National pride?

Today is the National Day of Singapore. The country is celebrating its 42th birthday.
I watched the National Day Parade at home because I didn't have a ticket and also didn't have the money to buy the ticket while someone from the internet was trying to sell one ticket to me at SGD$100 yesterday.

The Parade was great and I'd really love to see it live if I'm still in this country next year. I'm always a parade lover. I love watching parade and being part of the parade!

I'm so jealous when I see people so proud of their own countries. When they all stood up and sang their National song "Count On Me" and the National Anthem, you can see proud from their eyes. They hugged each other, they sang with a big smile on their faces.

Why am I jealous? Because I don't have that kind of national pride to my own country - China. I grew up in Hong Kong, I was educated by the British Gov't and I was so lost every time when I was asked to fill in the "Nationality" field in any forms. I guess I was the minority that felt happy about the handover in 1997. Honestly, I do have doubts about the Chinese Gov't, but I can tell you, the British Gov't wasn't that good as you think. At the end of the day, Hong Kong was just a British colony, NOT part of England.

Back to national pride.. I had already finished my formal education when 1997 came. So I never have a chance to get any education about my country.. and therefore, I can't even sing my National Anthem.

I have to say, I'm proud to be a Chinese. But sometimes I'm also glad that I'm not treated as a Chinese when I'm overseas. People in other countries tend to treat us, the Hong Kongers, differently to the mainlanders. I truely understand that. And I feel sad when people say bad things about the mainlanders. Yes, I feel sad, but not offended, because what people said are the truth. That's how other people feel about the mainlanders.

I feel sad because it's very hard to let other people understand China's situation. If they understand more about our history, and try to understand the subtle behavior of other countries, they might be able to understand why it is so hard for us to "improve" to the world standard.

Somehow I really wish that all the people in my country including myself can have that strong national pride as the Singaporeans one day. It will be a beautiful day.


Here are two theme songs of the Singapore National Day Parade 2007, very nice.

Will You


There's No Place I'd Rather Be - Kit Chan