happy fourth of july!

i am probably celebrating my most unique fourth of july today. i was in oxford last year for the fourth, but celebrating with 11 koreans was not part of that day. today was a perfect opportunity to show our patriotism to the other students and to allow them to join in the festivities. we went to the oxford fourth of july parade this morning, which was a very family friendly event. many children were in the parade, include one dressed as the statue of liberty. it was too cute. we also got the chance to swim and relax by the pool until a rain blew in. that allowed time for a nap, and i've only just woken up from it. later today, we will watch some very american fireworks at the baseball field. our time here has been quite easy; i don't feel that the trip will actually hit me until we get to washington, d.c. in a truly unfamiliar environment.