The Susquehanna Tea Party

The sound and my lips are not aligned, which is odd, because everything was peachy when I recorded it this morning. . . .



I went to Soldiers' Park (which, semi-surprisingly, does not have an American flag anywhere in sight) around 10:00. A Vietnam Veteran by the name of Frank was already there, and shortly after, my dad arrived, so they chatted and I mostly listened and nodded. After Floyd arrived, the men raised a flag which Floyd provided. Two other men and I taped various political and patriotic quotes to the bridge where those who had gathered later dumped tea into the river (with the permission of the PA Fish & Game Commission).

Around 65 people of all ages gathered for the tea party, bearing home-made signs, wearing patriotic garb and armed with knowledge. After three speakers addressed the crowd, everyone marched to the bridge to dump tea into the river. I had a lot of fun taking pictures and interviewing people, and it was incredibly encouraging to hear people honk their horns in support as they drove by. Everyone was rather courteous and it was simply a very friendly atmosphere -- and I made a few new friends, too!

The only downside was that I had left my backpack (with my laptop and all sorts of other expensive technologies) in the park when everyone went to the bridge. My dad picked it up for me, and then told me he was going to put it in my Jeep. Not thinking, I continued snapping pictures and filming for a good fifteen or twenty minutes before I realized that my car keys were in my backpack. So, I was stuck in the sun for another half hour while I waited for Dad to come back and unlock my car for me.

Also, as I was filming people walking to the bridge, a man passed me and said, "你好!" Not certain whether I'd heard him correctly, I said, "I'm sorry?" He then said, "You're Chinese, aren't you?" My next response? "Yes, yes I am." That's one of those facepalm moments. He then asked how I was, ["你好吗?"] to which I responded, "I'm very well, thank you. And you?" ["我很好， 谢谢。 你呢?"] The only way I can think to redeem myself is to blame my answer on either the fact that my brain decided that I'm Chinese because I'm learning Chinese, or else the sun was getting to me. And no, I didn't correct myself. That would have been interesting. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm actually not Chinese. I forgot for a moment. Just kidding!"