Happy 4th of July to those of you that celebrate the holiday, and Hapy Wednesday to the rest of you.
I am increasingly in the lot of people that don't celebrate the US independence day. Not because I'm making a show of being dissatisfied with my country's foreign policy or healthcare system or general treatment of immigrants; no, I just find it ridiculously hard to have holiday spirit while living abroad (and, increasingly, even when I am back in the US).
4th of July for me is only properly celebrated at my dad's house, with a dusty old American flag flapping from the porch, chicken on the grill and Willie Nelson on the stereo. Or perhaps 4th of July could be, on an off year, celebrated with my mom and her husband camping in the backwoods of California.
Either way, 4th of July for me is not about getting together with a random group of people, whose only connection is that they are either born in the US or married to an American, to sing some patriotic songs and perhaps light some half-assed fireworks. Holidays are some of the occasions that most remind me of what an anti-social streak I can have.
To be fair, it's not at all discrimination against 4th of July; I am reluctant to celebrate any holiday that is not exactly as I remember it from my childhood. I can only really "feel" Christmas, for example, if it is a cold New Mexico night and we are touring luminaria displays and waiting to see how long it will take before the cat tries to climb the tree. If I am out of that environment, the next best thing is to be anywhere with my mom, as long as she can cook. Her Christmas feasts are capable of bringing about holiday spirit in me even in my most anti-celebratory bouts. If I can't have NM Christmas or my mom's food, I'd almost rather not bother. I've tried to do the whole tropical winter holiday thing and it doesn't work at all. I don't feel Christmas cheer, I just feel like it's another party and yes, I'd like a third glass of wine.
Interestingly, Rico is also not really into holidays. Our Christmas last year consisted of eating takeaway steak and potatoes from Spur in a dingy hotel room in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The highlight of the evening, aside from the lovely view of a nuclear power plant out the window, was watching some second-rate action movie on SABC. Neither of us missed a proper holiday celebration in the least.
So, while I am aware of some Embassy-sponsored party taking place tonight to commemorate our Independence Day, my form of celebration will consist of leftover chicken curry, lots of tea to ward off the chilly weather, and a conference call with the IFC to discuss the famous banana project. I'll leave the real celebrating to the rest of you holiday-embracing Americans out there.
5 comments:
Happy Fourth of July!
I found myself smiling as I read your post and nodding my head in agreement. I have never really gotten into the fourth of july. Like you my anti-social nature comes out on holidays like this. Today my sister-in-law is having a BBQ and we have not decided whether or not to go. My urge is to stay home although we will probably at least make an appearance... Like you - any holiday just does not feel like a holiday without my mom's cooking. I usually try to make at least one of her dishes if I am not with her. Today however, I think the day will feel average for the most part.
Hmmmm, listening to Willie Nelson, how patriotic can you get. :-) I laughed because my latest post also says happy Wednesday to the people not in America. Hope you are well!!
well i hope you can appreciate and celebrate your own independences :-)
Hmm, girl, I must say, I've gone through the same "what's the point in celebrating" while I've been abroad. No Mom. No homemade guacamole. No backyard tousling. But I went the other way this last Christmas and it did bring me a little closer to home by sharing some traditions with my HCN peeps. For 4th July, well, no. But a question for you, nomad ;-) Do you think being abroad has made you appreciate America or buid resentment toward it? Just curious. P.S. I would like to add your blog to my NetVibes, but I don't see an RSS Feed link. Am I missing it somehow? Thx!
~Laundrygirl - I hope you had a great day, however you chose (or not!) to celebrate.
~Rrramone - Funny, I talked to my dad after I wrote this and he confermed that he was making chicken. I didn't get a confirmation as to the Willie Nelson bit, but I'd put a pretty hefty wager on it.
~Jemima - Yes, absolutely!
~Andrea - First, I have no idea about the rss feed. How to enable it, where it might be on my page, etc. Clueless!
As for your question, I think being away has made me view the US and being an American in stages. First, when I was living abroad as a teenager, I was full of resentment and shame about being American. I struggled with those feelings for many years.
Now, I am actually quite proud to be American. I know that there are many people from our country (and from everywhere, for that matter) that do not fit into stereotypes and are out there doing really good work and leading conscious, kind lives. I am proud to be one of these people, and proud to know many, many others.
When I go back home, there are many things I see that cause "culture shock." Like Wal-Mart, massive consumerism in general, ignorance in some areas. But then again, I get similar shocks when I go to Brasil, or to Italy...just the details are different.
If I had to say one way, I'd say being abroad has made me appreciate America/being American.
What about you??
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