Slavery in the United States

Hello everyone!

It`s raining here in San Francisco this morning, so I went to the store to buy some good food when I blog. I love lazy mornings, and it has not been much of those here in the U.S, so that was really amazing. When the weather gets better I am going to visit the famous bridge, Golden Gate Bridge. Then I have to see what I’ll do after that. Whatever I do here, is it absolutely extraordinary!

But, I promised yesterday that I would write about the slavery in this post. It is absolutely terrible how they were treated, I can`t really understand it!!

One of the cases for the slavery was that they needed people to work on the plantations and farms. Slavery in America began in the early 17th Century and continued to be practiced for the next 250 years by the colonies and states. Most, including women and children, worked on plantations and production of tobacco crops and later, cotton. Men worked often as joiners, metalworkers, gun makers, coopers and sailors. From the late 18^th century were women brought in from fields and given duties as servants, nurses, dressmakers and cooks.  From around 1619 to 1865 people with African descent were slaves lawfully. Slaves had to work without salary; the only thing they got was food so they could work next day. Therefore the economy in the United States increased.

First they had to come over to the United States with ships that sailed across the Atlantic. The trip took about two months. The trip was really, really hard – they were held in the dark under deck and to identify the slaves they burned marks into their skin. A lot of people died, of different reasons. Just 15 million of 35-40 million slaves survived the trip over the Atlantic, so you can imagine how hard the trip was.

African people on our way to the United States from Africa.

After a long trip, the prisoners were sold as slaves to different plantations. And many times parents and children got separated, and maybe they never would see each other again. So they were often alone when they came to the plantation. They worked up to 18 hours a day, and sometimes longer. After a long day with hard work, many slaves don`t have a bed to sleep in when they was finished. If the slaves don`t do what the owners said they hurt them by beating, whipping, and burning them. If they do something really bad, for example if they tried to escape, they cut of their limbs or killed them.

                       

In 1861 the American civil war started, and the slavery finally stopped. President Lincoln spoken out against the slavery, about how bad and wrong it was. He presented the Preliminart Emancipation Proclamation. The Union won the Civil war in 1865 and finally the slavery was over!! 

Luckily we live in a better time today. And although this is really exiting am I of course really happy that I not lived at that time.

Now the sun begins to arrive, so I have to go! It`s just some few days again here in the amazing San Francisco, and they should be enjoyed!!! Talk to you later.

Guro

The Immigration

Hey!!

First; sorry for bad blogging the last weeks, I`m really busy traveling around, that I`ve just forgotten it!!  But, I promise to be better the last weeks in the amazing United States, omg I love this country so sick much.

Now I`m in San Francisco, and I regret; LA is not the best place in the United States, San Francisco is better (if that`s possible)!! I can`t tell you how good it is, you will not understand me. The weather has been good every day – the temperature is well over 30, so I can`t complain. I visited Disneyland yesterday, and it was over all my expectations!! I took a lot of the roller coasters, and I must admit that I was a little bit scared when I sat alone in one of the world`s biggest roller coasters, that was sick, haha!

My hotel is also so beautiful. I live in Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa this week, and for 7 days I had to pay 10 000 NOK (1524 USD). The hotel features a full-service spa and outdoor pool. The hotel is decorated in French Chateau, and I love the design so much!! The room has also free Wi-Fi (that`s important for me as a blogger). The hotel has also a gym, and they offer breakfast every day, that is really good after a week with breakfast at starbucks.

 

But yesterday, I was thinking about New York, I thought about what I will explain and what I will do there. I asked a person that I`ve been familiar with, and she said that I had to go to Ellis Island. Ellis Island was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the U.S as the nation`s busiest immigrant inspection station. The station opened in January 1892 and closed in November 1954. When it closed, more than 20 millions of immigrants had come to the station - only 2 % of the immigrants were refused access to the United States.

Today Ellis Island is a museum and as I said I were told that I must visit the museum, so I think I will do that!

But, I search a little bit on the internet, and I had to tell you about it, because I found it really interesting!

American immigration history can be viewed in four epochs: the colonial period, the mid-19th century, the start of the 20th century, and post-1965. With hope for a brighter future, nearly 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States between 1870 and 1900. Because of the immigrants has the U.S begun a country with many different cultural. Most of the immigrants were from Asia and Europe, and I will talk about Norwegian immigrants later in this post.

Immigrants entered the United States through several ports. Those from Europe generally came through East Coast facilities, while those from Asia generally entered through West Coast centers. More than 70 percent of all immigrants entered through New York, and this city is known as the "Golden Door." The reason why they moved to another country was often because they don`t could get a job in their own country. So when they settled, they looked for work.

Because I`m from Norway, it`s natural for me to talk about the Norwegian Immigrants, who came from Norway into the U. S. The first immigrants from Norway came with a ship called “Restauration” in 1825. The ship sailed from Stavanger to New York and had 52 passengers. About 800,000 Norwegians emigrated between 1825 and 1925, and they are called Norwegian Americans (here in Norway we called them “norskamerikanere”. The reason why they come to the United States was the same as the other immigrants, because they don`t had a job. Today it`s really few or no one here from Norway who went to the U.S as an immigrant. That`s because we have good society and job opportunities here in Norway too. 

That was what I wanted to tell you today. It`s so much, but I couldn’t write about everything, so I took just what I think was most important. Tomorrow (I promise) I will write about slavery, rejoice! I found that really interesting, and hope you do that too.  

Goodbye, talk to you tomorrow 

Two well-known cities

OMG I`M IN LOS ANGELES, THIS IS SICK!!!

I`ve been in LA for 2 days, and I already love this city sooo much!! Everything here is perfect and I can write forever about how good it is. As I said in the last post I will tell you something about two cities in the United States I`m going to visit. You know which cities it is: Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Miami. I want to tell you more about Los Angeles and New York, and I hope that you will learn some new things about the fantastic (!!) cities.

So, let`s start with Los Angeles:

Los Angeles (often shorten LA) is a big city, actually the biggest in California, and the second biggest city in the USA (after New York). The city had a population at 3 858 000 in 2012, but I`m not sure actually how many residents it`s today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The climate in LA is a Mediterranean climate. That will say that it`s warm and dry summers and rainy and mild winters. In summer the temperature can come over 32 °C, and the warmest month is August.  In the winter it can be over 19 °C, but the temperature is about 14-15 °C. The coldest temperature that has been measured in LA is -2, 2 °C in 1949.

The city is known for the Hollywood sign. The letters is 15 meters high and 9 meters width. It`s not so important for me to see the sign, but it`s of course fun to have been there. So, if I have time I want to see it.

 

 

It`s so much to do and to see in Los Angeles, and although USA has a lot of fantastic cities I think LA must be my absolute favorite. And now I will to tell you a little bit about (some few) tourist attractions in the city.

One of them is Disneyland, an attraction I will visit.

Disneyland is may be one of the world`s most famous amusement park. A millions of people visit the park every year. The park opened in 1955 and has been bigger and bigger for every year. The park has four departments; Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland and Tomorrowland – in all of the departments you can take rides and roller coasters till you spewing. I will go to the park on Tuesday and I`m sooo excited, I really love roller coasters!!

Another really popular attraction in Los Angeles is Hollywood Walk of fame. I will not visit the Walk of Fame, because I don`t find that so interesting. For those who not know what the Walk of Fame is, it is the world`s most famous pavement. It goes in Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, with over 2300 stars with names from the entertainment industry. Totally is Walk of Fame in well over 5 kilometer.

Universal Studios is also a well-known amusement park. Because I will go to the Disneyland, I`m not sure if I will go to the Universal Studios too, although I really want it. This is a film studio and theme park, were you can see the real Studios soundstages and sets.

Do you think LA is a fantastic place??? I think!!

Now, let`s talk about another beautiful place; New York!!! I`ve not been there yet, but in a few weeks I go in New York`s streets with a lot of shopping bags, I CAN`T WAIT!!!

New York City, officially called City of New York, is the biggest city in the U.S. The city has about 8,5 millions inhabitants. NYC consists of five boroughs: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhatten, Queens and Staten Island.

 

The climate in NYC is generally humid continental. That will say that there are really large seasonal temperature differences. At the summer it`s really hot, and in the winter it`s really cold. The temperature can be as low as -25 °C in the winter, and in the summer it can be over 30 °C!!

New York has a lot of different nicknames. But the most known is may be “The Big Apple” and “The City that never sleeps”. The reason why we call the city “The Big Apple” is because of the city's prominence in horse racing by John J. Fitz Gerald. And the reason why we call NY for “The City that never sleeps” is because it`s people in the streets all the time!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As in Los Angeles, it`s a lot of tourist attractions in New York, and I will write a little bit about a few of the most popular in NY too.

I`ve talked a little about the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty in my last post, so I will not talk more about them, but they are one of the most popular attractions in New York and I will visit the Empire State Building when I`m in New York.

Central Park is an urban in the central New York City borough of Manhatten. Everybody in NY love the park and it is the most visited urban park in the U.S. A lot of people visit the park every day, and I think I have to go there too! It`s a perfect place to start the day with good food or may be a jog in the fantastic nature!  

Times Square is New York`s most hectic place, with a lot of lights and neon signs. Many tourists visit the place because of the really good shopping and restaurants. I love the signs and think this is a must when I visit New York!!

I`m also really excited for San Francisco and Miami too, and I can`t wait to went to Miami and lay at the beach every day!! That`s going to be awesome after some hectic days in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Sooo, dear readers; do you want to go to the United States when you read this?? What is your favorite city here; Los Angeles, New York or another city?

Next time I will write to you, I have been in Los Angeles for although a week, and then I have a lot to tell you. In my next post I will talk a little bit about the next place I will visit: San Francisco and a little bit about the immigration.

Lots of love from Guro

 

 

The USA in general

Hello!

In a few weeks I`m in USA, I can`t belive it!!! But, before I went to the U.S I want to tell you a little bit about the country, so in this post I will tell you something about the USA in general.

 

 

 

 

USA got their own flag the 14^th June 1777 and it became clear that the flag should be the national flag and the state flag. The flag has a lot of nicknames, but it`s usually called “Stars and Stripes”. Other names are “Old Glory” and “The Star-Spangled Banner”. The flag is red, white and blue and consists of fifty stars; one star to every state. In addition it has 13 stripes that symbolize the thirteen first states that formed the Republic.

 

In the United States it`s the president who heads the government. The first president of the USA was George Washington. He was a president from 1789 to 1797. The government consists of the presidents’ office, - The White House, a vice president and 15 ministries. The president of the government is Barack Obama. The first time he was given a title as a president was in 2009. A president in the United States is president in 4 years. So in 2013 (the 20^th January), when it was a new chose he was been reelected.

 

 

The capital of the USA is Washington D.C (District of Columbia). Originally Washington D.C was divided into five different cities or countries: Georgetown, City of Washington, City of Alexandria, County of Washington and County of Alexandria. The population in Washington is circa 646 449 (2013). I will not went to the capital, but a lot of people, as many as 20 million tourists visit the city every year, so tourism is really important for the state.

 

 

The currency in the United States today is the American dollar ($). Values that are in use today are: 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 dollar. They also use coins, and the coins that are in use today is: 1¢ (penny), 5¢ (nickel), 10¢ (dime) and 25¢ (quarter). At the moment 1 USD is the same as 6,56 NOK.

Independence Day is celebrated on the 4th of July, and it´s the national day of The United States of America. I will come to the U.S. the 8^th July, so I will not experience the day, unfortunately. The reason that the national day is the 4^th July is because in 1776 was the United States declared independent from Great Britain. The evening before the 4^th July, many people decorate their houses with flags, balloons and garlands. At the day they sends up fireworks, they go parades, barbeques, they can go on concerts and carnivals, go on a baseball game and listen to the political speeches.

 

 

 

It`s a lot of buildings in the U.S, and they are really popular to visit for the tourists. Many of the buildings are in Washington D.C, but one of the most famous is The White House, were the president lives.

 

Also in New York it is a lot of popular buildings, but the most popular is the Empire State. The skyscraper was once one of the world`s tallest skyscraper with 102 floors and a high on 443 meter (including the antenna). I will visit the building when I`m in New York (if I have time, I think shopping is more important!!)

 

 

I also want to write a little bit about the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge is in San Francisco, so I think I will see the bridge when I visit San Francisco at the night, because the lights at the bridge is sooo beautiful when it`s dark, just look at the picture!! It is one of the longest bridges in the world (2,7 km).

 

 

The United States have, as I said a lot of buildings, and this was just a few of them.

I hope you find this post a little bit interesting. Next time I will tell you about two cities in the United States, and hope you want to read me next time too.

Lots of love from Guro

Introduction

Hello!

My name is Guro, and I am a fifteen years old girl from Norway. In Norway I live in a really small town called Langesund. In my spare time I love to play handball, be with friends and travelling. I have travelled a lot before, but never alone, so I´m really, really exited!! I`ve created this blog so I can write about my (hopefully) fantastic travelling in the United States of America this month. I will not only write about the travelling, but also something about the USA in general, immigration, slavery, historical events and a little bit about persons from the USA.

The reason why I´m travelling and why I travelling to the United States of America is because I love to travel (of course), but also because I want to learn and experience new things. In USA is nothing the same; you can go on shopping in New York, going in the mountains or lying at the beach – you can do whatever you want! I chose to visit New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami. That`s because I will experience a little bit of everything, I would not just laying at the beach. I feel that New York is a must when you visit the United States, and I cannot wait to go on shopping in New York`s streets!!

 

I will be there in 4 weeks and as I said I will visit four states: New York, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. I`m really excited about the trip, and I`m looking forward to tell you about it.

  

 In this post can you read a little bit about the prices for the flight and hotel, and the itinerary.

As you may be know the journey to the USA is really long. My journey starts Wednesday the 8th of July. My plane leave from Gardemoen 14:05 AM and the plane lands in Los Angeles 16:05 AM next day. I think that`s better than stopping different places. This flight will take 10 hours and 55 minutes.

This plane costs 3999 NOK (619 USD).

I will be in Los Angeles one week and I`m going to stay at Motel 6 Los Angeles LAX. It isn`t a really pretty hotel, but it was cheap and its near the airport (3,4 km) and the city (1,3 km). For 7 days I had to pay 4200 NOK (651 USD). The hotel offers transport from the airport, so that`s okay.

 

The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool and offers room service every day, so I think this going to be great. I will order a better hotel when I visit New York. The hotel is not so important to me on this journey, because I will not be there so much anyway, and therefor I think it`s unnecessary to pay a lot when you just sleep there.

When I have been in Los Angeles for one week I will visit San Francisco. After one week in San Francisco I will went to Miami in 10 days and finally New York. More about the hotels and states coming soon, I can`t tell you the whole journey now, right?

But, I can tell you that I will went home from New York to Norway the 5th August. At this journey I must stop in København in Denmark, so this journey will take 11 hours and 30 minutes, so it`s the same time as to Los Angeles. 

I will talk more about the USA general, and of course more about the journey and the other hotels soon! So... I hope you will follow me on this journey, I think it`s going to be really, really awesome!!

I will write again soon!!! Lots of love from Guro