This is my first time celebrating our national day abroad, so I was excited to see how the americans mark the day. Each year, there is a 17th-of-May-parade going up 5th avenue in Brooklyn, but since the 17th of May is not a holiday here, the parade was set to the nearest Sunday. Therefore, Helene and I this year celebrated the 17th of May at the 15th of May.
The date didn't really matter, 'cause when we came there and saw all those Norwegian flags, Norwegian national costumes and heard the national anthem, we instantly got the proud 17th-of-May-feelig.
I rarely feel patriotic, but at that moment I was the biggest patriot of them all. I sung the national anthem at the top of my lungs, waved the flag as high as I could and felt exceptionally proud of being a Norwegian. I even got a little homesick. Still, I was glad I got to celebrate the national day here in New York. Marching down an avenue in Brooklyn, waving the Norwegian flag, and seeing all those Norwegian-Americans cheering for your country, is an experience I will not easily forget.
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