Who is going to pay?

My employees are immigrants and my customers are immigrants - we depend on them. says a kitchen manager in Charlotte, North Carolina, to a journalist in the Guardian.

However, president Trump does not seem to think that way. He is dead set on stopping illegal immigration, especially those 'wetbacks' crossing the Mexican border. He is going to build a wall and guess who is going to pay for it? Watch this video and find out.

This physical barrier will protect the 1900 miles long border, not only keeping out America's working force but also migrating animals and birds. Natural ecosystems are not important?? If I were Trump I would at least listen to construction contractors who advise a see-through fence instead of a concrete wall. But I feel the whole idea is horrifying and reminds me of fenced-in Jews at Auschwitz.




In the meantime. volunteers are still out there, patrolling border areas to find and rescue immigrants in need. At the same time other troops are doing the exact same thing, patrolling, yet in order to arrest and send back the poor refugees. I know which kind of patrol I would sign up for!

In week 14 you can write a post on how you feel about immigrant policy in the US. Good writing!

Take a pick!

- DC and Delaware have a higher percentage of women than other states.
- In Mississippi you risk the most being assaulted, losing your job or getting affected by climate disasters.
- Oregon is nicknamed the Beaver State , which is why this state's sports clubs proudly depict beavers on their emblems.
- MO is the abbreviation for Missouri, not Montana.

These and other facts are to be concluded from Factmonster, a really useful page if you want to retrieve instant facts on a state. That's also where I stumbled across Zion national park in Utah.

Now I had heard about Yellowstone and Yosemite like most of you probably have, yet Zion did not ring a bell. At all. So I'm glad it popped up on my screen. Especially after seeing these beautiful pictures!

This spectacular canyon lies in southern Utah and offers tourists activities that assure a lifetime experience. If you're into biking, hiking or rock climbing this is definitely an epic place to be. For me, an adventure in an authentic US national park would be like a dream come true. Yellowstone has intrigued me for a long time, though dramatic predictions about earthquakes and geisers exploding have frightened me. Zion then seems like an undisturbed piece of nature and would fit much better as my next overseas destination.

An overview of USnational Parks, take a pick!

In week 13 I'm asking you to present a state that has made an impression on you.

Think outside the box

Generalizing and oversimplifying is seldom a good idea, but it's hard not to think of stereotypes when you have to describe the average American. Fast food, soccer moms, religious sects, cowboys and many more plain old pictures come to mind. In no time I find several maps that back uå my own prejudices. Some are humouristic, others are actually based on facts.

Yet after having given it some thought, I want to mention UNIFORMS as a typical American feature. Way back in history, native Indians already wore tribal costumes that we know from cartoons like Yakari , western films or maybe from your own childhood carneval parties. 

Also, I think of all sports shirts worn proudly by both active and passive players as well as their cheerleaders' revealing outfits. 

School uniforms are another typical garnment, becoming increasingly popular. Nearly 1 in 5 public schools in the US required uniforms in 2010, according to USAtoday. The remaining schools often enforce a strict dresscode policy. It seems that parents appreciate uniforms most, because they leave less room to quarrel over what to wear :) 

The uniform I personally love the most is the graduation gown. I was  so proud of my daughter when she got to wear it at graduation day last year! For me the dress and cap are symbols not only of the educational system but also of pride and perseverence. Who knows, maybe one day you get to wear one of these?

Here you see Wietske with her American host family,
on graduation day at Pleasant Valley high School.

What is it that you associate with American culture? Write a blog post about typical American symbols in week 12. And remember to think outside the box ;) 

It's gonna be HUGE

Hi Donald, it's us: your friends from the 9th grade at TBU! 

Let us present you thè BEST class in the whole world. It's us. We're great.

On this blog we get a new task for every week we're blogging. It's a big task. It's about a big country. Let us just say that we love your country.  That's why we're going to write about themes related to the USA. We get background information in class, as well as some inspiration on this blog. 

It's gonna be great! We' ll become the best bloggers in the whole world! 

Donald Trump says repeatedly that he is going to make America great again, #MAGA , and that he is going to put America first during his presidency. Many countries have since asked to be put second on his list, remember the Netherlands?
I was just picking up on those greetings in my very first lines of this blog. I really hope he will keep his word and make it happen. In the next few weeks, we'll be on the lookout for big changes or drastic propositions from the oval office. Meanwhile we will learn about American culture and history and each post our thoughts, excitement and/or worries in blog entries.

Good luck to you all, let's get started! Can't wait to see what names you pick for your blogs! I hope you have figured out by now what my blog name means :)