As I sit and enjoy fireworks (and fireflies and the sky as it fades from sunset to deep blue) from Natalie's apartment in Madison, Wisconsin, I find myself looking back over the most multicultural Independence Day of my life.
After dropping Katy off at the airport (we miss you), Natalie and I headed downtown to have some breakfast. We were too early, so we spent some time at James Madison Park where we enjoyed the outdoors, the architecture of the first Jewish temple in Madison, and a Spanish Civil War memorial. After trying (and failing) to rent bikes, we sat on the playground swings until 7:30 when our breakfast place opened. We had crêpes. Natalie had coffee from Rwanda that tasted of rhubarb; I had Japanese green tea. Later we went to a used book store where I bought a book that explains the history and spirit of 38 important Chinese characters. We had a late lunch at a local pub, and had a truly Wisconsin experience involving different cow products, products named after cows, and veggies. Tasty.
The multiculturality continues! Upon returning to the apartment, we watched some highlights of So You Think You Can Dance (British host and judge) and then headed for Monona, Wisconsin to attend their 4th of July festivities.We went for the Wife Carry. (The what?) It's a sport. From Finland. Couples enter the competition. The men pick up their wives (occasionally the other way around) and race down a 253 yard course with obstacles like hay bales, tires, sand, water, etc... Couples race one at a time, and they lose 15 seconds if the husband falls or if he drops his wife. It all sounds very odd and perhaps even offensive, but it was interesting to see the ways in which the couples' love for each other and for athletic competition played out in this very entertaining holiday tradition.
I love that in America we have the opportunity to be exposed to so many very different things, that today I had the opportunity to celebrate and remember such a diversity of cultures and histories! As we celebrate and appreciate America's independence, let us also celebrate our deep connection with people around the world. We can learn so much about ourselves and about humanity when we take the time to experience other cultures, to learn from things that are unfamiliar, and to reflect on the ways in which we are not so very different from those who are not like us.
Happy 4th!
After dropping Katy off at the airport (we miss you), Natalie and I headed downtown to have some breakfast. We were too early, so we spent some time at James Madison Park where we enjoyed the outdoors, the architecture of the first Jewish temple in Madison, and a Spanish Civil War memorial. After trying (and failing) to rent bikes, we sat on the playground swings until 7:30 when our breakfast place opened. We had crêpes. Natalie had coffee from Rwanda that tasted of rhubarb; I had Japanese green tea. Later we went to a used book store where I bought a book that explains the history and spirit of 38 important Chinese characters. We had a late lunch at a local pub, and had a truly Wisconsin experience involving different cow products, products named after cows, and veggies. Tasty.
The multiculturality continues! Upon returning to the apartment, we watched some highlights of So You Think You Can Dance (British host and judge) and then headed for Monona, Wisconsin to attend their 4th of July festivities.We went for the Wife Carry. (The what?) It's a sport. From Finland. Couples enter the competition. The men pick up their wives (occasionally the other way around) and race down a 253 yard course with obstacles like hay bales, tires, sand, water, etc... Couples race one at a time, and they lose 15 seconds if the husband falls or if he drops his wife. It all sounds very odd and perhaps even offensive, but it was interesting to see the ways in which the couples' love for each other and for athletic competition played out in this very entertaining holiday tradition.
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| Wife Carry. Monona, WI. 2011. |
Happy 4th!
