The Channel

Timezone: UTC-1.

We are at sea. The ship is enormous and very much an echo of the glory days of transatlantic travel, which has, sadly, largely been reduced to a tourist attraction by the merciless innovations in aviation.

I can so far count at least one person aboard who seems to have reasons to travel to New York that are different to mere leisure, and exudes an interest in reducing the hecticness of the world by, simply put, taking more time. She also thinks Polish humour (presumably the darker blends thereof) is of a rather similar nature to the English, due to its – and I quote – “rawness”. It is probably the first time in a long time that I encounter such a bold statement, but upon a closer consideration, I do not think she is wrong.

I am firmly being headed for New York now. Not heading, for I have little control over the ship's navigation. Barring a collision with an iceberg or a torpedo from a German U-boat on this vast, daunting ocean, I shall arrive at my destination on the 17th of January. My curiosity about America is abundant, verily. Is the place even real? Does it exist? The questions pose themselves especially now, in such an eccentric political environment.

I remain in communication with those back home who are dear to my heart. Blessed be those who make modern networks possible and functional, even if that, among other things, renders the transatlantic voyage very distinct to what the 19th-century European migrants seeking a better life in the New World endured.

Say Au revoir, as cheerfully and as bravely, as if you were only going for a short journey. Do not sadden others who are trying hard to be brave too. Leave yourself and them in God's hands, for He will be with you and them, though the trackless deep lies between.
Kate Reid Ledoux, “Ocean Notes and Foreign Travel for Ladies”