Winter is Coming

Dear Diary,

Everyone in the village has been very busy getting ready for the winter to come.  We haven't managed to grow too many things in the short time that we've been here.  Luckily, the Indians were nice enough to give us some of their crops.  They gave us something called corn.  It doesn't taste too great on its own but if you put it over the fire for a few minutes it has a good flavor.

Mama has been busy sewing and knitting new clothes for Matthew and I.  She keeps saying we are growing too fast for her to keep up.  I don't feel any bigger though.  I still can't do everything Papa does, but hopefully next summer I can.

I'm nervous about the winter coming.  We are so far from home.  Mama says I need to stop calling London home, that we live here in the New World now.  I asked her what this place was called and she said they haven't named it yet.  I think I'll still call London home until we have a proper name for our village.  Maybe when the winter is over.

I don't know if I'll ever see London again.

More later.

- John

Hard Work

Dear Diary,

It's been a long time since I've been able to write.  Our family is so busy adjusting to life here in the New World.  Papa and I built out house up with the help of some of the other villagers.  I also helped build a lot of other houses since then.  Everyone in the village helps everyone.  Papa says it's because we all need to depend on each other to survive.  I don't like when he says that.  It scares me to think we may not.

The buzz around the village lately has been all about the Indians.  They haven't come into the village yet but people have sworn they've seen them watching us from the trees.  I haven't seen any yet, unfortunately.  Matthew says he has, but I don't believe him.  He couldn't even tell me what they looked like.

I'm worried about Mama.  She doesn't seem to like our new home very much.  I think she misses Aunt Margaret.  She is always writing letters to her back in London.  Maybe she can come to the New World too?

More later.

- John

Arrival

Dear Diary,

We have arrived in the New World.  Our ship finally docked on shore this morning!  It's a cloudy and dreary day however, and my mind is plagued with worries of how living in this new land will change our family.  Mama says I'm to help with gathering food and materials for Papa to build our new home.  I hope I can find everything he needs.

I'm mostly excited about exploring this new land.  Our house in London was nothing like what we've seen here so far.  I watched from the deck of the ship this morning and I've never seen so much green in my whole life.  There were trees and forests in every direction!  I can't imagine all the things I will find in those woods.

I can't wait to meet some of the other villagers either.  There weren't many children to play with on our journey over, just Matthew and I.  I hope to find lots of other kids to explore with, if I have time after helping Papa set things up.

I'll write more later, it's time to go ashore!

- John