Expatica's blogger reveals what it's like for a US expat in Belgium to celebrate American Independence Day far from home.

American Independence Day. In the US, it's a day for parades, festivals, bands, cookouts and fireworks. The stores hang streamers and have special sales on hamburgers, hotdogs, rolls, beans, corn-on-the-cob, watermelon, chips, ice cream, soda, beer and other barbeque dinner essentials. Flags are flown, bunting draped and the women's magazines feature recipes for red, white and blue desserts and ideas for decorations.

In Virginia, it's always hot and humid on the Fourth, but the heat never kept us from the parade or the vendors lining the streets of downtown Fredericksburg. Standing on the Chatham Bridge with the sun hot on our necks, we'd peer over the rail at the Rappahannock River below, full of folks on homemade rafts with patriotic themes.

Traffic is heavy and the gas stations are jammed with people buying drinks and ice for their coolers. The afternoon is quieter as people retreat indoors to escape the unrelenting heat or park their lawn chairs in the deep green shady places. At dinner time, the smell of grilling meat wafts through the neighborhoods. As dusk approaches around 8pm, people start to queue up and sprawl on blankets in parks for fireworks displays in the city. The suburbs crackle and pop with firecrackers and bottle rockets bought from dusty roadside stands.

It's hard to be in Belgium for American holidays. This year as well as last year, we attended celebrations hosted by the US military, American Embassy or NATO-related organizations. There are carnival attractions, music and American food. Sometimes there are races, contests and other types of entertainment.

It feels good for just one day to be able to wave a small American flag, but while I appreciate the effort and expense put into organizing these events, I always leave them feeling a bit empty, a little homesick.

Cruising home on the Ring around Brussels, everyone is going about their business. The stores operate as always, the workers toil away in offices and business places, the neighbors don't have the day off. Until I left the US, I never understood how the essence of national holidays goes beyond the actual event being celebrated and includes a myriad of small rituals. It's not enough to replicate the rituals — sharing them is what's most important, what unites a community and a nation together.

This Independence Day, I felt too independent — missing home, my neighborhood, my community, my country.

6 July 2006

V-Grrrl

© 2006 Veronica McCabe Deschambault. All rights reserved.