11/52

Week 11 of 52
Marina Bay area
Singapore

I have been feeling a bit nostalgic about the US this week.  I've never done anything particularly special for 4th of July but I have always enjoyed the fireworks that come along with it.  Even if I didn't get the chance to see them in person I love watching the fireworks in DC or Boston on TV.

Two years ago I spent 4th of July with some fellow Americans at a celebration specifically for us Americans.  This year I wanted to see some fireworks but didn't necessarily want to go to the American Club celebration.  Instead, I decided to watch the fireworks which are part of the rehearsal for the Singapore National Day coming up in August.  (I blogged about it a few years ago.)

I ended up waiting on the bridge near the Esplanade enjoying a very cool breeze with three friends.  The funny part is that all three are from Britain which seemed a bit ironic since I was there for Independence Day fireworks...

Anyway, we watched the entire National Day dress rehearsal and waited and waited for the fireworks.  Shortly after 8 pm they started the fireworks and it was great.  It brought me back to sitting on the hood of our car with my family at the Owosso Airport when I was a little kid...and laying on the beach with my brother Jeff and mom staring up at the fireworks being shot up from out on Lake Michigan...and watching the Washington DC fireworks on TV with my mother-in-law...and watching the fireworks at the Duke football stadium with Alan...

Like I said, I have been feeling a bit nostalgic and despite being halfway around the world and despite the fact that the fireworks were not in fact for us Americans...I found a way...as all expats do at some point...to make something local feel a bit like home...if only for a few minutes...

 

"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."

Have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!