Freedom is not free

March 22, 2011 – Freedom is Not Free

It is now the second day of staging in Washington DC.  The days are going quick.  I’ve met many people coming from different backgrounds and experiences.  Some volunteers that just retired to volunteers who just graduated, and volunteers that were looking for change just like me.  There are 106 of us.  It feels like college orientation all over.  There are a lot of Californians and about 7 San Diegans so I find comfort in them.  I’m the only Filipino going so it gives me a sense of pride and feel like I need to represent.  The past two days have been 24/7 with these people and I am enjoying every single part of it.  We are all on the same boat here.  We are all nervous, excited, anxious, excited, scared, excited, overwhelmed, excited, and at this point exhausted.  A few lucky ones got to arrive in DC on Sunday and were able to rest while the others arrived Monday morning right before registration.  Then it was a nonstop Monday. 

Tuesday was the day we all left.  The day we were no longer going to be on US soil and are now going to be a stranger in somebody’s country.  It was fitting that the staging was at DC because it gave a few of the volunteers to enjoy the history and beauty of the monuments.  As I walked by the Lincoln memorial, the Vietnam and Korean War Memorial, and the Washington memorial, I was reminded by a sign that said ‘Freedom is not Free.’  This made me think about what it meant to be an American and how I was going to represent our country to people that only know America from what they read or watch on TV.  I am going to be what the people of Ukraine will now know what an “American” is.