I was definitely surprised that Seoul didn’t have a big 4th of July celebration. No, not because I think every place should celebrate it…but there were a gazillion advertisements I saw around the city for places celebrating Canada Day (July 1). And with all the military families and American teachers here, I was sure there would be something. One bar that served cupcakes with sparklers? A little fireworks display at the military base that other Yanks could come to? Or an expat group that grilled steaks at a park? If there was, I couldn’t find it…
Although I had a good day, come nightfall, it was a little sad. So far I’ve made some friends throughout this journey, but I didn’t think about how busy I’d been in Seoul, until I realized I haven’t made any American friends here; this was the first holiday I could recall ever spending totally alone. And the knife-turn of it all is that the 4th is one of my favorite holidays, coming in right after Thanksgiving (geez…how American am I that I only love holidays that no other country celebrates?). Knowing that the past five 4ths have been split between my pals in LA and NY, and I always had a great time — on a cruise on the Hudson River, making my first new LA friends, crashing random parties in Hermosa Beach, catching up with the college crew on an island off Manhattan, or burning to a crisp on the beach — meant that the night of just me and myself was that much more magnified.
Hopefully when November rolls around, I’ll have found some people I can force into eating turkey and dressing with me. I figure American or not, nobody can turn down a free home-cooked meal (however, if I’m in India then, it may be tofurkey and dressing).
ill eat an extra hot dog in your honor. As if I didnt have enough yesterday.
sorry you were alone on the 4th.
love catching up with what you’ve been up to. miss you!