Patriotic

Although I am not a dual national, I certainly feel patriotic about two countries.

I was born in the United States of America to American parents, and I proudly hold an American passport, but my father was transferred to England for business reasons in 1958 when I was two years old, and I spent my formative years there. I can sing God Save The Queen with the best of them, still prefer tea to coffee, sometimes forget which country I am in, and confuse people by using the "wrong" vocabulary ("biro" instead of "ballpoint pen", "Cellotape" instead of "Scotch Tape", etc.), and I still retain much of my English accent, prompting strangers to ask politely where I'm from. Oddly, many people seem to think I'm from Denmark!

I returned to the United States when I was nineteen to attend college, then met Mr. W seconds after graduating and married the man, which is why I now live back on this side of the puddle. I try to go "home" every three or four years, and it's so much fun to annoy my kids when they come to England with us, because within 24 hours of being on British soil, the full Surrey accent returns unbidden!

God Save the Queen, and Hooray For the Red, White and Blue!

Happy Memorial Day.