11/11

'They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them.'


There are so many more cultural differences between the UK and America than I could ever have anticipated before taking part in this exchange; I love discovering them, which is fortunate, as they are an almost daily occurance! It's almost like living in a parallel universe, where everything looks familiar, but when examined, nothing's truly the same.

This week, during a lesson with my AP class, as part of our current focus of honing their ability to provide a fully developed analysis of specific devices, we were discussing Seamus Heaney's poem, 'Mid -Term Break'. Surprised that not one of my bright, articulate students had picked up on the plurality inherent within the phrase 'poppy bruise', I questioned them about their take on it. Most didn't even know what a poppy was! Drawing it on the board for them, I explained the significance of the poppy in the UK; that in the UK, paper poppies are sold in the run-up to November the 11th and people wear them to remember those who died in the World Wars, the proceeds going to servicemen and women who are injured today. Adding that the poppy emblem was chosen due to the large number of poppies which bloomed in the battlefields at Flanders after WW1, so symbolising the bloodshed of trench warefare and that, in the UK, we also have two minutes' silence at 11am on 11/11, to respect those who lost their lives.

So, upon waking this morning (aside from thinking 'hurrah, it's not 5.30am ;)), it struck me that, for the first time in living memory, I would not be wearing a poppy on Armistice Day. My parents are currently out visiting me and they too had left their poppies behind as they would not have been allowed the pins on board the aircraft and they didn't think to pack them. I felt slightly perturbed by this, as both my grandfathers fought in WW2 and so, for me, it's been a time to remember and respect what they went through.

In the US, Armistice Day is called Veterans Day (offically there's no apostrophe) and it's a national holiday (hence my lie-in). There is also a further national holiay at the end of May, Memorial Day, which also commemorates those who have served in the armed services. I am unsure whether there is an official period of silence, as, being a non-working day, I wasn't in public at eleven am. There are definitely no poppies, or equivalent: my students weren't the first to ask about their significance!

With no school, my parents and I decided to venture to Plymouth (or 'Plimoth'). There, we happened upon a British shop (who'd have thought touching a packet of Angel Delight could have inspired such happiness?!) which had a British Legion box of poppies! So I did get to wear my poppy this year, after all.

In the true spirit of the Fulbright exchange, where two cultures are intertwined to further cultural understanding, I was able to wear my UK poppy with pride, whilst celebrating Veterans Day, US-style! We may have different ways of remembering, but the sentiment is the same. And, for once, whether British or American, we're both seeing the date the same way: 11/11.