On being Canadian...
So, it's the 4th of July, and I'm in the United States. It's a weird feeling for a few reasons.
Firstly, I'm Canadian. Canada Day was July 1st, which is also my birthday. I've never spent a birthday outside of Canada before. My birthday is a national holiday! People are partying all day and night, and there are events going on all the time and huge fireworks displays at night. In the states, July 1st was just another day. Yeah, I'm kinda spoiled that way, I suppose, but it was still really strange. In all fairness, I did have an awesome birthday though! I just had a few of my friends come over in the afternoon for beers, snacks, cake, and hilarious conversation. All was well!
Last night, July 3rd, the Boston Pops did a "preview concert" of their Fireworks Extravaganza which is going on today. I went with a bunch of people who didn't know eachother, and it was a fun time! The 20s and 30s group at Old South had planned to go together. Only two of us from that group showed up, but a few newcomers to the church called me and were like "You don't know me but we just started going to the church, can we come hang out?" and of course, I said "Sure!" Mikhail came, and my roommates Rachel and Abby came, as well as Rachel's friend Diane, and then these church people, and it was just a really neat mix of people and we all ended up getting along really well.
I enjoyed listening to the Pops. However... see, watching the symphony outdoors, for me, has always meant Symphony Under the Sky on the September long weekend in Hawrelak Park. The only time I'm ever supposed to hear the 1812 Overture is on the last day of Symphony Under the Sky, usually a clear afternoon with a classic Alberta blue sky, with just a bit of chill in the air. It's like... the 1812 Overture means that summer is over and it's time to go back to school, or back to work, or whatever. It's kind of symbolic for me, strange as that may seem. So, hearing it out of place while I was already feeling out of place in the whole American patriotic thing - which, as I've said, is totally bizarre to me - just made this huge wave of homesickness come over me during the concert. It was totally weird... I think I freaked Mikhail out because I was crying in the middle of all these people being so happy and knowing all the words to "God Bless America" :P
Today, the 4th, has been a lot better, though. I've just been pretty chill; Rachel and I have just spend the entire day in the kitchen baking things, and in the living room chatting. (I baked her a cake for her birthday a few weeks ago, so she's doing one for me today, and then we decided to bake some challah for the hell of it!) Tonight, Mikhail and some of Rachel's friends are coming over to make dinner, and we're all going to go down and watch the fireworks from the bridge to Harvard. It's going to be pretty sweet!
By the way, I never want to give up my Canadian citizenship. Not for anything anyone could ever possibly offer me, ever.
Firstly, I'm Canadian. Canada Day was July 1st, which is also my birthday. I've never spent a birthday outside of Canada before. My birthday is a national holiday! People are partying all day and night, and there are events going on all the time and huge fireworks displays at night. In the states, July 1st was just another day. Yeah, I'm kinda spoiled that way, I suppose, but it was still really strange. In all fairness, I did have an awesome birthday though! I just had a few of my friends come over in the afternoon for beers, snacks, cake, and hilarious conversation. All was well!
Last night, July 3rd, the Boston Pops did a "preview concert" of their Fireworks Extravaganza which is going on today. I went with a bunch of people who didn't know eachother, and it was a fun time! The 20s and 30s group at Old South had planned to go together. Only two of us from that group showed up, but a few newcomers to the church called me and were like "You don't know me but we just started going to the church, can we come hang out?" and of course, I said "Sure!" Mikhail came, and my roommates Rachel and Abby came, as well as Rachel's friend Diane, and then these church people, and it was just a really neat mix of people and we all ended up getting along really well.
I enjoyed listening to the Pops. However... see, watching the symphony outdoors, for me, has always meant Symphony Under the Sky on the September long weekend in Hawrelak Park. The only time I'm ever supposed to hear the 1812 Overture is on the last day of Symphony Under the Sky, usually a clear afternoon with a classic Alberta blue sky, with just a bit of chill in the air. It's like... the 1812 Overture means that summer is over and it's time to go back to school, or back to work, or whatever. It's kind of symbolic for me, strange as that may seem. So, hearing it out of place while I was already feeling out of place in the whole American patriotic thing - which, as I've said, is totally bizarre to me - just made this huge wave of homesickness come over me during the concert. It was totally weird... I think I freaked Mikhail out because I was crying in the middle of all these people being so happy and knowing all the words to "God Bless America" :P
Today, the 4th, has been a lot better, though. I've just been pretty chill; Rachel and I have just spend the entire day in the kitchen baking things, and in the living room chatting. (I baked her a cake for her birthday a few weeks ago, so she's doing one for me today, and then we decided to bake some challah for the hell of it!) Tonight, Mikhail and some of Rachel's friends are coming over to make dinner, and we're all going to go down and watch the fireworks from the bridge to Harvard. It's going to be pretty sweet!
By the way, I never want to give up my Canadian citizenship. Not for anything anyone could ever possibly offer me, ever.