Teresa

The saddest were Christmas, my children’s birthdays, and the end of their school year. On the day of their first communion in Poland, I also went to the church in Greenpoint, made dinner, and sat at the table with my roommates. But it’s not the same as with the family.

I have wanted to see the world for as long as I can remember. I was in Russia, Ukraine, and Germany but didn’t go to America because my daughters were born. My sister’s husband went to the U.S. first. He wanted to take my brother, but my brother said that he could not survive without his family.

Then I volunteered: I will go because I don’t get along with my husband. I got an invitation in May, but I decided to apply for an American visa in October, so my mother and my sister would finish the harvest and then could look after the children. My sister and I went to the police to sign the custody of my daughters, who were nine and seven years old. I got a tourist visa for six months.

Were my daughters sad? Sure, they were, but I was sad too. Later, in America, one dinner one did not eat, lest I have not wondered if these children had food. Those were the times.

I came to Greenpoint in 1980. My neighbors picked me up at the New York airport and drove me to 131 Dupont Street, where I lived with two ladies. Teresa and Halina were from Biłgoraj.

_{Dupont Street; Source:} _{Flickr/NewYorkShitty}

Both came three years before me; they were still working and good people. They told me how to get to Mrs. Regina in Williamsburg, who was handing out jobs for cleaners. Good for me, because at that time I didn’t speak English.

Regina gave me a piece of paper with an address on Central Park West, 55th Street, to Jennifer, a businesswoman who doesn’t have time for anything. I was supposed to clean up the apartment and look after her baby — a whole week for a hundred dollars. I stayed there for six months.

_{Central Park West; Source: Flickr/NewYorkitecture}

I only had Thursdays off, so I asked Regina to find me an extra job for Thursday. I went to Hasidic Jews in an electronic warehouse. I saw these ladies with whom I shared my apartment for maybe two hours a day. Good morning. Good morning; how are you? Are there any letters? When I finally sat down, I prayed: God, give me strength. At that time, I was leaving at 7 am and returning at 11 pm. First by metro G, then by bus 61.

Nassau Avenue G Train; Source: NYC various

As I said, I was earning little money. But every week, I put the paycheck into a book, and every three weeks, I went to a Polish bank to deposit it and send money to the children. When I wasn’t working or sleeping, I wrote letters. There was time for shopping and sending parcels on a Sunday afternoon, but I did not work. I couldn’t call Poland because there were no phones, only the one at the priest in the parish. I prayed: I hope I will endure these six months somehow.

_{Greenpoint Avenue Bridge opened for a ship; Source: Wikicommons}

After six months, I managed to call my sister. She said there was no future for me in Poland. She encouraged me: if you can stay – stay, even illegally. It was not only my decision; we made it together. The girls and I felt sorry.

The saddest were Christmas, birthdays, and the end of the year. It was hard. On their first communion in Poland, I went to church in Greenpoint, made dinner, and sat at the table with my roommates. But it’s not the same as with the family. These ladies and their kids were older and already used to not having moms around. I haven’t seen my daughters for seven years.

_{Nativity Scene in Polish Church at Greenpoint; Source: Private Archive}

In 1984, on bus number 61, I met ‘Jurek‘ – George from Guatemala. It was raining, and Jurek had an umbrella. This is how our relationship began. He studied at Polytechnic University, and after school, he went to work. His family sent him abroad because there was political unrest in Guatemala, and he was in danger.

He rented a room with Irena Klementowicz, whom everyone knew because he fought against environmental pollution in Greenpoint. I did not think then that Jurek was just a Latin American and that there could be problems because of this.

_{Saint Cyril and Methodius Parish in Greenpoint; Source: Wikicommons}

I already saw that people lived together, even though one was such and the other was different. There were only Latinos left behind Huron Street. Some of my friends dated them, but only some feared them. Few people made a difference in what country they were from.

_{Huron Street Pigeon; Source: Flickr/NewYorkShitty}

It happened that groups of young Puerto Ricans accosted women returning from work. Especially on Fridays, when they were carrying with them their payments. I explained to them: pay a dollar and take the bus from the subway station to your place. Then you will be safe; the dollar is not a fortune.

And here, my daughter Victoria was born. She will be a politician in Greenpoint.

_{Terasa, Victoria and George; Source: Facebook/vcambranes}

Go to Victoria’s story: https://greenpointtales.com/stories/victoria-1

I was born in 1947 in Sarzyna near Leżajsk, Poland. There were eight siblings in my family. Others cut the corn with sickles when my father had horse-drawn machines. The director of the cooperative was coming to admire them.

Richard

When I was little, I had to read aloud from a Polish newspaper after dinner. It was a pain for me, little one. When I tried to speak English with my dad, my dad said he didn't understand me. He lied as I heard him talking in the store. But my dad wanted me always to remember the Polish language.

Agata

Victoria

Krystyna

Share Your Story

Let me tell you what happened recently. Workers were moving a machine that had its weight at the top. Instead of moving the machine slowly and carefully, they tilted it, and the machine cut one man's ear.

Piotr

Let me tell you what happened recently. Workers were moving a machine that had its weight at the top. Instead of moving the machine slowly and carefully, they tilted it, and the machine cut one man's ear.

Adam “Babyface”

Henry

Karolina

I recently switched to a bar in Williamsburg. People smoke weed, and I hear about ketamine, blankets, mushrooms, and acid, although I don’t see anyone dealing drugs in our establishment. I observe couples who meet at our place through Tinder. I think it’s like Russian roulette.

Emilia

Even if Greenpoint was not well-regarded, for Poles, it was the best place in the world. especially for those who had recently arrived in America and felt that they were losing their footing. Greenpoint emulated a small Polish town. It was such a comforting place.

Nicholas

Basia

Mieczyslaw

One of my students, in particular, stood out with exceptional progress. Jola was doing so well that I advised her to take singing lessons and then asked her to marry me. I didn't want her to surpass me in virtuosity. Fortunately, she became a great doctor. She died two years ago.

Dzidka

I was 13 years old and spoke some British English. It was not enough in Brooklyn. My Mom sent me to the school run by nuns, who were quite stern, and corrected me sharply. "You are in America; you are not Maria, you are Mary."

Daniela

Roman

Jakub

I am proud of who I am, I spend every summer in Poland. I like the Polish diligence. and striving for a goal. Look at Greenpoint, how the living standards have gone up. Poles are prosperous: it's not just asbestos and cleaning. I like the Polish sense of humor and laid-back attitude.

Izabela

Maria

This neighborhood is changing before my eyes. Americans move here, and children of Polish migrants feel proud that they come from Greenpoint, and this was not always the case. This district is becoming the most expensive and attractive place in New York!

Beata & Mieszko

We ran a deli at 725 Manhattan Avenue for twenty-five years. Someone has said there are two great moments for a shop owner – when he buys and sells it. The latter was better for me.

Andrzej

America overwhelmed me because I couldn’t get into the subway. I had to learn how to buy a ticket, how to get through the gate, where to get on, and where to get off. It’s not easy in Brooklyn or Queens. Especially if you don’t speak English.

Teresa

I was born in 1947 in Sarzyna near Leżajsk, Poland. There were eight siblings in my family. Others cut the corn with sickles when my father had horse-drawn machines. The director of the cooperative was coming to admire them.

Daniel

I came to New York in 1981 on the Batory ship, and there I found out that there was a neighborhood like Greenpoint. I've never heard of it before. My father gave me a hundred dollars for the trip, so I thought that at the beginning, we would rent a room in a nice Polish hotel.

Teresa

I was born in 1947 in Sarzyna near Leżajsk, Poland. There were eight siblings in my family. Others cut the corn with sickles when my father had horse-drawn machines. The director of the cooperative was coming to admire them.

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