Thursday, September 30, 2010

china, jamaica,india

I am very undecided about what country I would like to choose. It is either between Jamaica, India or China. I dont know much about these countries but I'm willing to do research to find out about their history with America.
now that I looked up these countries I think I might choose jamaica. I am not sure what time period I would like to use for my research paper.

Why are you interested in this country and its relationship with the U.S.?

I find this country interesting for two reaons. One being, 1.5 million people from the U.S. visits there every year. Second reason would be that between 1518 and 1870 Jamaica had a huge slave trade going on. I find both af thes time periods very interesting.

Talk about what you noticed in your Wikipedia entry. What kind of information was your Wikipedia entry good at providing? What information did it have that wouldn’t be useful? What doesn’t it tell you that you’ll want to find out?
I noticed that wikipedia has a lot of information, however alot of it wasnt as useful such as the sports they play in jamaica.

How do you think have people from this country and the U.S. come into contact with each other: through immigration, migration, war, cultural exchange, economic exchange, or something else?
I think people from Jamaica comes into contact with the U.S.through immigration, tourism, economic exchange and cultural exchange through music.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Sad Lucy?

In Lucy Jamaica Kincaid, the way Lucy describe her first impressions of her arrival in the United States is very descriptive. When she arrived in the United States it was the middle of January and it was a cold gray black night. As she was driving to her destination someone would point out famous land marks to her. Lucy said that before arriving here that when she thought of those places they made her happy and would always bring her out of sadness. However Lucy says that once she see the places they look ordinary, dirty and worn down from so many people. Lucy also said that this was not her first bout with disappointment of reality and it wouldn't be her last. When arriving at her destination Lucy rides and elevator for the first in her life. Lucy also compares her home in Jamaica to her home in the United States, in Jamaica she lives in a house were as now in the United States she is staying in an apartment. Also she realized that in Jamaica she didn’t have a refrigerator and now she was sitting at a table eating left over food from the day before that just came out of the refrigerator. Lucy said that everything she was experiencing was such a good idea that she could imagine she would grow used to and even like it. She says when she fell asleep it was not because she comfortable but because she couldn’t handle to take anything else in. The next day when Lucy got dressed to leave the apartment she realized she was not in the tropical climate anymore because she thought just because the sun was shining that it was warm outside and she hard a rude awaking when it was very cold outside.
                 I would describe Lucy's first impressions of the United States depressing however rather normal feeling of an immigrant. Most immigrant stories that I have heard were greatly like Lucy's story. Before arriving here most immigrants imagine the United States as this great land of freedom and riches, however when they arrive here they are overcome with reality that the United States is just another place that you have to work hard for what you want in life and being that they are immigrant they have to work ever harder.