My Life. My Time. My SoKo.: Celebrating The Fourth of July In A Foreign Country

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Celebrating The Fourth of July In A Foreign Country

For me, July 4th will always be the Fourth of July. I am an American. Though each year brings a different sense of independence, that date will always mean America's Independence Day. It will be celebrated in red, white and blue with hamburgers and hotdogs, Coca-Cola, ice cream, and fireworks.

Even in Korea.

July 4th falls on a Monday this year, and Americans in Korea are celebrating in our own ways across the country, many on July 2nd and 3rd.

Tomorrow, I will be celebrating with my co-worker, Brandi, her husband, Yong Suk, and two students from our hogwon, Sol and Hannah. We are all meeting at school around 11am and then walking to Brandi's apartment for lunch. I made a delicious pasta salad with chicken tonight to take with me, and Brandi is going to make mashed potatoes and hamburgers. The plan is to have a delicious lunch and share some American food (made by Americans!) with our Korean friends. After lunch, we'll watch a movie and then go out to a cafe for some cold drinks, American style! (Iced coffee in the form of Cafe Americanos, most likely!)

In another part of Korea, more specifically Daejeon, a rooftop shindig will be kicking off around 2pm. Some foreigners here are lucky enough to have roof access in their buildings. Koreans use this space to hang clothes to dry when the weather is nice, but Americans appreciate the space for what it is: party central! I would be going to the awesome shindig, but I am low on cash and it costs me anywhere from $42 -$57 round trip to Daejeon, depending on which train I am able to catch. I wish them an awesome time!

And in yet another part of Korea, a plane will be landing with my sister and brother-in-law on board. They will be arriving at Incheon Airport (Seoul) tomorrow evening at 5:50pm. I won't be able to see them until next weekend (even if I wanted to spend the money to get to Daejeon this weekend, I'd be on a train back to Gwangju before they even got into Daejeon tomorrow night), but it is a very exciting thing to have family living right up the road in the same foreign country, and working as hogwon teachers, too.

Last year, Independence Day had new meaning for me as I took the first few steps on my own as a newly single woman and unlocked the door to my new apartment on 7/3/10. This year, I am living in a foreign country and feel that I am the most successful person in my world.