July 4

THE FOURTH OF JULY aka MY HALF BIRTHDAY!!

As I have turned 20 and a half today, we all took to celebrating by meeting with Julie and Kathryn, going to our community partners, recovering from sickness, and/ or finishing up assignments. Because we all dispersed, I only got pictures from what I was included in, but everyone seemed to have a packed day. I know Ally and Catherine started their long week at 10:30 tomorrow morning working with kids, and will continue throughout the rest of the week. Becca and I watered some plants in the greenhouse. Zosia and Clayton went to the museum, and it was apparently a busy day for many of the employees. A few of us got Bavarian dumplings for dinner, but you could find everyone at some point with their computers open finishing their homework. Even though I did not see anyone, I know that no one celebrated our favorite American holiday, but as my cousin once said on snapchat over a picture of Donald Trump, “Why would we celebrate America if it is not free.” (Quote is open for discussion.)

           

            My cousin’s snapchat and some other comments my friends have made about feeling welcome in the United States coming from immigrant backgrounds, connects well with Markus Heide’s research on borders in the United States. What keeps people in, what keeps people out, and what defines an American.