´óÏó´«Ã½

After two weeks on the road, I have returned to Washington, DC, with lots of thoughts and impressions.

I spoke to over 50 people in six states from coast to coast, and I realized once again how culturally rich this country is.

Thanks for your comments along the way, and thanks for following the journey.

The producer on this cross-country adventure was Katie Beck. Check out her photos on our

Explore the interactive map below to view video reports, photographs, and Twitter updates from the road.

In 2001-2002, I spent a year in Mayo, Florida as an exchange student at Lafayette High School. Now, eight years later, I travel back to that small town to visit the people and places that gave me my first impressions of America.

Do you have experiences as an exchange student or host family? How did it change your outlook on the United States or other countries?

Gregory Kaidanov is considered one of the best chess players in the world. He and his family emmigrated from the former Soviet Union to Lexington, Kentucky in 1992 and have never looked back. He teaches chess to students around the world over the internet, and says America is home now.

Is technology and the way it connects people making where you live as an immigrant less important?

I move on from Emporia and head five-and-a-half hours west to Garden City, Kansas, where some of the Somali refugees who left Emporia two years ago went next.

I see where they work, where they live and where they learn English and other necessary skills.

What do you think about refugees doing jobs other people don't want to do?

A few years ago Emporia, Kansas, population, 26,000, suddenly became home to hundreds of Somali refugees who came to work at the local Tyson meat processing plant. When the plant cut shifts two years later, the new immigrants vanished as quickly as they had arrived. Their short-lived stay had a lasting impact on the community.

How do you think local communities can best prepare for refugee settlements? What do you think about Emporia's reaction?

Visit an amusement park anywhere across the United States this summer and the person selling you your hot dog, your ticket for the roller coaster, or smiling at you from behind the pretzel counter, might be visiting this country for the very first time.

Who are they, why did they choose to come here, and what are their first impressions?

Have you had experiences with work and travel or exchange students? What have they taught you about your country? Do you have any stories of your own to share?

For decades generations of Chinese immigrants have called San Francisco's Chinatown home, and thousands of new immigrants still come here every year hoping to find something better in America.

Chinese people are the best educated foreign-born group in the United States and many immigrants arriving here today see America more as a starting point than the finish line.

With other countries catching up fast and offering valid job opportunities, do you think America will become a destination mainly for academics?

People immigrating to the US today are more connected to their homelands then ever before.

With the internet, satellite TV and inexpensive telephone calls, it's getting easier and easier to stay in touch no matter where you come from.

Do these advances mean new immigrants are less likely to build local communities?

Is technology changing what it means to be an immigrant?

The India Tribune, based in Chicago, Illinois is one of America's oldest and most well known weekly English language Indian newspapers.

The publication has been around for decades and its all because of Prashant Shah, who had the idea to start the paper soon after he moved to the US in the 1970s.

The Tribune has grown with the influx of Indian immigrants to America and is now published in three locations including Atlanta and New York.

But it wasn't easy getting to where he is today, and Mr Shah is now passing the mantle on to his son.

What do you think the future holds for publications like the India Tribune as technology continues to change the world of media?

What role do you see them playing in Immigrant communities in the US?

Immigrants are 30 percent more likely to start businesses than non-immigrants.

From national grocery chains to one-woman printing stores, immigrants continue to flock to the US and become their own bosses.

Andre Wechsler, a German immigrant living in New York's East Village, saw a gap in the market and decided to take a chance to fulfil a dream.

He opened the only German Currywurst restaurant in the area two years ago, and I stopped by to see how business is going.

Why do you think immigrants are more apt to open their own business than non-immigrants? Are you a recent immigrant who has opened a business? What hurdles have you had to overcome?

Walk east on Roosevelt Avenue and the taco stands and toy stores are eventually replaced by the scent of cumin and shops offer gold jewellery and bejewelled saris.

That's when you know you have reached Jackson Heights, a neighbourhood made up of mostly South Asian immigrants.

Can you relate to Gulnahar's experiences? Do you think there should be more protections in place for new immigrants entering America and starting out in low paying jobs?

I start my trip across America in the heart of Queens, New York - the most diverse county in the United States.

If you think New York City is all about Manhattan, take time out and catch the subway to Corona, Elmhurst, or Jackson Heights and dive into this fascinating mix of cultures.

What are your impressions of Corona and Jackson Heights? Do you agree with Maria who says immigrants today have a much tougher road to travel in accomplishing their American dream? Feel free to leave your comments below.

In 1998, I visited the United States for the very first time as a teenager traveling along the West Coast.

I then returned as an exchange student in 2001 for one year to live and study at an American high school in northern Florida.

Ever since the first visit, this country has had a certain effect on me - so much of an effect that I chose American Studies as a field of study at my German university and New York as the place to receive my graduate degree.

Now I work and live permanently in Washington, DC, and get the chance to talk to recent fellow immigrants about their experiences thus far in the US.

I want to highlight the diversity of this country with stories from and about immigrant pockets across the nation.

What is America all about today? What and how are these new immigrant groups contributing to society? How are they shaping the country's identity?

I want to know how they view themselves in this ever growing mix of cultures that is the United States of America.

This trip is supposed to tell America something about itself that it did not know before - about the makeup of its society, about the dreams and fears of its newest members.

The blog will be updated constantly, and you can follow along on , and to get even more updates.

I want to read about your experiences as well, so feel free to share them on any of these outlets, or in the comments section below. I'll be sure to check them frequently.