Spending July Fourth Abroad

As we know the 4th of July was yesterday and in the States that means a lot of celebration with barbecues, music, family, and friends. This was my first time celebrating America's independence day abroad and honestly my day in Italy was very similar to what my day would have been at home. Michael and Francesca Seaman took all the Italian students for burgers at lunch and they were fantastic. My burger had egg, bacon, cheese, and barbecue sauce. About as american as you can get in Europe. A BIG thank you to the Seaman family! Next my classmates and I went to the beach where we enjoyed some beautiful weather and listened to some good old fashioned american country music. Occasionally we would receive a "happy fourth of July" from some of the natives here in Grado. Once we left the beach I thought my celebrating had ended but my host dad had a surprise for my roommates and me. Fabio cooked us homemade burgers with fries with fresh watermelon and it was delicious. We sat down with our burgers and watched a movie until we were so full we had to nap (a tradition we americans share with the Italians). To conclude no, the streets were not filled with red, white, and blue and no there were no fireworks. However, I had great food, great friends, and a great time this fourth of July, despite being so far away from home.