Circus Day

Today we had the much-anticipated circus with our Lucerne students. We got there about 10:30, which was nice because we got to sleep in. Everyone had a job--some people were face painting, some were selling popcorn, some were making chili, and I was working on the handout for the Traditions portion of the day.

During lunch we sat with the kids while they ate. Then they were supposed to go out for recess. I was headed down to the school anyway so the music teacher asked me to lead them to the bottom. I love playing with the kids. They are so much fun and so full of energy. For the past year I've been saying that I really only wanted to work with high schoolers, but this trip has shown me that I could pretty much teach any grade and be happy. I love all of the cute personalities and seeing how clever they are even at a young age. I got to hang out with Anna again today. I absolutely adore her. She's so wise for her young age and she says such witty things. It's funny that even though she's in 3rd grade she taught me a lesson today. Yesterday, her and a friend got in a fight over something (not exactly sure what happened). As I was getting off the bus yesterday, she said "hopefully things will be better tomorrow." That sounded very grown up to me. Well today when I asked her how things were going between the two of them she said, "everything is great. It's in the past." I really like her attitude-- "let bygones be bygones and move on with life." I try to have that attitude, but there are many times when I bring up things about the way people have treated me in the past and they affect the way I treat them now. I want to try to take on Anna's attitude of "just get over it."

I was apart of the "Wild West" portion of the show. The circus was amazing. The kids did a great job. The circus was especially cool because the kids made up everything. That is part of the inquiry method-- it's about student initiative. I think that is so much more meaningful for everyone; the kids feel more responsible, the teacher feels more like a guide than the rule, and the parents know that their child wasn't forced to do anything.

After the circus we taught them about Texas A&M. It was a lot of fun. We taught them about "Howdy" and all of our traditions. Then a few of the girls led some yells, and we sang the war hymn too. Next a few of the girls led a line dance. They were really good. They even got Angie Hollington, the principal, and Mr. Latter, the owner of the Lucerne and Zug schools to dance. I took a video of it. After that the mayor of Lucerne, Mr. Latter, Angie, and Dr. Wiese spoke to the group seperatley. Then Chris, the amazing school chef, brought out the beautiful cake that he made. It was so good. We served the cake and the chili that the girls made. I think a lot of the parents liked the chili. They kept the country music going and everyone danced a little more.

Then it was time to say good-bye to everyone. It was really hard to say good-bye to Anna. I was surprised at how close we got in just three days. She gave everyone like 5 hugs. Her mom was so sweet. She said some really nice things to me and told me how much Anna enjoyed hanging out with me. I didn't tear up until Anna started crying as she left. I got her address though, so hopefully we can write each other. She is so precious.

We had a great day today. The weather was perfect, unlike yesterday. The mountains were beautiful--yesterday it snowed and today we could see the mountain tops covered in blankets of white--breathtaking. I am so glad I have been able to experience God's blessings here in Switzerland. I am amazed by the scenery He has left us and the wonderful experiences He allows us to have. I had bittersweet feelings today. I'm ready to go home, but I am also sad. I've had so much fun. Tomorrow we have a free day so I'm looking forward to that. But I will miss all of my friends here and the beautiful places we've been. Luckily, I have tons of pictures.


The Yummy Yummy cake. Yes, those are strawberries. Here's the Wild West group. Aww...sweet girls!The whole group!