I have never been so happy to have spent the Fourth of July with so few Americans.

I went out last night to get a burger, beer, and fries for dinner at around 6pm at this small joint near the laundry mat, “Burger Raj”. I sat next to a table with three incredible, welcoming, and fun Croatians. I joined in their conversation by defending the bar art they were criticizing. But it turns out they were in fact, professional designers and artists in the area, so I told them they must be correct and they invited me out for a walk with the three of them.

Two of the artists were a couple, and I think Anta was feeling like the third wheel because she was more than happy to take me on the local tour of the city and wanted to take me to the city’s summer “Pop-Up Beer Garden”. Already, I was giddy with excitement to have met such unique and open friends. Then as our walk continued we saw a wine tasting event that appeared to be a very classy event, the type of event a young man in America would need to be on some sort of list to be let into.

So Anta says to me, “Oh my god there is my step-uncle! Let’s go in and see what is happening!”

Yeah, there was no chance I could say no to her in that moment. So just Anta and I went inside the event and she is speaking Croatian to her family, friends, and wine pourers while I stand, smile, and tell people my name when she told me to. We tried a few white wines and then people started making speeches and a woman in a golden gown and tiara took to the center of the courtyard. I asked Anta what was going on and she told me that the woman in the dress was the Zagreb Wine Queen… I was in the “royal” wine court for free!! And it was only 8 o’clock or so!

Anta had some plans to go out with some friends of hers later that night and invited me to tag along, again there was no chance I could say no. I was being taught so many names and Croatian throughout the night that I only can remember the name of one of her friends who we met with after the wine event, Lovre. He is a very tall Croatian, an aspiring writer and passionate NBA fan. We spoke at length about the Warrior’s turbulent summer, Kawhi’s upcoming decision, and how crazy World Cup festivities got in Croatia last year. Lovre, Anta, and another friend of theirs whose name escapes me bought drinks at a convenience store then drank and chatted at “Fake Art” Park. What amazed me was that these Croatian locals who lived in the city for years were willing to have an entire night of conversation in their secondary language just to keep me included. I told them that I appreciated their bilingual skills and did try to learn a few useful Croatian phrases from them too.

At this point the night was nearing 11 o’clock (I should say 23:00 that is how they display time in Croatia) and my new friends were going to go their favorite cheap place in town; Rockstarr Caffe Bar, and wanted to show me some of the local liquors. Once again, there was not a chance in hell I was saying no!

I had my first, second, and third taste of the local specialty, Rakia. I sat on the street curb and met other Croatian friends of their, two very cute travelers from Germany, a man who invited me to crash on his couch in Spain, and a photographer from the Brooklyn. At one point Lovre shouted, “Happy Fourth of July Casey” and I stood up and saluted towards absolutely nothing in particular! I exchanged some social media information with my new friends and called it a night as conversations started to die down.

Then I called Christopher on my intoxicated walk home and spoke about life abroad, Brandon’s wedding, cooking, and the Warriors until my phone died. A night that started in isolation turned into an incredibly empowering, social, and informative night. When I woke up today I was so happy to have remembered everything and to not have to go to class today! Even though there wasn’t a BBQ or any family around me or any fireworks; I think that was the best Fourth of July I have ever had. God Bless America. And thank God I decided to go on this trip.