4th of July

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

I just got home from the 4th of July celebration held here in Singapore. It was hosted by the American Association and was free to everyone. There were a ton of people there (mostly Americans) and I have to admit that it was nice being around a group of similar people. No strange languages, no weird accents, lots of red, white, and blue being worn. And honestly, everybody was extremely friendly. It was a great time.

The celebration was held on the north side of the island at the Naval base. It was on the grounds of the Terror Club which is the name of the officers club at the base. Kind of a funny but very appropriate name for the club.

As you can see, there was representation from the US Navy League. In addition, there was a booth for the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Plus there was an entire section devoted to the kids with face painting, bouncy houses, etc.

They had a ton of food vendors with typical American fare. My friends had hot dogs and hamburgers while I had a bbq chicken sandwich and french fries. They also had beer, wine, and cocktails.


The weather was perfect today. Nice poofy clouds passing overhead with sunshine, blue skies, and a nice breeze. Everybody brought blankets and just sat on the lawn and chatted and ate and drank and laughed. There was always a band playing familiar tunes in the background. They played big band songs and rock songs and patriotic songs.


I think that my favorite part of the night was everybody standing up, placing their right hands over their hearts, and singing along to the National Anthem. It was pretty great.

The evening ended with a nice fireworks show. They were essentially shooting them right above us so almost everybody just leaned back or laid on the ground and looked up at them. The typical "Stars and Stripes" was playing in the background which for a moment made me think I was at home.

I wish everybody a safe and fun 4th of July holiday!