My first Independence Day overseas.

One of my co-workers came to me and said, “Nolan-san. Congratulations. It’s the 4th of July.” None of the other teachers understood why he was congratulating me. Some of them thought perhaps it was my birthday, and they just hadn’t been notified. A noticeable wave of self-conscious uncertainty swept through the room until someone finally asked me: “Nolan-sensei, kyou ga otanjobi desuka?” “No, it’s not my birthday. It’s the U.S.’s independence day.” “Oohhh,” they all said. “Like the Will Smith movie?”