July 4th!!

I’ve been looking forward to this day for a while…finally something to celebrate! We had a small get together of about 11, basically all of the Americans that we know of in K-town, and had some BBQ and sweet tea, along with some other things that remind us of home. We had a good time together but, honestly, it wasn’t the best 4th of July that I’ve ever had. There was no swimming or fireworks, not a whole lot of red white & blue. There WAS plenty of country music, but it just wasn’t the same as being at one of Cyndi’s parties with friends and family that I’ve known since I was born. I can only remember one other 4th of July that I didn’t get to go to Cyndi’s and I can honestly say that they don’t even compare to one of her parties. (I hope that all of ya’ll had a wonderful time! Although I heard it rained...sorry about that)

But then there’s just something bittersweet about celebrating freedom in the midst of a country where the people are oppressed and everything but free; a country where the government controls every little thing and has absolutely no regard for human life. Something that I’ve found that I say pretty often and usually jokingly is ‘well it’s a free country’. So, for instance, a friend suggests that we do something strange I say ‘it’s a free country so I guess if you want to, go ahead’. But here in the Sandbox that’s not a true statement. Every time I start to say it, it hits me that I’m not in a free country anymore and my life is drastically different here than it is at home. I’m learning to truly appreciate the freedom that I’ve been given and the price that has been paid for that freedom.