Saturday, July 05, 2003

A nice story for the Fourth of July

A couple years back, the guy who was the scientist at our company became a naturalized citizen of the USA. At the time, he was my colleague but eventually he rose to become the engineering manager (and my boss). But before he rose to that lofty and well-earned position, he had to struggle against unimaginable obstacles after escaping from Communist China (like, you know, learning English). So, after he became a full-blown American citizen, we had a little party for him at work and I put together an "American Survival Kit" including:

TV Guide
Baseball
Wiffle ball bat & ball
Nerf football
Six-pack of Budweiser
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" - Mark Twain
"The Grapes of Wrath" - John Steinbeck
"Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen
The Very Best of Jay and the Americans
Apple Pie
Hot dogs & buns
Mustard
American Flag

A lot of people told me how funny/appropriate/great the "kit" was, and my colleague/boss was visibly emotional as we sang "The Star-Spangled Banner." It was a great memory of what America is all about.

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