Entering July with a Bang

                July started off with a bang after an unfortunate hammock incident on July 1^st. The rope on one end of the hammock I was relaxing in came untied, dropping me about two and a half feet straight down onto a concrete step. Thinking back, we chose a really terrible place to hang our hammock. Won’t make that mistake again! The fall left me unable to walk of bear weight on my right side. Not only is it really frustrating to have to miss school, but Zack and I had also been planning a 4^th of July BBQ at our house.

                This leads into another, much more positive beginning-of-July experience. Zack and I had only organized one get-together at our house (last Christmas), so we decided to celebrate Independence Day by inviting all of the teachers from my school and all of the staff from Zack’s office to join us for a classic 4^th of July BBQ at our house. We saw it as a really great opportunity for cultural exchange.

Poor Zack bore the brunt of preparing everything and was just awesome in every way. He cleaned the house and made all of the dishes I had been planning on making myself. He may have even discovered a new enthusiasm for baking since his brownies and chocolate chip cookies were such a success. Luckily for us, Thais are used to pulling together for big events, so chairs and tables, dishes, two grills, drinks, fruit and a ton of food magically appeared. We played some classic American music with a patriotic theme and just enjoyed the party, just like we would have back in the States.

The evening even ended with our own fireworks show to go along with Ray Charles singing “America the Beautiful.” Also, we can’t leave out the epic dancing that followed. Zack’s and my Peace Corps service has been making us better, more appreciative Americans, and it felt so great to share our American pride with our Thai friends.

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