Celebrating Independence Day by Spending Another Month in the UK!

On this day, 243 years ago, the United States gained independence from the United Kingdom. I couldn't actually care less about that fact. The only appeal of July 4th to me is that it's before my birthday, so I get to see fireworks on my "Birthday Eve."

This the second time I am celebrating America's national holiday abroad. In the summer of 2017, I celebrated with my friends at the Middlebury Interactive Languages immersion program in Beijing, China. We didn't do much except wear red, white, and blue. We were just 3 days into our program and my friend brought some fake tattoos that you apple with water.

This year, I have the pleasure of "celebrating" in London with my family. I didn't actually do anything for it since the holiday means nothing to me. However, my parents came to visit me during my birthday week, so we celebrated that instead. It's quite refreshing to go about July 4th like any normal day and not be bombarded with aggressive patriotism. The only time I'm ever really "proud" of America or being American is during the Olympics—that's it. It's quite ironic to be "celebrating" a holiday that marks the independence of America where its previous colonizers reside.