From the Other Side
As you know my name is Kimberley and I am for the United States. Originally I was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica but moved to Miami, Florida at age nine. Currently I attend college in Daytona Beach, Florida. The United States is approximately 9,629,091 sq km with a population of 303,825,000. The United States is a democracy with presidential elections every four years. Our nation is comprised of 50 states with each containing a governor and state representatives that make up the U.S. senate and House of Representatives.
The United States does not have an official language; however the majority of the population speaks English as a native language. The type of English spoken in the United States is known as American English. There are many other languages that are spoken in the United States as well and those include a few major languages such as Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Japanese.
The basic family includes a father, mother, and two or three children. Many times that basic structure cannot be upheld. There are many families consisting of one parent with one or more children.
Where I live the weather is warm almost year round. We have a few months of cold weather but not too many. The summers of the United States are about the same nation wide. But the autumn and winter seasons vary from region to region. The northern states have harsh winter with heavy snowfall while the southern states receive little to no snow. The United States also contains almost every geographic landscape. There are deserts, mountain, volcanoes, hot springs, rising plateaus, plains, swamps, and so much more. There are the Appalachian Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada mountains, Coast Ranges, and the Cascade Range. Our most famous volcanoes are Mt. St. Helens in Washington and Kilauea in Hawaii.
Agriculture is a major industry in the United States and this country is a large exporter of food. The U.S also controls almost half of world grain exports. Our main industries are petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, and mining. The U.S. economy is dependent upon these industries and the currency is the dollar bill.
Education is the U.S. is a major key to success. Public school education is free from kindergarten to twelfth grade. There is also the option of sending your child to private school. College however is not free and the price of tuition ranges from $2,000 per year to $30,000 per year.
Major people in the nation’s history include George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, W.E.B. Du Bois, John F. Kennedy, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington Carver, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. Some important people today include our first African-American President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Hilary Clinton, and Warren Buffett.
America’s most popular sports are football, baseball, and basketball. Entertainment is a huge industry. Movies are a big entertainment facet in American life. The most popular entertainer in the country would have to be Oprah Winfrey. Everyone knows who Oprah is. The most popular sports figure would be Manny Ramirez or Alex Rodriguez.
Christianity is the major religion of the United States. Other religions include Muslim, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
BELOW ARE A FEW PICTURES OF WHERE I ATTEND SCHOOL AND OF THE BEACH:
This is White Hall on Bethune-Cookman University's Campus.
This is our Center for Civic Engagements. This where the school's holds its banquets and special meeting. There is also a bookstore, our student center, a game room, and a athletics labs in this building.
This is Curtis Hall, one of our female dormitories.
Daytona Beach is a tourist spot because of its beautiful beaches. Daytona Beach also hosts many events throughout the year.
Cultural XChange - April 2010
The area of the United States is 9,830,000 km and is the third largest country by total area. With a population of 309,000,000 it is the third largest in population. The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations. I live in Florida, the Sunshine State. Florida has a population of about 18,537,000. I am from Miami but reside in Daytona Beach where I attend school.Florida has the 4th highest state population in the United States. According to population estimated Florida is also the thirtieth fastest growing state. Before the civil war, African Americans comprised nearly half of the states population. As the years passed that number has declined greatly. However in recent years the proportion of African-Americans has begun to grow. Large concentrations of African-Americans can be found in northern Florida. Florida's African-American population also includes Haitian, Jamaican, and darker skinned Hispanic Americans.Florida's hispanic population includes large communities of Cuban Americans in Miami and Tampa, and Puerto Ricans in Orlando. The Hispanic community continues to grow more affluent and mobile. White Americans of all European backgrounds are present in all areas of the state. Florida also contains other ethnicities from other countries but these are the most prominent. The official language in Florida is English but due to the various ethnicites other languages are accepted. Spanish is the second most commonly used language. In other communities the language depends on the people. Some other languages include creole spoken by Haitians and patwa spoken by Jamaicans.Education is free for all children in the United States. Our most common areas of schooling are elementary, middle, and high school. Elementary school is starts at age 5 and ends at age 10. Middle school is for ages 11-13, and high school for ages 14-17. Just like where you are from, trying to get into college is a task for the students with the proper grades. Exams are taken, applications are filled, work is done to try to get into college. Once you are accepted into college the real work begins. Many movies depict American college life as being full of parties and fun. And yes there are many parties and lots of fun. But there is more work then parties. College is the time for an individual to find themselves as well as mature into the person they want to become. Not only do we learn and study or majors but also ourselves and the people around us. How is college in China and do you enjoy it?