July 4th in Dongguan
Holidays. Hong Kong,
But Independence Day is more than a little special. Particularly to an expat living in a foreign land. It always did mean a lot to me anyway, but now it is extra special. Only we expats don’t get the day off as a holiday. We do get to celebrate it any way we can. And we did last week! Just wish it hadn’t fallen on a Wednesday. Three parties in a week is tough. But last week was one of those weeks.
On Wednesday night, I returned home early and headed straight for One for the Road. Jason promised a special night of entertainment, even if it was an English pub. And he did a pretty good job too. The place was heavily draped in the stars and stripes. A special free barbecue of pork and sides was available. And the crowd was all excited about the day, even if it was in the middle of the week.
The highlight of the evening was the “war.” ….. The Americans, led by Captain Big Mike lined up on one side of the room, while the bloody Brits, led by Captain Jason, tried to gather in some kind of formation on the other. Soon the sides were “armed” with the famous OFTR confetti guns. And the shooting commenced!
Nobody seemed to win, but at least no one seemed to get hurt badly either. And that was a miracle of sorts. The blasts from those guns propels the confetti out with major force. And the outer liner did cause a few bruises on impact. But it was all in good fun, and we all did have a good time.
Of course, about half of the guns, mostly the first ones given out by Jason, didn’t work. I guess we Americans better bring our own ammo next time and not depend on a British pub manager. …. Lesson learned.
Special commemorative shirts were also available for the evening. A few drinks and you were the proud owner of the OFTR shirt with George Washington and George Cornwallis conversing about making of beer. They even included US and 
lags.
Festivities were also strong at the American bar, The Thirsty Dog. A late night stop topped off a great evening of entertainment with the local band and a good mix of friends.
Not bad for a Independence Day, even if we were in China.
Click here for albums from the night's celebrations.
posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 8:07 PM
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