Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Tonight is a night for fireworks and booze...quite a dangerous combination if you ask me. But that's the American tradition right? We barbecue while drinking beer and shooting off dangerous, flammable rockets.

Today, I can't help but think that this is a very American tradition. It also makes me think about all the things I might actually miss while I'm in Scotland. Someone asked me if I would go down to Sweden to visit my brother during Thanksgiving. I had to remind them that I won't get Thanksgiving week off like students do here in the States. At this moment that's the only holiday that I can think of that I will miss (not miss it like yearn for it, but I won't be here for it) while I'm at school. I do plan on coming home for my 3 1/2 week winter holiday, so I'll be here for both the Winter Solstice and Christmas. But I'm sure that there will be holidays that I'm not use to celebrating that I will take part in during the fall semester. I'm looking forward to experiencing other traditions and a new culture. Most people think that since they speak English in Scotland that I won't really have a culture shock. This is not true.

Everywhere is different regardless of the language they speak. Heck! Someone from California who moves to Texas or Alabama would have a culture shock. :) Even though I know I'll yearn for the traditions of America while I'm gone, I'm really looking forward to this whole culture shock thing.