America The Beautiful

It's the 4th of July. And I'm not in America. I don't like that. This is the 2nd time I have spent the 4th of July in France and I don't like it anymore this time than I did last time. It feels wrong being in a different country on Independence Day... As much as I may complain about America, while there may be many things about it that I don't like right now and the direction it is headed as a country is not the way I want it to go, the fact still remains that I am American and America is still the greatest country for so many reasons! I am fiercely proud to be an American! There are times while I've been here in France that I have thought to myself "You should have said you were from Canada..." in order to escape the political conversation that ensued after hearing I was American (the French LOVE to talk politics and get my opinion on Obama...they're always shocked when I automatically answer with "I do not like him at all." Of course they're shocked, he's a socialist and they live in a socialist country so they don't see what's so wrong with him...) but after that thought passes through my mind I always laugh to myself and say "yeah right! I'm American, proud of it, and will claim to be nothing else! Even if that means suffering through pointless political conversations that will end on 'agree-to-disagree' terms". I can't imagine not being American. Even if one day I do move to France for good, I will ALWAYS be an American living in Paris (or somewhere in France lol!). Which also happens to be the name of one of my favorite classical pieces... "American in Paris" go look it up and take a listen :)

In honor of this great and wonderful day I will be as American as possible (as I do every year, even when I'm in the States). I sadly don't have any red, white and blue clothes with me right now (I only have part of my clothing with me since I was only coming down here for 3 weeks). Well I have my France soccer jersey which is red, white and blue and I will be wearing that later when they play their soccer match, but it's not the same, especially since it says France on it lol! I have been listening to country music all morning and when we go out this afternoon to pick snacks up at for tonight's soccer matches I will try to find something American to eat. I will miss the bonfires, flags flying, fireworks, hotdogs, hamburgers, watermelon, ice cream and root beer floats.... So I guess you will all have to enjoy them a little extra for me :) Think of me while watching those fireworks explode over one of our great 10,000 lakes and sing "God Bless America" just a little bit louder to make up for my missing voice! Soak up the Americanness of it all because there is a little blonde American an ocean away wishing it was her. Happy 4th everyone! Let Freedom Ring!!!!!!