We've now survived Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, and over half of our birthdays here in this hemisphere, but this was the first holiday where not only did it not FEEL like a holiday weather-wise, but it was a truly foreign holiday to the folks who live here. So we were extremely grateful when we were invited to attend a 4th of July cookout at our friend Shane's house. Now, Shane is an employee of the US government, so he knows quite a few Americans here, and I think half the American expat population in Melbourne was at this party. It was so fun - and a little strange - to spend an evening surrounded by American accents, people who could commiserate about missing good bacon, and talking about where you were from in a truly familiar sense.
There were, of course, plenty of Aussies around as well, and truth be told, that's who we spent most of our evening with. Our bishop taught Abe how to play War with his footy cards, the burgers still had the distinctly-Australian flavor, and there was quite a bit of educating of the "foreigners" about the geography of the US and where to go when they do eventually visit our motherland.
The boys devoured their hot dogs (the massive Australian variety - Hank ate two and a half), we enjoyed the potato and pasta salads, and Hank could not open his mouth wide enough for the ice cream cake. Our hosts really did their best to make it feel authentic, and after spending the last seven July 4ths in Colorado - half of which were cold and rainy - it did almost feel like the "real" thing.
I struggle at times with how much I love being an American, how much I cherish my ancestry there and all that it means to hold my citizenship, knowing that my boys might possibly never identify as strongly with their own "Americanism" as I do. After all, whatever they learn for the duration of our stay here will have to come from Ben and me. Abe has already forgotten the Pledge of Allegiance and Hank goes around the house humming the Australian national anthem, but doesn't even recognize "The Star-Spangled Banner". This is something I hope to work on throughout our time here so that our boys can learn about and understand the country where their roots lie so deep. At the risk of waxing philosophical and corny (already done, I guess), America truly is a chosen and great land, and I will forever be grateful to Ben's ancestors and my own who made it into the country it is today.
2 comments:
I don't know what you are on about Stephanie, we have the best bacon right here in Melbourne!!
Anna, all I can say is that I never realized how much I depend on bacon until I've been unable to find American-style since we've moved here. Don't get me wrong - the Australian stuff is good, but oh, to have a smoky, melt-in-your-mouth fatty slice of the stuff I grew up on - I miss it so.
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