XXXVII. Why is there snow on the ground?

   Today is March 26, and there is snow on the ground. It has snowed for the entire day in fact, and this is after a week of almost spring-like weather. Ironically, my hometown got snow too, pretty much the first snow of winter for them.
   The last week was specifically busy for me because I had three concerts with the school band, Kantibänd.
   Yes, all of the songs were actually in English, and most of them were taken from the musical "Hairspray". There were seven singers, and the rest of the band played various instruments, including brass. I also played my violin for two pieces.

   If I compared these performances to the ones that would normally be pulled off at my American high school, it would seem pretty low-key, but each one went very well. A big difference between Swiss and American audiences is that an American audience will give standing ovations, and I'm accustomed to that. However, here the Swiss audiences will applaud and then begin to clap simultaneously if they really thought the performance was good, and this simultaneous clapping means they want an encore. We had an encore for the first two shows, and on the third one we had two encores! I was pleased but also slightly annoyed because it was late in the evening, and I was sort of ready for all of it to be over. I did have a lot of fun, but now I'm enjoying a break from all the practices.
   Other news concerning school would be how I earned another 6 (best possible grade) on our last math test, so I was happy.
   Now that my year in Switzerland is slowly nearing its end, I have had to think about when I will go home and what I will do afterwards. I scheduled to take the SAT, a very important test needed to get into college, for May despite realizing that it was the day right after I have three weeks of vacation. I'm sure that will make a good horror story in the future.
   The final date of my departure has not been affirmed yet. Due to several reasons, I had asked to extend my stay for over a week in the summer, and so my organization is looking for a new plane ticket for me.
   I also had another appointment with my school guidance counselor via Skype, and I have now decided all the courses that I'm going to take next year. I still can't believe that next year I will be a senior already. I think the best part of being my age right now is that I have so many opportunities and experiences ahead of me, and I get to choose which ones I will take.
   Anyway, I'm still not ready to leave Switzerland yet, and maybe that's why winter is taking one more last stand. As a store cashier teasingly said today, it is January 85th. As long as it's winter, summer (and the time I have to go) is still a while away.