“I like AC/DC and ZZ Top
Bocephus, Beasties and the kings of rock……
Punk rock, The Clash
Boy bands are trash
I like Johnny Cash and Grand Master Flash.
Flash…”
A Happy 4th of July to you all.
It’s my fourth Fourth away from the States. While no longer resident, I’ll always be an American and so will Z. He may grow up speaking with an Australian accent, preferring cricket to baseball, vegemite on toast to PB & J and Bondi Beach to Daytona Beach. But he’ll always be a natural born American.
Because of my aversion to American expat groups, I’ll be celebrating this 4th of July in the traditional Australian way – as just another midwinter day. But to my American family and comrades – have a great 4th and have a wiener for me.
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by Jessica K
04 Jul 2008 at 13:54
Happy 4th, Chris! We’ll let the kids light a sparkler in your honor tomorrow.
Jessica K’s last blog post..Happy 4th of July!
by holly*
04 Jul 2008 at 14:05
happy 4th to y’all as well. i’ll burn an imaginary sparkler for you guys.
btw, AWESOME “stars and stripes” shirt on your little man there!!! where on earth did you find it?
holly*’s last blog post..tasty tuesday!
by CDV
04 Jul 2008 at 14:10
Boots (a drugstore) in Britain. I had to have it as soon as I saw it as did a fellow American expat blogger in London. I think it’s just about perfect for a young American abroad.
by ssg
04 Jul 2008 at 16:32
happy American day, I’ll have a cheeseburger in your honour
ssg’s last blog post..Still no internet
by headbang8
04 Jul 2008 at 18:13
We are up to our ears in Expat 4th of July celebrations here in Germany. I have been invited to three.
The largest, you will be interested to know, is organised by the energetic Munich chapter of Democrats Abroad. They also intend to walk through the Marienplatz wearing T-shirts not unlike Zach’s (probably also bought from Boots) in order to hand out voting literature to other expats and tourists.
Master Right and I will be giving them a swerve, though. Most involve onerous, elaborate picnic preparations–even those to be held in beer gardens, where you can buy a perfectly good American-style hot dog from the bar.
Mind you, we won’t call it a hot dog, though that would be quite amusing in German. (Ein heisser Hund, bitte sofort!). We’ll be calling it a Wiener Wurst, since the American hot dog actually has roots in Wien, or as we say in English, Vienna.
And we won’smear any of that poofy sweet American mustard on it, only proper sinus-clearing German senf.. And the bun will be crunchy. And the potato salad won’t have mayo. And the beer will be really good. And no-one will carry a gun in her purse. But otherwise it’s a totally authentic American experience.
headbang8’s last blog post..Wir sind Papst…er, Champions.
by courtney
04 Jul 2008 at 23:21
Happy 4th to you as well! It’s weird to think you’ll (sort of) celebrate it during winter. But I will think of you as I’m eating my body weight in hot dogs today.
courtney’s last blog post..Delawhere? Delathere.
by Agnes
05 Jul 2008 at 01:34
Mmmm…vegemite. Question – love it or hate it? It’s been my experience that you’ve gotta be brought up on vegemite, eating it from when you’re a little tyke. Am guessing you’re probably a hater! However, I love the stuff. And there’s so many ways you can eat it too. Me – I gotta have a lot of it. And it’s best to have it on toast, after you’ve let the marge melt into the bread. Beautiful!
Agnes’s last blog post..Review: Scouting For Girls At The Corner
by Matthew
05 Jul 2008 at 02:45
Happy 4th.
by Angel
05 Jul 2008 at 03:08
Happy 4th to you and yours, Chris!
by Vixen
05 Jul 2008 at 07:07
I will have a wiener AND a beer for you! Happy 4th Chris.
Vixen’s last blog post..Independence Day
by Coal Miner's Granddaughter
05 Jul 2008 at 11:20
No Oscar Mayer wieners here, just Mom’s B-B-Q chicken, macaroni salad, and some fresh fruit. Hope your 4th was a relaxing one!
Coal Miner’s Granddaughter’s last blog post..Declare Your Independence
by Judy Vedova
05 Jul 2008 at 11:59
GREAT PICTURE! We have it in a frame. What is vegemite? Cannot possibly be as good as PB & J! It was a great 4th weatherwise. Hapy 4th to you!! Miss you all!
by NATUI
05 Jul 2008 at 12:15
Happy 4th to you guys. We had a snowcone in your honor. Hope you had a nice time. Zach’s shirt is too damned cute for words.
NATUI’s last blog post..Shitty Music, Great Videos, and a Blogger Promise
by Busy Dad Mumbles
06 Jul 2008 at 01:22
Happy 4th down under. Maybe, sir, you can apply your educational prowess to a translation guide to cricket. In watching Fox Sports I don’t get the scores.
My best to you and the crew. Have a great 4th weekend.
by The Right Blue
07 Jul 2008 at 01:41
Hmm, expats and national holidays. Yes, I remember all that from the 12 or so years I lived overseas. My favorite expat 4th of July happened while we were living in Athens. We went to a beach for the day, along with another American family, and a visitor from the States.
It was an unremarkable 2-family beach outing until close to sunset when our visitor — feisty after having swilled prodigious amounts of beer all day — chastised us expat Americans for not acknowledging our nation’s birthday.
One of the men said, “Let’s take care of that right now!” …whereupon we all stood up, and, facing in the general direction of New York, put our hands over our hearts and belted out a rousing verse of “God Bless America” — much to the embarrassment of our children and the bewilderment of the Greek families nearby. Then we gathered up our things went home.
Don’t get me started on some of the peculiar Thanksgiving dinners I’ve had while living/traveling overseas…
Bobbie
by arizaphale
09 Jul 2008 at 10:07
Interesting that they chose ‘God Bless America’ and not ‘Oh Say Can You Seeeeeeeeee…..’ Still, I guess most of us Aussie would warble ‘Waltzing Matilda’ instead of that ridiculous English song we call an Anthem
Hope you had a great 4th anyway!!! (Enjoyed the old post with pix of Sinead hanging off the couch and a tiny Timmins)
arizaphale’s last blog post..Crafty Tuesday: A Knitted Cushion