I experienced my last days of Swiss school. My class was really sweet and made a little surprise party for me. A couple girls baked a cake and cupcakes for everyone, and they presented me with a signed Swiss T-shirt and a scrapbook with pictures from our school trip.
The cake that they made for me.
The chocolate cupcakes that one girl baked.
On our very last day of school we had to participate in a school tournament. We were divided into teams of about 6-8 people, and we had to play different games. Some of the games were dunking a basketball with the help of a trampoline, swinging from a rope until all six people were on another platform, running on a tight-rope (I couldn't do that), and many other crazy games, but it was all really fun. My team actually got second place out of all the teams in the school (mostly because my class has lots of athletic guys).
Afterwards, when we were all sweaty and exhausted, we got our report cards. I wasn't really sure what I was expecting, but I sure didn't expect that I would do so well. It's a little hard to explain how well I did because the grade values differ between subjects, but basically a 4 or higher (up to 6) means that you pass, and all of my grades were above 4 except for History, but my History teacher didn't give me a grade at all because it was the toughest subject for me. Each grade also has a certain number of points, so: 6 = 2 points, 5.5 = 1.5 points, 5 = 1 point, 4.5 = 0.5 point, 4 = 0, and all grades under 4 would have points subtracted. Technically a student could pass with a total of 0 points, and the most possible is probably around 20. I got 9.5 points, and that is considered really good, even better than several kids in my class. Of course, I suspect the teachers graded me a lot easier than the others, and if I couldn't do a certain test or graded project, then I just wouldn't get a grade for it, but it is still a big accomplishment for me.
That same night was a big festival/party in our town, and almost all the young people in the region went to it. I'm not much of a party person, but I knew lots of people from school, so I actually had lots of fun.
The following morning was Kinderfest, a day that kind of celebrates the history of the town and the end of the school year for the children. There was a parade where all the children from the local schools dressed up and handed out roses. Some of the boys were dressed in uniforms, like little soldiers, and later they reenacted a battle that had once happened nearby. There was also a little festival with some rides like bumper cars and several food stands. I spent most of the day there with friends from church and school, some of whom I had to say goodbye to for the last time.
Some of the cute children in the parade.
Some of the boys were dressed in these special uniforms and received roses from the girls.
Apparently the more roses a boy has, the more girls like him.
This is part of the battle reenactment. The people in red are the bad guys, and those in blue are good.
The tree there in the middle started burning, but I didn't exactly understand what it meant.
The rest of my time has been spent hanging out with friends, and hosting my goodbye party. I had invited a lot of people, and although several couldn't make it because they were either on vacation or working, 35 people still came. It went really well, and despite me having told them not to bring me presents, they gave me some anyway, and I just felt special because so many people cared about me. I baked chocolate chip cookies, and all of them were eaten within the first couple of hours. I don't think any of my friends had ever experienced real, American chocolate chip cookies before.
Now, unfortunately, I face a week of goodbyes and packing, and soon I'll have to leave the place that I call my second home. What keeps me going is knowing that it's not over yet.
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