I felt a little homesick today knowing that it was July 4th and I was not going to be spending tonight watching fireworks and eating kettle popcorn. Celebrating the 4th of July in Laos at the U.S. Ambassador's house though was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
It wasn't comparable to the International Hmong Sports Tournament that I go to every year but it felt like I was home. We (the Fulbright ETAs and I along with our SAILer peers) were exclusively invited. We arrived and passed through security and spent the first half hour mingling and drinking then the US Ambassador gavea a brief speech. Afterwards we continued to eat and mingle. It felt like a nice yard party. Tents were up, American flags were out everywhere for decorations and the food was all American. There were hot dogs, hamburgers, mini-pizzas, and DQ ice cream. It was a little piece of home even though we are thousands of miles away.
One lesson I've learned is that you don't ever appreciate home until you leave it and today is certainly one of those days where I dearly miss home. I hope all my friends are enjoying themselves today. Happy 238th birthday USA!
Oh. Today we also learned how to say "I am from ___" in Lao so here goes: Koi mat chat Amelikas.
It wasn't comparable to the International Hmong Sports Tournament that I go to every year but it felt like I was home. We (the Fulbright ETAs and I along with our SAILer peers) were exclusively invited. We arrived and passed through security and spent the first half hour mingling and drinking then the US Ambassador gavea a brief speech. Afterwards we continued to eat and mingle. It felt like a nice yard party. Tents were up, American flags were out everywhere for decorations and the food was all American. There were hot dogs, hamburgers, mini-pizzas, and DQ ice cream. It was a little piece of home even though we are thousands of miles away.
One lesson I've learned is that you don't ever appreciate home until you leave it and today is certainly one of those days where I dearly miss home. I hope all my friends are enjoying themselves today. Happy 238th birthday USA!
Oh. Today we also learned how to say "I am from ___" in Lao so here goes: Koi mat chat Amelikas.