slice of freedom

American holidays are a weird experience when one is living overseas. Especially if the holiday in question is a big deal back home, like the Fourth of July. Especially, when it falls on a random Tuesday and flies completely under the radar in one’s host country. No fireworks, flags, or other Americana festooning the streets. No family cookouts or parades. Just a day off in the middle of a busy stretch of work.

Ordinarily, we might’ve been tempted to take leave on July 3 to stretch the weekend into a four-day travel opportunity, but that was not an option this year. First, because we just returned from a weeklong vacation in Greece and traded off with other officemates who took summer leave. Second, because S was in charge of coordinating the Embassy Independence Day celebration this year, which is the biggest outreach event on the Embassy calendar.

S was out until midnight last night at the big event, though it was more work than party. We thought about going out for a hike on our day off but wound up sleeping in instead. S was bone-tired after the event and all the work that went into its planning, and D also had a late night, staying for a few beers with friends after his regular Monday night Ultimate Frisbee pick-up game. Among the various opportunities to play disc in Costa Rica, the Monday night pick-up games are D’s favorite for the simple reason that the games take place on the same beat-up soccer field where he played his first Ultimate in Costa Rica, some twenty years ago. And the bar is the same as it was twenty years ago when D, then a recent college graduate, moved to San Jose for the first time.

We did hit the trails over the weekend, hiking 4.5 miles to the Rio Agres waterfall in an unlikely patch of forest abutting the edge of our neighborhood. The trail to the waterfall meanders back and forth across a stream, but is relatively flat and easy, except that there is one portion where all the signage suggests an alternate route that ascends crazily up an impossibly steep hill. We took this unnecessary detour because all the signs literally pointed to it, adding a killer stairmaster-style workout to what was otherwise a pleasant stroll in the woods with our dog.

With the kids Stateside with our parents for only two more weeks, we’re cognizant that we have very little time left to make the most of our tiny slice of freedom.