4th of July...

4th of July...a date on the calendar or a national holiday...depends on where you are!  This is my first fourth of July not in the States.  Today is just another Friday here in the UK.  No flags are flying, and there are no red, white, and blue decorations.  No summertime barbeques, and everyone goes to work as usual.  The evening will not end with a spectacular fireworks display.

It is funny what you miss when you are gone.  4th of July was never one of my favorite holidays, but we still celebrated it.  I remember in the past being slightly annoyed going to watch the fireworks spectacular, it was late, there were crowds, and parking was always a hassle.  Now, that there will be no fireworks to celebrate independence, I kind of miss it!   So, today, I put on my most patriotic shirt to celebrate the 4th of July from across the pond!

This morning we headed into Durham, which is where we will stay until we move into our house.  Since we are not spending the weekend in Durham, I was without a place to hangout while Andrew worked during the day.  In my red, white, and blue shirt, I wandered Durham marketplace.  This is Durham city center and home to a vast array of shops.

To my surprise, I found a Starbucks tucked between all of the other tea rooms.  Since it is the 4th of July, I decide that Starbucks was as American as I was going to find in the Durham city center.  While it is a Starbucks, the menu and drink selection is quite different from the States.  Not aware of all of the differences, I ordered a caramel iced frappes in hopes of having a taste of home.  While it came in the standard Starbucks cup and was a blended drink, it was so much sweeter than my favorite American version.  As I sat and drank my drink, I thought of all my friends and family spending the day at the river, hanging by the pool, and grilling up some burgers.

At lunch, in my quest to personally celebrate the 4th of July, I visited a favorite pub of AJ's and mine.  It serves sweet potato fries that are remarkably similar to the American version.  I ate my sweet potato fries with ketchup (as Americans do!) and quietly thought of all that it means to be an American.

This 4th of July, there was no corn on the cob or burgers on the grill for us, but I still found a way to remember my country!  Next year, there will be corn on the cob, hot dogs, burgers, and all things American to mark this day, and the red, white, and blue lights will be on!!

~W