4th of July in Peace Corps Guatemala: Celebrating Freedom With a Little Less "Freedom"

I'll be honest; I really don't celebrate 4th of July in the States, so I had nothing planned and had originally thought I'd just head up to a nice lodge right outside Antigua with a friend to spend the weekend in peaceful relaxation.

Unfortunately, due to the growing security situation in country and a very frightening incident that occurred the week before (explained in more detail on a friend and fellow PCV's blog here), Peace Corps Washington and Peace Corps Guatemala decided it'd be best to tighten security restrictions and require that all Volunteers stay in their sites.

Though I was not going to attend, most Guatemala PCVs were excited to participate in the All-Volunteer Conference and 4th of July Celebration during that weekend, but like the flexible PCVs we are supposed to be, they made due and fashioned some awesome last-minute Goal 2 4th of July activities in their sites.

As an introvert, I'm not really "into" big parties, but I thought it'd be nice to invite a couple co-workers and friends (read: 3 people) to my house to enjoy a small 4th of July lunch. I had a friend bring some balloons and decorations, and we ended up making a huge spread of delicious food (deviled eggs, potato salad, pasta salad, chicken patties, salsa, etc.)

Though it's sometimes difficult for me to integrate in this manner, I'm glad I put my hesitation aside and had a small get-together.

On a side note, as a PCVL with different integration and work needs than regular PCVs, the current interim security policy here in Guatemala continues to trouble me (can't really go into specifics, but it involves heavy restrictions placed on certain towns). I recognize its necessity and am comfortable living and working within the constraints of the policy, but I hope future changes take into account Volunteers with special circumstances.