Isn’t it silly, but I’m always more excited about the fourth
of July when I am out of the country. The best Independence Day party that I
went to was actually in London, on the same day that a salesperson at Harrods
handed me an American flag.
Perhaps its because in the US, everyone is excited so I can
just coast along with the flow. Here, there are so few of us to carry the
standard (see what I did there?) of American patriotism that we all have to try
extra hard. So, I am fully into the spirit of things.
Here in Pune, we 19 Americans (the Iranian is less excited)
have big plans, beginning of course with a dress code of red, white, and blue.
Then it’s onto our usual activities before meeting back at the program center
for burgers, hot dogs, and the singing of patriotic songs. Then tonight I’m
planning on going out on the roof and pretending that the fireworks from the
wedding park across the street are just as magnificent and awe inspiring as
those on the National Mall.
How appropriate that it is the Fourth and just yesterday I
was struggling to describe American culture to my immediate supervisor. I
thought up a bunch of clichés like a “melting pot” of cultures, baseball and
apple pie, freedom, but eventually settled on independence as the core value of
our culture. A lot of my
difficulties in India have been based on a mix of struggling to getting around
on my own and pulling against the reins of obligations in order to be more
independent. Even the smallest thing like a struggle for personal space while
shopping can be linked back to my inherent desire for choice, freedom, and
personal independence.
So, today I am celebrating Independence Day abroad in Pune
for the purest of reasons, a celebration of freedom and my own independence.
Happy 4th everyone!
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