Grateful for Freedom, Wherever We Celebrate It
It feels a bit strange to be in another country while our friends and family back home are celebrating the Fourth of July. At the same time, living outside the United States has given us an even greater appreciation for the freedoms and blessings we enjoy as Americans. Ironically, we spent the day celebrating Mongolia at a "Mini Naadam" celebration hosted by Selenge, the Prime Minister's wife. The official Naadam holiday begins Friday, but it was fun to attend this pre-celebration complete with boortsog (fried bread), traditional entertainment, wrestling, and airag (fermented mare's milk). We each took our customary sip just to confirm that, yes, we still don't care for it! After we returned home, we finished the day with the most American meal we could think of—hamburgers, French fries, and, of course, Coke. (I couldn't resist including these two cuties!) On our way to the Naadam celebration, we stopped by a BYU–Hawaii alumni gathering where they were prepa...