July 4th...
Well first of all let me begin by wishing a belated "Happy 4th of July" to all of you back home in the lovely United States of America! This day marks the best day of the entire summer. Granted, so much of the meaning of our celebrations are far less rooted in our country's history than they probably should be. If I were back home, my day would have began with the Firecracker 5K, followed by judging a "Cutest Baby Contest" and "Dog Show", then eating funnel cake and walking around the arts and crafts booths at Lincoln Park near Kiddieland. This year I believe the fireworks show was cancelled for the first time due to the economic situation, but in years past I always watched the wonderful show put on by Pittsburg Parks and Recreation. For about two weeks prior to the 4th, my neighborhood typically sounds like a war zone with extraneous amounts of fireworks being shot off both day and night in the streets around my home. Regardless of how silly or frivolous some of the events have become, it is all encompassed within a celebration that is so highly-valued in our nation's history. This year, being out of the States for the first time on Independence Day, I recognize it's value even more.
Needless to say that this year I didn't run any races, bake any apple pies, or watch any fireworks...but I kept the memory of this say in 1776 close to my heart. Hanyang University planned a trip for the summer school students to Everland Amusement Park, home of the T-Express (the steepest wooden roller coaster in the world). It reminded me of pictures I have seem of Disneyland! I felt just like a little kid with a great big smile on my face, and I loved every bit of it! We took a bus on a "safari" and saw all kinds of wild animals, and I was able to learn most of the names of those animals in Korean. That evening we stayed at YangJi Resort in the mountains and were treated to a barbeque. Don't confuse this barbeque with what we know of back home, which typically consists of burgers, hot dogs, and all kinds of fried things. Instead, there was pork and rice to make lettuce wraps, served with the traditional kimchi, which is served at every meal. To top it all off, we said cheers with Soju...a typical drink similar to Vodka. There are eight of us here whom represent the USA, and we toasted to the celebration of our independence as well as our ability to study freely here in South Korea. It's amazing at how far our nation has come and I feel so blessed and proud to be a part of it. I would have shot off some fireworks to truly commemorate the moment, but I imagine that I would have been deported. At least it would have made for a heck of a front page story in the friendly Morning Sun :)
Well first of all let me begin by wishing a belated "Happy 4th of July" to all of you back home in the lovely United States of America! This day marks the best day of the entire summer. Granted, so much of the meaning of our celebrations are far less rooted in our country's history than they probably should be. If I were back home, my day would have began with the Firecracker 5K, followed by judging a "Cutest Baby Contest" and "Dog Show", then eating funnel cake and walking around the arts and crafts booths at Lincoln Park near Kiddieland. This year I believe the fireworks show was cancelled for the first time due to the economic situation, but in years past I always watched the wonderful show put on by Pittsburg Parks and Recreation. For about two weeks prior to the 4th, my neighborhood typically sounds like a war zone with extraneous amounts of fireworks being shot off both day and night in the streets around my home. Regardless of how silly or frivolous some of the events have become, it is all encompassed within a celebration that is so highly-valued in our nation's history. This year, being out of the States for the first time on Independence Day, I recognize it's value even more.
Needless to say that this year I didn't run any races, bake any apple pies, or watch any fireworks...but I kept the memory of this say in 1776 close to my heart. Hanyang University planned a trip for the summer school students to Everland Amusement Park, home of the T-Express (the steepest wooden roller coaster in the world). It reminded me of pictures I have seem of Disneyland! I felt just like a little kid with a great big smile on my face, and I loved every bit of it! We took a bus on a "safari" and saw all kinds of wild animals, and I was able to learn most of the names of those animals in Korean. That evening we stayed at YangJi Resort in the mountains and were treated to a barbeque. Don't confuse this barbeque with what we know of back home, which typically consists of burgers, hot dogs, and all kinds of fried things. Instead, there was pork and rice to make lettuce wraps, served with the traditional kimchi, which is served at every meal. To top it all off, we said cheers with Soju...a typical drink similar to Vodka. There are eight of us here whom represent the USA, and we toasted to the celebration of our independence as well as our ability to study freely here in South Korea. It's amazing at how far our nation has come and I feel so blessed and proud to be a part of it. I would have shot off some fireworks to truly commemorate the moment, but I imagine that I would have been deported. At least it would have made for a heck of a front page story in the friendly Morning Sun :)
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