4th of july in israel

i love the 4th of july so so so much. it's so festive. and full of great traditions. i love america. we have a great country and i'm so proud of it. and i love having a day to celebrate it because it's probably the only day of the year where i consciously realize how lucky i am to have the rights i do. 

this was my first 4th of july away from home and i was worried it would be an uneventful day. but jerusalem did not disappoint! our cooks made us a full-out american meal with hamburgers that they grilled outside, corn on the cob, apple pie, and ice cream. i. was. dying. and to top it off, we ate on the grass, which just adds to the 4th of july celebration, not sure why, but it does. our cooks did such a good job at recreating a traditional 4th of july meal! and they even brought speakers out and played a patriotic playlist for us. we played games all night long and finished it off with an american flag cake made by sister ludlow (my professor's wife), sparklers, and some dancing. i really missed being home with my family because i love spending the 4th with them, but i had a great holiday. i love america! 

and i have been the worst at blogging lately. i have a lot to catch up on! we were in jordan last week. i'll post about that soon.