Kristen’s already posted on the 4th of July and what a fun time we had.  But I’ll post a bit more.

Back in November 2008, my boss asked me if wanted to volunteer to head up 4th of July 2009.  He said they were looking for someone who would eventually end up in the management section (which I’ll do at some point).  I said yes, knowing that it would be a long-term project, which is what I really enjoy.  But I know I didn’t understand just how much work would go into it.

We started meeting in November, but really didn’t do anything substantial until February or so.   I knew last year’s event was huge and that they wanted it to be bigger this year, so I quickly found other volunteers to help out.  I think by the end we had about 18 subcommittees working on everything from decorations to raffles to parking.  In June, I moved over to the management section, which handles a lot of the logistics and support for the Embassy.  And the 4th of July is mostly about logistics.  It’s hard to believe, but I was working full-time on the 4th beginning on June 1, and probably abuot 50-75% during the month of May.

By the end, I was glad it was over.  There were so many details and issues that popped up that it was becoming awfully stressful.  But fun nonetheless.  I’ve been asked if I would do it again, and I certainly would…just not next year.  Thankfully, Bern will be much smaller.  Probably a backyard BBQ kind of party.  So even if they ask me to run that one, at least I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.

One of the highlights was getting to select and arrange the music for the fireworks.  Last year, the fireworks were timed to Disney music (what that means, I don’t know).  But this year I wanted it to be patriotic.  So I selected 7 songs for a 13 minute show.  Everything from “You’re a Grand Old Flag” to “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”  From the feedback we received, the fireworks were definitely the biggest hit.  And I know of 3 people who shed tears during the show.  I think Indepedence Day is such a big deal for Americans, that it’s hard to be overseas and away from family and traditions that the fireworks were probably the only thing that was traditionally American.

The other highlight was getting to work on a plaque for the 3 American hostages that were released last year, along with 1 American who died when their plane crashed.  (If you want to read their autobiography, I highly recommend _Out of Captivity_.)  Previously, the Embassy had a permanent memorial to the hostages right inside the lobby throughout the 1,967 days of captivity.  And the plaque will go where the memorial previously was.  The Ambassador unveiled the plaque on July 4.  And one of the fun things was that I was the one who wrote text for the plaque.  Of course, the day before they were going to inscribe the text on the plaque, I was reading over the text one more time and found that one person’s name was misspelled.  Thankfully we caught it in time!!

Until we leave in September, they are letting me stay in the management section.  In the mornings, I’ll be doing a couple hours of visas, but otherwise I’ll be doing small management projects.  I’m really thankful they’re giving me some experience in what I’ll eventually end up doing.  Bern will be two more years of consular, so I’m also thankful I’m getting a break from consular.

Now that the 4th is over, we’re starting to wrap things up in Colombia.  We’ve made our list of things we want to do before we leave.  Kristen’s been sorting our house so we don’t bring along all the stuff we never use.  We’ve started the check-out list and even have our pack-out scheduled.  We’re less than 2 months out, which is hard to believe.  I think we’re both ready for a change and ready to get back to the USA.  Distance makes the heart grow fonder.  We’re looking forward to the food and family and familiarity.  I’m especially looking forward to Whataburger.  And since they don’t have it in DC, I’m going to have to get my fill while in Texas.