US Independence Day. For them, it's a really big deal!

"Happy 4th of Julyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

• Our apartment landlady, Trish, came by to check the mail and wish us a happy holiday!

We all know that Americans are very patriotic! Trish was wearing a floor-length blue skirt, a red tank top with white collars, a white hair tie, and a visor in the colors of the flag! Now that is what I call a PATRIOT! Even though we aren't residents, it was very nice! These people love their country (and we use their flag as a kitchen curtain).

At the hotel, I was the first one to wish someone a happy holiday; that's how much energy Trish gave me. Unfortunately, it faded a bit later on, as work completely consumed me. Almost all the rooms are occupied (in the US, the 4th of July is also the official start of the season).

There were fireworks tonight, the first of the summer. From July 4th to September 2nd (Labor Day - the first Monday of September, when students start school), there are fireworks on the boardwalk every weekend! There are so many tourists, all the carousels, cafes, and shops are open – this is how Russian students make their money. Working on the boardwalk during the season is different from working elsewhere (for example, like me at a restaurant, or in large corporations). Sonya came home very late today; she finally got a lot of work hours! She stands on the promenade near a souvenir shop and blows bubbles with a bubble gun. You wouldn't believe the people she meets. The main crowd is American kids, many of them spoiled and very overweight! I think Sonya should write a blog about this. Who made what joke, who stood out. It's basically a whole thesis – the behavior of local children and teenagers in "I want it, buy it" situations (or at least a term paper!).

I didn't come home late from work myself. We actually had no customers; all the guests were walking along the ocean and having fun. It's not the time, you see, for serious dinners! But getting home was very difficult. At 10:30, everyone was returning from the boardwalk. Traffic jams on the roads! Cars were in two lanes, taking up the entire roadway. You couldn't ride on the sidewalk – there were tipsy tourists, and in crowds too! It's good that I was riding with Vitya, it wasn't as scary. We carefully drove around cars and watched the pedestrians. We initially chose a different route, not taking New Jersey – the central one – but Atlantic, a block closer to the beach. The only difference was that Atlantic was stuck in traffic, while cars were speeding past on New Jersey.

By the way, all of Rio Grande – my street – was also at a standstill. And until late at night. Our door is always open when we are home and awake, and the road is just 7 meters away. There are many big, cool cars in the US! We've seen enough pickups for a long time now, we aren't surprised anymore, and soon we'll stop paying attention to open convertibles.

Personally, I didn't feel the holiday, except for Trish's morning visit. It was just an ordinary workday for me. And only a few rare details reminded me of the importance of the event!

P.S. Now I know that the woman I congratulated in the morning is Polish! And I was wondering why she hesitated with her answer!