Our National Day - A selection of winning essays on Independence Day 2012 (first prize)

Our National Day - A selection of winning essays on Independence Day 2012 (first prize) (Author: Wang Huilin) It was March when my father and mother arrived in the United States...

Our National Day - A selection of winning essays on Independence Day 2012 (first prize) (Author: Wang Huilin) It was March when my father and mother first arrived in the United States. At that time, they didn't understand anything. Their family and friends were all in China, and they missed home every day. It was really sad. On the Fourth of July that year, neighbors were celebrating America's Fourth of July. My parents were very poor at the time and the apartment they lived in was not very good. The Americans next door are also very poor. On National Day, they have barbecues, eat chicken legs and wings, drink beer, and play music. The aroma of barbecue, accompanied by music, floated all the way to the lonely home of my father and mother. From their apartment, you could hear the laughter of the family next door, and my mother thought of her own home and the National Day celebrations she used to celebrate in China, and she felt really sad. In her mind: America is not my home, and this is not my holiday. The next year, my parents saved some money, and America’s Independence Day came again. This time they also followed the example of their neighbors and bought a barbecue stove, some chicken legs, chicken wings, and beer. They also invited some new friends to have a barbecue. Although they were learning from Americans that year, they didn't have the feeling of celebrating a holiday. National Day is so far away for these people who are far away from home. My father and mother have spent many National Days like this in the United States. In the past six or seven years, I have moved to seven or eight apartments, and each one feels like a hotel to my parents. Their real home is still in China. Every year, parents celebrate some Chinese festivals, and the National Day in the United States is a day when parents can take a break. Later, I finally moved to a two-story house. At that time, my father and mother had already given birth to me. A few years later, my sister was born, and there were two children in the family. My sister and I grew up with the American children in our neighborhood. American customs are our customs, American language is our language, and American holidays are our holidays. In the community where we live, every National Day, everyone will plant a national flag outside the door. That morning I could see everyone’s flag flying in the sky from the window. It was so beautiful. My mother and father saw others planting national flags every year, and seeing that my sister and I really wanted to show our patriotism, they bought an American flag too. There is an activity in the community. Every Independence Day, someone always organizes children to ride bicycles and walk around the community. The kids riding the bikes all wore clothes in the colors of the American flag, and even the bikes were decorated in the colors of the flag. When I was seven years old and my sister was only three years old, we really wanted to participate in this event. In order for us to participate in this, my mother bought us some blue, red, and white clothes and skirts. On the National Day that year, we rode bicycles with everyone and wore beautiful little skirts. We felt so proud. Slowly, my father and mother began to get used to the United States. They tasted American food, wore American clothes, and celebrated American festivals with us. This year, the National Day is coming again, and my parents specially arranged to visit the capital, Washington, D.C. that week. Finally, during the week of the Fourth of July, our family packed our bags and drove to the capital of the United States. In Washington, D.C., we saw many amazing monuments and learned a lot about American history. On National Day, we got up early to watch the most famous parade in Washington! We waited along the street for a long time and finally saw the parade we were waiting for. Wow! It's amazing! There were all kinds of people in the parade! There were military bands playing instruments, soldiers from the army dressed as Uncle Sam, waving American flags, people singing and dancing, and many floats. The spectators on our street were all dressed in patriotic costumes and cheering for the parade. You can really see the patriotic spirit of our spectators and the parade members. Now that my sister and I have grown up, the National Day that our sisters celebrate every year has slowly become a holiday that our family celebrates every year. Mom said, wherever we are, that is our home — Home is where we are. Award ceremony for the Independence Day Essay Contest