware. Once on the ship, my family and I scrambled to find seats. We could here the anchor being lifted from the water, and shortly New Hope began to move forward. People huddled together, full of anticipation of the voyage. Young children voiced their frustrations because they could not currently roam free. The staff of New Hope attended each of us to the best of their abilities with meal times and traffic flow. The 2 month voyage across the Atlantic Ocean posed some trials and tribulations for some of the passengers. A few casualties happened because of previous illnesses.

Circa October 1500

The staff announced the sighting of land and the ship, New Hope, grew closer to docking. Excitement grew amongst the weary passengers. As the ship progressed, the breaking waves made the ride a little choppy, growing closer to shore. I felt nauseous and leaned over into a pail. I, then, composed myself and my immediate family signaled me to come with them to the deck of the ship. It was a memorable experience to see a shoreline of vegetation in the near distance. The ship docks as the anchor splashes into the wet ground. The staff usher everybody off the ship. The feeling of sandy soil was welcoming after approximately 2 months of being confined. We look up and inhabitants trickle out of the grove of trees. The initial group charge after us. The captain fires a warning shot in the air and the initial group of inhabitants come to a halt. A staring contest begins as we all study non-verbals and mannerisms. The leader of the inhabitants meanders out onto the beach and signals a peace offering. The captain of New Hope obliges and a sense of relief comes over everybody. The inhabitants lead us back to their village to feed us and learn about their new visitors. We collaborate with each other about building shelters. The inhabitants show us where and how to hunt for food. They also demonstrate means of agriculture for growing crops. We learn where fresh, potable water is. The attire of the inhabitants was minimal due to the climate. They barter goods such as furs, necklaces, and crops, in exchange for different things. We introduce coins to them and demonstrate our way of bartering items.

The next month, the first infant of our crew was born and was promptly baptized by our lead people. Once we were established, the staff of New Hope boarded to sail back to retrieve goods such as weaponry and textiles from the Old World. They transported items such as sugar and coffee to the Old World in exchange. We remained patient for their re arrival.

Unfortunately, the winter months posed a challenge. Granted, it did not get too cold at this new location but we learned how to ration food items due to the limited growing season. Immunity was a main issue. The inhabitants and the newcomers were getting accustomed to different strains of viruses. Some of the inhabitants grew sick and there were a few casualties. This caused an uproar in the village. Our lead people decided to venture North and West to branch out. They most certainly came across many challenges during their trek in discovering more of the New World due to the terrain, the weather, and other environmental issues. The wind began to change direction the more North they traveled.

Back at the village, life eventually settled back down. Those who stayed behind awaited the near return of New Hope for supplies such as medicine and literature. Communication developed between the two groups via symbols and syllables. Some relationships interspersed amongst the villagers. It was not taboo to do this but it took some time to get used to. New Hope returned and was welcomed in arms for their company and supplies. The bartering system of the village grew vastly due to the influx of new items and different methods of payment. The inhabitants were enamored especially with the textiles and weaponry. Weaponry would aid greatly in hunting and foraging whereas textiles would add protection from the elements. The staff of New Hope loaded up more sugar and coffee which was greatly appreciated back in the Old World. Both of those items remained on the ship until another voyage back to the Old World was cast. The introduction to modern medicine of the time combined with natural remedies of the inhabitants. This pleased everybody.

Over the progress of time, New Hope was retired from her voyages and its descendents brought more passengers and supplies to the New World. The population grew vastly. The remaining inhabitants started to resent the influx of newcomers and protested. Most of the newcomers migrated away from the village into newly chartered territory. The inhabitants continued to honor their land and leave their mark for future generations. The visitors from the Old World were still enamored with the natural, untouched beauty of the New World and continued to explore and expand the population.

New laws and regulations were slowly introduced to help preserve the peace. Half of the inhabitants learned how to read and write to help communicate with their visitors. The visitors learned how to create more accurate maps and charters from symbols taught by the inhabitants. Each group explained to each other about the celestial beings and religious ideals.

Word got back to the Old World and more ports were established in the New World. This pleased the inhabitants of the original location. The Old World soon discovered that each of the ports had a different group of inhabitants. This is when political officials collaborated and wrote out a set of universal rules and regulations hence the start of the new colonies.