Happy Fourth of July!

My favorite holiday, it seems, is one that is perfectly unfit for an expat to celebrate. On Saturday, I looked for red, white, and blue anything to make a small picnic with another American family a little more patriotic. I found red cups and (surprise) white napkins! But paired with our navy blue Ikea plates, it kind of worked. (The only holiday that would be stranger, I think, is celebrating Christmas in the southern hemisphere. Christmas – in summer!)

In all fairness, I do find that the consulates in the Netherlands and in Moldova do a good job of remembering the holiday. Last year, Dan went to an American celebration in Moldova. This year, though, the Dutch celebration just seemed to far away to go to. Sad – it is less than two hours away, but in this country and without a car that does seem far away.

Well, today I’ll think about why I like this holiday so much – the red, white, and blue, the height of summer, the parades, the picnics, the fireworks, the birthday celebration for my grandma, and the gratitude I have for being from America.